A city council leader has hit out at ‘political bias' in funding and said local areas should not have to ‘pit ourselves against neighbouring authorities' for cash, as ministers gathered to discuss levelling up.

Leader of Coventry City Council Cllr George Duggins said the formula for levelling up funds ‘uses economic output rather than income deprivation to rank beneficiaries', meaning cities with relatively high economic output but also high levels of income deprivation ‘will never be prioritised'.