Spending Review 2020

The Government are committed to levelling up opportunities across the UK. People shouldn’t have to leave their local area to get on in life, or to further their career. 

Levelling up means spreading opportunity and investment across the UK so that people feel that they can succeed in their local area. We will deliver this pledge by boosting jobs, wages and prospects for all communities so that everybody gets the same opportunities in life.

The Spending Review delivers on the priorities of the British people:

• Our immediate priority is to protect people’s lives and livelihoods as we respond to coronavirus.
• But we will also deliver stronger public services – more hospitals, better schools and safer streets.
• And deliver a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure – creating jobs, growing the economy, and increasing pride in the places people call home.

We will deliver this pledge by boosting jobs, wages and prospects for all communities so that everybody gets the same opportunities in life.

The Spending Review delivers on our promises to support local public services:

• Ensuring every child has the best start in life by boosting per pupil funding. Schools in the East of England will receive £4 billion in per-pupil funding through the schools block - an average per-pupil increase of 3.2 per cent compared to 20-21.
• Improving health services in the East of England. We are building 6 new hospitals and continuing to grow medical undergraduate degree places, with an additional 162 places in the East of England compared to 2017-18.
• Investing in flood defences. We’re protecting over 1,200 properties across King’s Lynn and Peterborough through the early stages of our £5.2 billion six-year flood defences programme.
• Tackling crime by recruiting more police officers. The East of England will benefit from a share of 6,000 new police officers in 2021-22.
• Launching a drugs enforcement and treatment pilot. Norwich will host one of five pilots which looks to join up local law enforcement agencies, the NHS, prisons and social care services both to disrupt serious organised drugs and firearms trade and to provide support to tackle addiction.
• Unlocking new homes in the region. The East of England will benefit from nearly £800 million in funding across 15 projects, as part of the Housing Infrastructure Fund. Projects include Cambridge Northern Fringe East where £227 million funding is being provided for the relocation of a waste water treatment plant in order to unlock nearly 9,000 homes on a major brownfield site.

This follows our continued support for the East of England through coronavirus:

• In total, we have supported 879,600 million jobs through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
• Over 127,000 businesses have been supported through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans Scheme and the Bounce Back Loans Scheme with loans worth over £5.0 billion.
• We have invested £63.5 million in local infrastructure priorities in the East of England through the Getting Building Fund, supporting the East of England’s short-term recovery from COVID-19. This includes: the Peterborough Research Super-Hub and the Great Yarmouth Strategic Seafront Regeneration water and leisure visitor attraction.

We are supporting economic priorities and revitalisation of communities and towns:

• Improving transport infrastructure and connectivity as part of our levelling up agenda.

1. We are investing over £42 million in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and Norwich in 21-22 to improve public transport, boost connectivity and reduce congestion through the Transforming Cities Fund (with over £130 million total provided to these areas over the length of the programme).
2. The East of England will benefit from major works on the A12, A47 and A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet.
3. The East of England will also benefit from over £130 million funding for local roads maintenance in 21- 22, as well as local road upgrades including the Great Yarmouth Third River Crossing in Norfolk and Lake Lothing Third Crossing in Suffolk.

• Promoting opportunities to secure foreign direct investment. In Hertfordshire, the High Potential Opportunities Programme is promoting opportunities to secure FDI in cell and gene therapy.
• Benefitting from £60 million Gainshare Funding for devolution and city deals including Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and city deal for Greater Cambridge Partnership. The fund has previously been used by the Greater Cambridge Partnership for local transport projects such as a series of cycling schemes for the area - improving take-up of cycling, and increasing satisfaction with route quality and perceptions of safety.
• Supporting the regeneration of 11 towns in the East of England through the Towns Fund. Towns Deals confirmed so far include:

1. 25m for Norwich to help grow the city’s digital sector, bringing new jobs and opportunities to the community.
2. £23m for Peterborough to develop the city’s skills and transport infrastructure.

This is in addition to other announcements that will benefit the region:

• £160 million in funding for modern ports and manufacturing infrastructure. This investment would allow the region to take advantage of the green industrial revolution and become a core part of the renewable energy industry.
• Norfolk County Council will host one of five pilot locations which will develop cost-effective and innovative approaches to planting or encouraging trees outside woodlands, from the Shared Outcomes Fund.
• Our £14.6 billion investment in Research and Development in 2021-22, which will be available to support UK innovators and researchers across the UK, including those in the East of England, pursuing ground-breaking ideas and developing new technologies.