But beyond the headlines and political messaging, a more important question remains:
Is it actually working?
At UKREiiF 2026, LRG’s panel on levelling up in the North will take a closer look at what the policy has delivered in practice and where the gap between ambition and reality still exists.
Because while the narrative is clear, the outcomes are harder to define.
From Ambition to Delivery
Levelling up set out to rebalance opportunity across the UK, driving economic growth, improving infrastructure and increasing access to housing.
But delivery on the ground is far more complex.
Progress is uneven.
Funding is fragmented.
And the pace of change often falls short of expectation.
Which raises a difficult question:
Is levelling up a long-term strategy still taking shape or a policy that hasn’t yet translated into meaningful impact?
Where Does it Get Stuck?
The challenge isn’t just ambition, it’s execution.
Planning constraints, infrastructure limitations and funding gaps all play a role in slowing progress. At the same time, regional differences make a one-size-fits-all approach difficult to deliver.
The result is a policy that can feel clear in principle, but harder to measure in practice.
A Conversation That Matters
This session brings together voices from across policy, planning and development to explore what levelling up should deliver and what needs to change to make it happen.
Because the next phase of the conversation isn’t about defining levelling up.
It’s about delivering it.
Meet the panel
This session brings together a range of perspectives from across the industry:
- Mark Manning, Managing Director, Northern Estate Agency Group
- Ed Whiting, Chief Executive, Leeds City Council
- Kevin Hollinrake MP
- Richard Irving, Director, ID Planning
- Julia Dacre Field, Partner, Gowlings WLG
Together, they will explore what levelling up means in practice and what needs to change to turn ambition into delivery.
