BBC News asked councils how much they had spent bidding for the Levelling Up Fund, the Towns Fund and the Future High Streets Fund, all of which are associated with the government's levelling-up agenda.

The total figure came to £4.65m, while the authorities secured funding of £309m as a result of the bids.

Some councils said most or all of the cost had been met by "capacity funding" from central government.

Prof Joyce Liddle from Northumbria University's Business School said authorities "had to get things together very quickly".

A lot "lacked the capacity" to do so and many had to use consultants to help draw up their bids, she said.

There was also "not a great deal of transparency" and councils did not know why they had been, or had not been, successful.

Of those who were awarded money, many did not have the capacity or skills base to deliver on the capital projects, with many using only 3-6% of the funds so far, she added.

The government's Levelling Up White Paper in February referred to the "complexity in the funding landscape" and promised to set out a plan to "streamline" the process this year.

Full article:

The BBC - North councils spend millions to get Levelling Up grants

The RSN campaigns for fair funding for rural local authorities who receive less in Government grant per head than urban authorities. This lack of funding can often mean that rural authorities have less resources and capacity to prepare bids for funding applications, leaving them at a disadvantage.