The Labour government has announced it will be reviewing levelling up funding awarded by Conservatives.

The new administration has already scrapped the phrase from the department title, replacing it with 'local government'.

And it has refused to rule out clawing back some of the money committed to projects, including those in Scotland.

Here's what you need to know.


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What is the levelling up fund?

Introduced by the Conservative Party in 2019, and is aimed at reducing geographical inequality.

The UK government said in December last year that £2.92bn had been allocated to Scotland.

Why is it in the news?

Labour are engaged in a review of public spending, and some of the projects to which money has been committed could now be under threat.

Which projects have been promised funding?

Nine Scottish councils received funding from the £2.1bn pot in the 2023 round.

Shetland Islands Council has been awarded £27m for a new ferry for Fair Isle in the biggest of the awards.

That's followed by the £20m given to East Ayrshire Council for the refurbishment of the Palace Theatre and Grand Hall, and the creation of a park to connect it to the nearby Dick Institute library.

Aberdeenshire Council has been given the same grant to transform Peterhead’s disused Arbuthnot House into a new museum, library and cultural hub, while the popular marine aquarium in Macduff will be modernised and expanded.

Fife Council has been promised £19.4m to accelerate the regeneration of Riverside Park, with £19m pledged to Stirling Council for regeneration of Forthside.

A total of £18m is due to go to Dumfries and Galloway Council to turn redundant spaces and buildings into exciting new cultural and leisure opportunities.

Dundee City Council was awarded £14m for the redevelopment of a dated multi-storey car park into a sustainable transport hub, creating 350 electrical vehicle charging points, car share spaces, and an e-bike hire scheme.

East Lothian Council has been pledged £11.3m to free up land at a former coal fired power station for future, green regeneration.

Finally, North Lanarkshire Council has been given £9m to support the demolition and regeneration of two failing shopping centres and a vacant office block in Cumbernauld.

Previously announced projects include a major regeneration of Drumchapel’s town centre, and £2m to refurbish the King's Theatre in Glasgow.

Does this mean those projects won't be happening?

We don't know exactly. The government isn't going to take away all funding from all projects, but some could be scaled back or scrapped.