The UK Pride in Place Programme

Pride in Place is a Labour Government initiative that was officially announced in September 25, 2025 with the Pride in Place strategy publication, describing the governments intention support some of the most deprived areas of the country by allocating them a share of £5 billion or around £20 million of funding for each of the selected areas for long-term improvements over the next 10 years.

Elements of the programme started in October with an initial list of some 330 areas set to begin receive some of the funding from April 2026. The programme aims to give local communities control over revitalising their high streets and neighbourhoods, backed by record investment and dubbed as representing the largest transfer of power from Whitehall to local people. The changes will allow communities to seize derelict shops, save valued pubs and libraries, and shape how money is spent on restoring local pride. The new powers will include a Community Right to Buy, stronger compulsory purchase abilities to repurpose abandoned sites, and the authority for councils to block unwanted betting and vape shops.

In November 2025 the government published What is Pride in Place? giving some personal perspectives from different regions of the UK on the programme. Describing the how Pride in Place, will give residents, businesses, and community groups the chance to deliver real improvements that matter to local people. A programme aiming to be led by local people and backed by the UK government. The early examples given being: Bentilee and Ubberley on the edge of Stoke-on-Trent and home to around 13,000 people. Bootle South, located in Sefton within the Liverpool City Region, a neighbourhood of around 7,700 residents And Penhill is an estate in Northeast Swindon, home to around 6,800 people. All of which will be looking to set up Neighbourhood Boards towards the end of the year and in early 2026 to lead by the local community, with the programme lasting until 2037.

Ministers say the programme marks a shift toward renewal after years of decline, enabling residents to take charge of regenerating neglected spaces and supporting new local businesses. The government emphasises that these decisions must involve real community engagement, with Pride in Place Boards ensuring local groups have a genuine say. While the initiative will operate across England, Scotland, and Wales, with equivalent funding for Northern Ireland, specific programmes will be developed with devolved administrations to reflect local needs.

Guidance The Pride in Place Programme prospectus was published on 3 December, 2025, naming 244 communities across Great Britain, which includes 75 phase 1 places and 169 phase 2 places. Phase 1 of the programme selection methodology was developed and carried out under the previous Conservative government. Originally named the Long-Term Plan for Towns (LTPT) an initial 55 places were selected in October 2023, followed by a 20 places. Phase 2 will help build strong, resilient and integrated communities in areas that experience the most entrenched social and economic challenges. The neighbourhoods being selected based on deprivation (Index of Multiple Deprivation) and community need (Community Needs Index), to identify areas with the poorest social and economic outcomes.

The Pride in Place Programme prospectus describes it as a non-competitive fund providing each place with up to £20 million over a ten-year period, ensuring long-term investment to tackle entrenched social, economic, and infrastructurechallenges. The programme emphasises a collaborative approach, with each board co-creating a Pride in Place Plan in partnership with local authorities, MPs, and, most importantly, the community itself. These plans are expected to reflect residents’ genuine priorities, offering flexibility in investment and the freedom to pursue innovative interventions, from revitalising public spaces to improving local services and infrastructure.

At its core, the Programme is guided by three strategic objectives: stronger communities, thriving places, and giving residents control over their neighbourhoods.

• Stronger communities: aims to reduce social division and rebuild trust by empowering residents to work together on local projects, fostering pride, belonging, and wider economic benefits. Case studies show how collaboration, inclusive networks, and expanded community services strengthen well-being, civic engagement, and community resilience.
• Thriving places: A focus on revitalising high streets, neighbourhoods, and public services by addressing long-term neglect and making better use of local assets. Illustrations are given showing how integrating services into community spaces can improve access to care, boost local economies, and strengthen civic pride and resilience.
• Taking back control: Centres on giving residents fair opportunities for power to shape local decisions, especially in deprived areas where historically influence is limited. Examples of where community-led projects show how long-term, locally driven investment can tackle inequality, support economic growth, strengthen community cohesion and capacity.

Key elements to the Pride in Place programme include Neighbourhood Boards,a Network for Neighbourhoods and a dedicated Communities Delivery Unit within MHCLG. The Neighbourhood Board are independently chaired and supported by local MPs and authorities, tasked with representing diverse community voices to co-create a ten-year plan. Comprised of residents, activists, local businesses, cultural and sports organisations, and anchor institutions. The boards maintain a resident majority, actively engage under-represented groups, and use workshops, forums, and participatory budgeting to ensure meaningful community input, while fostering long-term ownership and accountability through delegated delivery and innovative, participatory approaches. The Communities Delivery Unit will offer guidance, mentorship, and technical expertise, while the Network for Neighbourhoods promotes sharing of best practices across communities. This aims to reduce reliance on external consultants and build local capacity, the Programme ensures skills and knowledge endure beyond ten years, enabling Boards to use flexible funding, training, and technical support to leverage public, private, and philanthropic investment for sustainable regeneration.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Adverse possession.
• Breach of condition notice.
• City deals.
• Collaboration needed to deliver national and regional transport strategies.
• Community.
• Community Infrastructure Levy.
• Community right to bid.
• Community right to build.
• Community right to reclaim land.
• Community rights.
• Devolution.
• Devolution and development.
• Empty dwelling management orders.
• Empty housing in London - documentary.
• Excluded occupier.
• Housing tenure.
• How to evict a tenant.
• Land registry.
• Local development order.
• Local Enterprise Partnerships.
• Local government.
• Local resident.
• Localism Act.
• National Planning Policy Framework.
• Neighbourhood planning.
• Neighbourhood development order.
• Permitted development.
• Place-shaping: a shared ambition for the future of local government.
• Planning legislation.
• Pride in Place Programme prospectus.
• Property guardianship.
• Rating (Property in Common Occupation) and Council Tax (Empty Dwellings) Bill.
• Repurposing Empty Spaces. Addressing the Housing Crisis Across England, Scotland and Wales in 2025.
• Repurposing Empty Spaces a report by Habitat for Humanity.
• Right of entry.
• Right to access land.
• Right to regenerate.
• Self build initiative.
• Social housing.
• Special licences.
• Squatting.
• Tenant management organisation.
• The UK Pride in Place Programme.
• Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.
• Village green registration.