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The Government has called the Labor Party’s claim that it has only spent 8% of equalization funds “completely misleading and incorrect”.

The opposition has accused the Conservatives of pocketing more than 90% of the promised £4.8bn regeneration cash.

A Freedom of Employment Information (FOI) request, seen by the PA news agency, suggested the equalization fund’s total spending was £392m at the end of February, about 8% of the amount total.

A spokesman for the Department of Equalization, Housing and Communities said that “these claims are completely misleading and wrong.”

They added: “The analysis includes figures for the third round of the Leveling Up Fund that has yet to be allocated, as well as the second round that was only allocated earlier this year and will be spent over at least three financial years.

“The Leveling Up Fund will transform communities across the country with £4.8bn spent over several years, but we have always been clear that councils will receive funding over time with payments made every six months.”

The Government said the published prospectuses for the two rounds of funding that have been allocated were clear, the funding would be spent over three years (the first round was expected to be spent by March 31, 2024, the second round by March 31, 2024). March 2025).

The FOI presented by Labor analyzed the data up to February 22, 2023: the second round was announced on January 18.

In the House of Commons, Shadow Communities Secretary Lisa Nandy accused the government of spending three times as much on a tax cut for “the richest 1%” as they had spent across the north of England. in more than a year.

“Isn’t this a summary of this government?” she said. “You can get your act together when it comes to the 1%, but when it comes to investments in our town centers, local transportation, decent housing, even in accomplishing just one of the leveling missions, why is that? the rest of us always have to wait?

Labor’s freedom of information request asked the government how much money allocated through the fund had been spent.

The Department for Equalization, Housing and Communities replied that £224m had been spent on January 18, rising to £392m on February 22.