- 1st August 2025
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Today [01 Aug 2025] we wrote to the Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms with our local authority colleagues at London Councils, Central London Forward, South London Partnership and West London Alliance, asking for support to tackle digital inequalities and gaps in digital infrastructure investment across the capital.
There has been significant public sector support to stimulate digital investment in other parts of the UK and leaders are coming together to call for high-speed connectivity across all of London; this is fundamental to achieving our growth potential, world-leading digital ambitions and ensuring no communities are be left behind.
Cllr Anthony Okereke, Chair of Local London and Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, said:
“We are writing to the Government with our colleagues from across London calling for support to tackle gaps in digital infrastructure provision across the inner and outer boroughs of our great city.
Counter to perceptions, not all London benefits from gigabit capable broadband connectivity. In our East London boroughs, we are working hard to bring in investment to tackle connectivity issues affecting 90,000 businesses and homes. Connectivity goes beyond political boundaries, we are standing with our London colleagues to urge Government to ensure all London has the digital infrastructure to contribute to its fullest potential for the benefit of people locally, regionally and across the UK.”
Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, Chair of Local London’s Growth Board that leads on digital, and Mayor of Newham, said:
“Across the capital, gaps in services are creating digital inequalities and curtailing opportunities for people and businesses, this impacts on local and national growth. In our fast-growing East London sub-region alone, there are tens of thousands of premises unable to access a gigabit broadband service. We also require world class mobile services and the ability to deliver fibre and business services to data centre locations, business clusters, business parks and growth zones.
We are committed to working with the public and private sectors to bring high-speed broadband connectivity to our boroughs, London, and beyond. This is fundamental for digital inclusion and ambitions to lead the UK’s AI and digital future.”
Read our letter to Minister Sir Chris Bryant MP re London's digital connectivity challenges.
Find out more about digital infrastructure
Local London and South London Partnership have jointly produced a Digital Strategy, along with a toolkit to help local authority officers secure digital infrastructure investment. Discover more: londondigitaltoolkit.org.uk
Delivering Economic Growth in Local London: Digital Connectivity Requirements
The availability of world class digital infrastructure across Local London is key to delivering economic prosperity and efficient public services. Most notably the growth objectives of the nation will only be achieved if the underlying infrastructure is available. Local London is one of the fastest growing regions in the UK and an engine of growth for the UK economy. This paper sets out the challenges and digital infrastructure investment opportunity.
Ahead of the launch of the Government’s flagship Levelling Up White Paper, Local London has announced it will publish a new report which will shine fresh light on the sub-region’s case for support.
The Levelling Up White Paper is the Government’s flagship policy for reducing regional deprivation and inequalities. The most basic definition of levelling up assumes poorer regions will be ‘levelled up’ with wealthier regions through various measures and funding arrangements.
Local London has long argued East London is a special case for levelling up support and should be treated similarly to regions often cited for assistance like Cornwall, Teesside and Merseyside. The EU categorised this region ‘least developed’.
In August, Local London commissioned Localis – the well-respected and independent think tank to research and write a new narrative for the sub-region accounting for its historic and entrenched deprivation and the impact of the pandemic on East London.
Their report ‘Levelling Up and Local London’ will be launched on 2nd November with a new set of policy ideas and asks of Government.
A copy of the report will be sent to the new Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, and other key decision-makers.
Local London will also be seeking meetings with key civil servants involved in developing levelling-up policy and funding to ensure the sub-region’s position is understood.
The Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) has revealed some clues about how the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will support regional levelling-up with more detail expected this spring.
Local London has been working hard to make a case for funding from the UKSPF, which will replace monies distributed by the European Union.
The sub-regional partnership would have expected around £1 billion in growth support from the EU between 2021-7 as a ‘less developed region’ had the UK remained. We are campaigning for similar funding.
But there has been little information and no consultation around the UKSPF up until now.
Rishi Sunak MP, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, did not announce substantial detail about the UKSPF at the CSR in November, but did say further details will be set out in a “UK-wide investment framework” which will be published in the spring.
The Chancellor announced £220m will be allocated in 2021-22 to help local areas prepare for the introduction of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund through pilot programmes which explore new approaches.
A Treasury document published after the CSR said there would be two portions of the UKSPF.
The first will target “places most in need across the UK, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities”, and prioritise:
• Investment in people, through initiatives such as work-based training and other local support such as for early years
• Investment in communities and place, “including cultural and sporting facilities, civic, green and rural infrastructure, community-owned assets, neighbourhood and housing improvements, town centre and transport improvements and digital connectivity”
• Investment for local business, which includes support for “innovation, green and tech adoption, tailored to local needs”.
A second portion of the UKSPF will be targeted at “people most in need through bespoke employment and skills programmes that are tailored to local need”.
The Treasury document said this would “support improved employment outcomes for those in and out of work in specific cohorts of people who face labour market barriers”.
The Chancellor also announced a new £4 billion Levelling Up Fund to equalise disparity between the regions of the UK.
Local areas can apply for up to £20m each from the fund to spend on projects which command local support, including from an MP.
The Chancellor said the fund, which will be controlled from Westminster, was designed to improve “the infrastructure of everyday life”. He cited examples of the types of project funding was available for – “for a new bypass, upgraded railway station, roadworks to cut traffic, more libraries, museums and galleries, or town centre improvements.”
The fund will be managed jointly by the Treasury, the Department for Transport and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Projects must have “real impact” and be delivered before the end of the current parliament in 2024.
As yet, the process and detailed criteria for applying to The Levelling Up Fund is not known, but given the prescribed completion date for projects, this announcement is expected imminently.