The UK Government has been accused of handing Levelling Up funding to wealthy areas in England at the expense of the poorest communities in Scotland
. Tory ministers were criticised after millions in taxpayers' cash was last week awarded to projects in well-off local authority areas south of the Border.
In comparison, the London Borough of Sutton was awarded £14.1million to improve train services to Belmont. Rishi Sunak was also forced to defend £19million awarded to his own constituency of Richmond, in North Yorkshire, arguing the money would benefit armed forces personnel. "It is scandalous that funding has been funnelled away from Scotland and to richer Tory councils in England. This is not levelling up, it is Tory pork barrel politics at its worst and making wealthy areas even wealthier
A spokeswoman for the UK Government said: "The Levelling Up fund is investing in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, spreading opportunity to historically overlooked areas. All projects were subject to a rigorous assessment process under robust, fair and transparent rules, with no involvement of local MPs in the selection process."
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