North Northants 'Pride in Place' communities 'failed' by past successive administrations says Reform council's deputy leader
North Northants’ Pride in Place communities have been 'failed' by failed by successive town, county and government administrations says Reform council's deputy leader Cllr Eddie McDonald.
He made the comments as executive members of North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) discussed how they would be moving forward with £60m of Pride in Place funding for the authority’s ‘left behind’ areas.
Over the next decade, £20 million of government funding has been secured for Avondale Grange in Kettering, Kingswood and Hazel Leys in Corby, and Queensway in Wellingborough.
Each area will have its own neighbourhood board, which will give local people the power to decide how funding is spent and deliver improvements in their communities.
Cllr Eddie McDonald, deputy leader of NNC, told the chamber that it was “unfortunate” that three neighbourhoods in North Northants had been chosen.
He said: “Why, you ask? Because it means in North Northants we have people and communities that have been failed by successive town, county and government administrations over many years.
“These areas did not simply slip into being a left behind area, it’s taken decades to do so and the people believe they have been forgotten about, ignored and taken for granted.
“The Pride in Place programme is an exciting opportunity to fundamentally improve things. There’s no magic wand here, we have thrown money at it in the past, but this is a chance to build stronger communities and encourage the residents to take control of their own neighbourhoods and futures.”
Neighbourhood boards will be made up of residents, local businesses, community leaders, organisations, and other public institutions who will develop a regeneration plan.
The council will be the accountable body for the programme and oversee the financial management of projects, but it will not lead on how or where it should be spent.
Discussing the project at the meeting on Tuesday (February 17), NNC leader Martin Griffiths said: “Today marks an important moment for North Northamptonshire as we begin with the Pride in Place programme.
“The three areas selected are communities that have faced long-standing and deep-rooted challenges. They are areas where need is greatest and the potential is strong and where residents have consistently told us that they want to see a real and meaningful change.
“Ownership lies firmly with the communities themselves. Each area will have its own independent chair and a resident-led neighbourhood board who will shape the vision, make decisions and determine how funding should best be used. Our role is to support, enable and empower, but not to direct.”
A total of 250 neighbourhoods across the country were selected as they were identified as having the highest deprivation levels and weakest social infrastructure.
At the meeting, Corby councillor Mark Pengelly and Wellingborough town councillor Chris Ashton questioned if Exeter and Minerva Way and Kilnway in their respective areas would form part of the programme, given their proximity to the project and also fitting the description of ‘left behind’.
Officers also told the chamber that the neighbourhood boards would be able to make recommendations to government to expand the geography of the project to encompass bordering areas that also require investment.
NNC has put out calls for independent chairs for each neighbourhood board to be formed in consultation with the chair, leader of the council, and local MP.