Minister for Devolution, Faith and Communities (): In September, I was
proud to announce a significant expansion to our Pride in Place
Programme, handing up to £5bn directly to 244 of the most
deprived neighbourhoods in the UK, with communities in the
driving seat of spending plans.
Today, I can now confirm that 40 places will join the Pride in
Place Programme. That means that nearly 300 communities will
benefit from this transformational programme. This represents an
additional £800m investment in places that have for too long been
overlooked and left behind. The Government will confirm places
that will be in receipt of this funding in due course.
The expansion is part of efforts to reverse the decline
communities have faced. Pride in Place is about more than funding
– it's about giving communities the power to take control of
their own future.
Local people know best what change is needed in their area. That
is why communities are in charge of plans for this investment. 75
Neighbourhood Boards are already up and running, bringing
together local people to come up with a plan for the future of
their area.
In Ramsgate, the community has decided to invest £500,000 to save
the town's last youth centre from closure, securing the
building's future and ensuring vital services for young people
can continue. Residents of Elgin have chosen to spend £1 million
to create a new regional athletics hub, bringing together and
providing support for sports clubs across the area in northeast
Scotland.
Neighbourhood Boards are beginning to take shape across the 169
places announced in September, and these local partnerships will
also be established in this third tranche of forty places, laying
strong foundations for community leadership.
The Pride in Place Programme represents a genuine shift in power
into our communities. This isn't just short-term funding for
short-term projects - it's a long-term investment in our
communities and the people who live there. We're not starting at
square one. In every community, thousands of community leaders,
volunteers and grassroots organisations are already working hard
to make their neighbourhood a better place to live. The Pride in
Place Programme gets behind these people, building strong
leadership rooted in communities.
