With just over a month to go before the local elections, the government has decided now is a convenient time to throw buckets of cash at a “Levelling Up” advertising campaign, with dozens of targeted ads appearing all over Facebook and local newspapers in the last few days. While the residents of these 30 areas – including Southend, Grimsby and Wolverhampton – will be pleased to finally understand what “Levelling Up” is supposed to mean, they may be less impressed to hear how much it cost them to find out… the ads on Facebook alone will have run up a bill of at least £100,000, all bought and paid for by the taxpayer. 

They look to Guido like Tory adverts, with a Tory slogan, Tory colours and a red, white and blue logo that feels distinctly like a Tory logo. Labour are understandably not happy with either the timing or messaging…

The final bill, which DLUHC has so far refused to disclose, because the campaign is “ongoing“, will inevitably be much higher. Ads are also being played on radio stations and appearing on digital billboards, all just before the official restrictions on campaign announcements ahead of the locals kicks in. Public money being splashed on political campaigns – what was it Jacob Rees-Mogg said about taking care of taxpayers’ cash?