Precision, Partnership, Progress: The Essex Approach to Levelling Up
In a landscape marked by economic uncertainty and social disparity, Essex has emerged as an innovative leader of what it means to level up with purpose, precision, and partnership. Over the past three years, the Levelling Up Essex programme has not only delivered tangible outcomes for residents, but it has redefined how local government can lead systemic change.
At its heart, Levelling Up Essex is about unlocking potential. It’s about ensuring that every resident regardless of background, or circumstance has the opportunity to thrive. This is a strategic, data-driven mission that has already delivered direct benefits to over 100,000 Essex residents, with nearly 140,000 expected to benefit by the end of 2025. The programme has focused its efforts where they are needed most. Essex is home to six of the ten neighbourhoods with the highest levels of community need in the country, including Harlow and Basildon, two of the most deprived areas in England. By targeting investment and innovation in these areas, the programme has tackled inequality at its very roots.
The results speak volumes. Children at key developmental stages are receiving tailored support to succeed in school. Parents are accessing free childcare, enabling them to return to work. Community supermarkets are reducing food insecurity in high-need areas. Young people not in education, employment or training are being re-engaged through targeted interventions. And through initiatives like the Poppins and Nightingale Bursary Schemes, residents are gaining qualifications in sectors critical to Essex’s future. But Levelling Up Essex is about more than service delivery, it’s about systemic transformation. The programme has broken down silos across public services, aligning strategy, resources, and delivery through a shared commitment to long-term foundational change. It has embedded a culture of innovation, learning, and partnership that is now in Essex’s operating model.
This work has also laid the groundwork for the future. While the national language around “levelling up” may be evolving, the core mission; tackling structural inequality and improving life chances—remains central to both local and national priorities. The alignment with Labour’s five missions, the Devolution White Paper, and the emerging strategic authority model positions Essex at the forefront of the next chapter in public service reform. Looking ahead, the ambition is clear: to build on this momentum with a renewed focus on improving life chances, aligned with economic growth and co-designed with communities. With political commitment, a proven methodology, and a track record of delivery, Essex is poised to lead the way.
Levelling Up Essex is not just a programme, it is a blueprint for inclusive growth and opportunity. It demonstrates what is possible when vision is matched by action, and when local leadership is empowered to drive change from the ground up.
