Michael Gove has been slated for avoiding questions from the ECHO during his visit to Merseyside.
Earlier today, Mr Gove, the Secretary of State For Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, went to Birkenhead to look at the beginning of a massive plan set to overhaul the town centre, which will eventually see more than a thousand homes, new food and drink outlets and a new market built, as well as two top quality office buildings.
Last week, Mr Gove unveiled the government's plans for levelling up the country, which included “improving well-being in every area” of the UK, a devolution deal for every part of England that wants one, and bringing public transport connectivity across the country “significantly closer to the standards of London”.
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But the Conservative MP for Surrey Heath would not take any questions from the media on his rare visit to Wirral.
It comes just hours after Mr Grove tweeted to praise the ECHO over the Don't Leave Us Behind Campaign on Monday night.
He said: "Hugely powerful intervention from @LivEchonews and papers across the north highlighting the urgent and vital importance of levelling up across the UK.
"I look forward to addressing the Convention of the North tomorrow."
But on Tuesday the ECHO was told by the Department For Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) that “due to diary pressures, the Secretary of State [Michael Gove] will not be doing any media interviews in Birkenhead.
“He will be speaking at the Convention of the North this afternoon and will be undertaking a Q&A at the event. We understand [The ECHO] will be in attendance for this.”
This refusal to answer questions in Wirral today comes after the local council has had more than £200m taken away from its central government grant since 2010.
Mick Whitley, MP for Birkenhead, was not satisfied with the government's explanation for not answering questions in the town centre today.
He said: “I think that [not facing questions] is a pity because I am sure that local people would have liked to read what he has to say about quite how he plans to level up a left-behind town like Birkenhead.”
The Labour MP added: “A real levelling up strategy would put the money lost back into the coffers of these councils.
“If the government did this Wirral wouldn’t be facing a funding gap of up to £20m and the threat of yet more cuts to the most deprived areas of my town.”
Due to the need to save £20m this year, Wirral Council is considering plans to close 11 libraries, Woodchurch Leisure Centre and two public golf courses.
The plans are not set in stone yet, but the council needs to agree a balanced budget at a full council meeting on February 28.
While Mr Whitley was unable to meet Mr Gove today, the Birkenhead MP said he will be meeting him in the next few weeks to “press home the case for new money for my town and others like it”.
Alison McGovern, Labour MP for Wirral South, said: “If Michael Gove wants to know about regeneration in Birkenhead and the whole of Merseyside, he should not just speak to the ECHO - he should read it too.
“He would see that our efforts to rebuild our city region have been massively held back by the Tory Government he has been a part of since 2010.
“He would read about a city region of people who work hard, despite the best efforts of the Conservative Government over the past decade that has done little other than make their lives harder.”
Cllr Janette Williamson, Labour leader of Wirral Council, was able to speak to Mr Gove today.
The Liscard councillor said: “We were proud to welcome the Levelling Up Minister, Michael Gove, to Wirral to see first-hand the pioneering regeneration work being done here.
“But I had to ask him how his levelling up agenda sits with a council budget that this year asks us to slash £20m from services in an area with some of the most deprived wards in the country.”
Cllr Williamson said more needs to be done to protect services in the borough.
She added: “I am pleased to say that he has agreed to a meeting to discuss this issue because while funding for projects is very welcome, ring fenced grants don't keep libraries and leisure centres open.
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“Only a fair and proper budget for Wirral would do that, and give us the opportunity to build on the brilliant regeneration work here.
“Over the last 10 years we had £220m taken away from the budget that we can spend on local services. Only when that is restored, can we really talk about levelling up.”
