Michael Gove tours North East on first 'levelling up' outing - But what does the policy mean?
Report by Tom Sheldrick
Middlesborough, Redcar, Darlington and Thornaby - Michael Gove visited them all on his first outing as Secretary of State for Levelling Up.
As part of the latest cabinet reshuffle, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government was renamed the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Mr Gove was named the rebranded department's very first minister.
But what does 'levelling up' actually mean? This was the question ITV's political correspondent Tom Sheldrick asked Mr Gove at the site of the old Redcar steelworks.
But, according to an exclusive report for ITV News from the Institute for Government (IFG), 58% of Brits don't know what the policy is.
And here in the North East, many do not believe they are operating on a level playing field.
The government is due this autumn to publish a white paper to clarify exactly what the policy hopes to achieve.
A statement said: “Levelling up is about spreading opportunity, boosting living standards and improving public services so that every part of the UK can thrive.
“By empowering local leaders and giving communities more control to shape the places they live in, we are creating more vibrant places to live and work which will give more people a real sense of local pride.
“The Government will publish a White Paper that will drive forward our central mission to level up every corner of the UK.”