In their recent round of Levelling Up Funding, the Government once again passed over Barnsley East for investment.

I welcome the fact that neighbouring Barnsley Central was successful in their bid, providing important funding for youth services and the Barnsley Youth Choir, but let’s not forget that that the Government have cut £15 billion from local governments in cash terms over the last decade.

They ask us to be grateful for giving back less than £2 for every £10 they’ve taken.

The process of funding approval for Levelling Up bids is inadequate. With just five per cent of funding promised to communities across the country actually making it to local areas, Conservative- held constituencies are more than twice as likely to receive funding than any Labour- held areas.

In the most recent funding round, London was awarded more funding than both Yorkshire and the North East. Almost £20 million of Yorkshire’s funding is allocated to the Prime Minister’s own affluent Richmond constituency in North Yorkshire.

Barnsley remains in the ten per cent of areas with the most deprivation. A third of Barnsley residents are now in fuel poverty.

We are, by the Government’s own measures, deserving of Levelling Up funding.

The Levelling Up programme is meant to improve standards of living across the country, helping every place to reach its full potential, with a key aim of addressing regional inequalities across the UK.

However, this is not the system that we have in place. Towns are fighting against a rigid postcode lottery, and the allocation process is overtly political. The Prime Minister himself boasted about taking money from deprived areas to allocate to affluent areas, like Tunbridge Wells, during his leadership campaign.

This is clearly not a fair system.

Former coalfield areas such as Barnsley East have so much untapped potential for investment, often feeling left behind by the Government.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for former coalfields recently held an inquiry to consider the challenges facing coalfield areas, including employment opportunities, transport and infrastructure.

Levelling up would have been a great opportunity to address some of these concerns. It is a shame that the Government missed this chance.