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The government has released the long-awaited levelling-up white paper setting out their plan to transform the UK by ‘spreading opportunity and prosperity to all parts of it’. It sets out 12 national levelling up missions for the 2020s as well as a shift of power from Whitehall to local leaders. Places in England will have options to unlock the benefits of devolution including establishing more mayoral authorities. There’ll be the regeneration of 20 towns and city centres, decentralising the £2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund to regenerate communities and a commitment to simplify the local growth funding landscape to drive change in communities. Of note for local councils in England is a review of neighbourhood governance which will include looking at the role and functions of parish councils and making it quicker and easier to start them up.