Revealed: levelling up fund allocated south-east twice as much as north-east

New figures raise further questions about failure of government fund to reach the poorest areas of UK

The south-east of England, the most affluent region in Britain outside London, last year received almost twice as much money as the north-east from the government's levelling up fund aimed at boosting deprived areas.

Projects in the south-east benefited from 9.2m from the fund in the year to 31 March 2022. By comparison, the north-east only received 4.9m, despite being the poorest region in Britain by disposable household income.