Local communities are at the heart of Scottish life – and the Scotland Office is backing them with millions of pounds to improve the opportunities and environment for people across the country, the Prime Minister announced today.
The Pride in Place programme will see up to £280 million shared among 12 Scottish local authorities to precisely target areas which can benefit most from funding being made available for a wide range of regeneration projects. Across the UK 169 of the most-in-need communities will benefit.
This includes revitalising high streets and town centres, preserving local heritage, providing housing, creating jobs, boosting productivity and skills, improving health and well-being, creating new transport links, providing education and opportunity and improving safety and security.
And a Pride in Place Impact Fund will see eight local authorities share £12 million to fund the types of changes people have said they want to see. These could include new green spaces, play areas and town centre revitalisation to sports and leisure facilities and the improvement and ownership of key community assets. Across the UK a total of 95 areas will receive this capital funding.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said
For too long, people have watched their towns and streets decline – powerless to stop boarded-up shops and neglected parks. That ends now.
We’re investing in the UK’s future, by backing the true patriots that build our communities up in neighbourhoods across every corner of the country. Because it’s people who bring pride, hope and life to our communities.
This is a huge investment, but what matters most is who decides how it’s spent the neighbours, volunteers and parents who know their communities best – the people with real skin in the game.
We’re choosing renewal over decline, unity over division. This is our Plan for Change in action – giving power and pride back to the people who make Britain great.
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said
The UK Government is committed to delivering a decade of national renewal for Scotland. Through the Pride in Place programmes we’re announcing today, the UK Government will provide 14 places in Scotland with up to £20 million over 10 years and eight Scottish local authorities with £1.5 million over two years.
We are providing almost £300 million new direct investment to local authority areas to revitalise local communities. The UK Government will be working with local partners to deliver economic growth and l see these improvements made to communities up and down Scotland making them even greater places to live, work and play.
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed said
Building pride in place starts with people, not politics. Local people know what they want to see in their neighbourhoods – and they don’t need government to dictate it.
This plan will spark an historic grassroots movement that will restore local people’s power, boost national pride and help people get on in life across the UK as part of our Plan for Change.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves said
We’re giving local people the power to transform their hometowns. Giving them more control of how money is spent where they live so that together we can invest in Britain’s renewal and build an economy that rewards working people.
This £5 billion investment doesn’t just reverse decades of underinvestment in our public infrastructure – it cuts through the bureaucracy by giving local people the power to deliver the change they want to see.
Around £200 million direct funding has already been committed for 10 Scottish towns in the Plan for Neighbourhoods scheme announced earlier this year.
This is being extended in the Pride in Place programme so a further 14 places in Scotland will benefit from up to £20 million each over 10 years.
Local people in the existing 10 Scottish towns are already having their say over how to improve their community
● In Elgin more than 1,000 ideas have already been submitted, including tackling empty shops, revamping the town shopping centre.
● In Peterhead people are ramping up CCTV in the town centre to tackle anti-social behaviour and investing in indoor sports and leisure facilities.
The new Pride in Place Impact Fund will see eight Scottish local authorities receive £1.5 million each over two years.
Further information
The full Pride in Place Strategy can be read on GOV.UK
The up to £5 billion package includes an additional £3.5 billion funding to roll out the Plan for Neighbourhoods programme to 169 more areas across the UK.
On the Pride in Place (Plan for Neighbourhoods) programme, neighbourhoods will be selected by the Scotland Office and Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) later this year, following an evidence-led process involving local partners.
The Pride in Place Impact Fund (Pride in Neighbourhoods) will be governed by local authorities who will select the benefitting projects. The fund will run over a two year time-frame, starting this financial year (2025/26).
Allocations
Pride in Place extended Plan for Neighbourhoods (new) – up to £20m each (£280m total)
● Aberdeen City
● City of Edinburgh
● Falkirk
● Fife x2
● Glasgow x2
● Highland
● North Ayrshire
● North Lanarkshire
● South Ayrshire
● South Lanarkshire
● Na h-Eileanan Siar
● West Lothian
Pride in Place Impact Fund (Pride in Neighbourhoods) (new) – £1.5m each (£12m total)
● Glasgow City
● West Dunbartonshire
● North Ayrshire
● Dundee City
● North Lanarkshire
● Inverclyde
● East Ayrshire
● Falkirk
Existing Plan for Neighbourhoods – announced Spring 2025 – up to £20m each (£200m total)
● Angus (Arbroath)
● Moray (Elgin)
● Orkney Islands
● Aberdeenshire (Peterhead)
● Dumfries & Galloway (Dumfries)
● North Ayrshire (Irvine)
● East Ayrshire (Kilmarnock)
● West Dunbartonshire (Clydebank)
● North Lanarkshire (Coatbridge)
● Inverclyde (Greenock )
