NHC Welcomes the Government’s New Pride in Place Programme

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Last week, the Government unveiled its new £5 billion Pride in Place Programme, building on the previously announced Plan for Neighbourhoods initiative. This expanded investment will support nearly 250 of the most deprived neighbourhoods across the UK.

The locally focussed programme will deliver up to £20 million over the next decade into each neighbourhood, targeting areas that are ‘doubly disadvantaged.’ These are areas which face the highest deprivation levels, alongside the weakest social infrastructure.

With a strong emphasis on local decision making, each neighbourhood will have a Neighbourhood Board, made up of residents, local leaders, and community organisations, tasked with developing 10-year regeneration plans.

The North is well represented in the programme. 29 northern neighbourhoods are already part of phase one and are due to submit their regeneration plans by the end of November. Positively, a further 63 neighbourhoods in the North of England have been included in phase two.

Each regeneration plan will focus on three core objectives:

  1. To build stronger communities – Fostering community cohesion and resilience, whilst ensuring neighbourhood safety and pride.
  2. To create thriving places – Producing vibrant neighbourhoods with high-quality local amenities and physical infrastructure.
  3. To empower people to take back control – Recognising the value of local knowledge and ensuring everyone has equitable opportunity.

The Northern Housing Consortium welcomes this approach to regeneration, which closely reflects the findings of our 2023 ‘Pride of Place’ report, aptly named. Our research captured the voices of residents across the North and identified key factors which contribute to pride in place:

  • Access to basic services
  • Sense of community and involvement in decision-making
  • State of the local environment

Our findings showed that while many people are already proud of where they live, they often feel powerless in decision-making as it relates to their local area. When access to basic services, such as transport or job opportunities, falls short, it directly impacts pride in place. The strong appetite for community involvement across the North makes the Government’s approach a welcome development.

Chief Executive of the Northern Housing Consortium Tracy Harrison said:

“We welcome the Government’s Pride in Place programme. It reflects many of the findings of our own Pride in Place project which highlighted the importance of the state of the local environment, access to basic services and community involvement in decision making. We interviewed residents from across the North in rural, urban and coastal communities to find out what contributes to feelings of pride in their local area and the role our members could play in boosting it.

“The new Government programme will benefit northern communities, and this will be complemented by the £39bn investment in new social homes. Good quality safe homes offer a foundation for people’s lives. However, in many northern communities there are some homes that are no longer fit for modern living. We are running a parliamentary inquiry to explore how housing-led regeneration can tackle the housing crisis, deliver growth and strengthen communities within the current policy environment and in the future. Housing-led and neighbourhood regeneration should sit alongside each other to make sure no-one and nowhere is left behind.”

The North’s strong representation in the Pride of Place Programme reflects the region’s need and readiness to deliver regeneration at a local level. The Northern Housing Consortium will continue to support our members in delivering regeneration and ensuring northern communities are empowered to shape their futures.