The Local Government Association has welcomed the government’s new Pride in Place programme, calling the funding and fresh local powers a practical step towards reviving tired high streets and breathing life back into neighbourhoods. The scheme, announced by the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government, promises up to £5 billion over the coming decade to support hundreds of communities across the UK.
Pride in Place will focus on community-led renewal.
It will give local areas new powers to acquire boarded-up shops and derelict premises, protect valued assets such as pubs and libraries, and create more welcoming public spaces. The programme will target hundreds of deprived neighbourhoods, with a mix of long-term investment and a focused Impact Fund for early projects.
Cllr Arooj Shah, Chair of the LGA’s Neighbourhoods Committee, said the extra funding and powers will help councils revitalise high streets and shape their communities, particularly on issues such as betting and vape shop regulation. The LGA framed the announcement as giving councils clearer tools to solve local problems themselves, rather than relying on one-size-fits-all national policies.
The programme combines three elements. There is a large strategic fund for long-term regeneration, a ring-fenced Impact Fund for immediate local projects and new regulatory powers to help councils control unwanted uses of high street units. For example, 95 places will receive targeted Impact Fund support to kickstart visible improvements in public spaces and community hubs.
Local authorities often juggle legacy issues: empty shops, fragmented ownership and weak footfall. Pride in Place aims to tackle those problems in a joined-up way. By pairing capital with the power to acquire or protect local assets, councils will be able to turn derelict premises into housing, community uses or small business units. That can create jobs, lift local pride and attract further investment.
The government says funding will be distributed using measures of need, such as deprivation indices and place-based assessments. Delivery will involve local authorities, combined authorities and community groups, so projects are shaped locally. Organisations including Historic England and sector groups have already welcomed the move, noting that heritage and play spaces should be part of any successful high street renewal.
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