Prime Minister announces major £5bn Pride in Place fund, which he says will allow “true patriots” the chance to rebuild their areas
St Helens Town Centre will be one area to benefit from a major government cash boost(Image: Liverpool Echo)
More than £200m will be pumped into deprived parts of Merseyside and nearby areas as the government looks to revive communities across the country. Overlooked parts of Liverpool, Wirral, Knowsley, Sefton and St Helens will all be handed £20m each as part of what Prime Minister Keir Starmer is labelling a “Pride in Place” programme.
The government says that families and neighbours across Merseyside will lead the revival of communities as part of the wider £5bn Pride in Place programme. The government says it wants to “true patriots” who choose “unity over division.”
This government says this will mean local people deciding on how the money will be spent in their communities – including reviving high streets, restoring parks and pumping new life into pubs, leisure centres and community centres.
In Liverpool, four deprived neighbourhoods will receive up to £20 million each spread across ten years. They are Speke East, Everton East, Norris Green East as well as Fairfield West and Newsham Park.
In Wirral, three areas will receive the same amount of funding. They are Birkenhead Central, Seacombe and Woodchurch.
In Knowsley, the area of Page Moss and Fincham will also receive up to £20m. And in Sefton, Bootle South will be handed the same cash award.
In St Helens, the town centre east and Fingerpost area will receive the up to £20m fund, while in Sefton the cash will go to the Bootle South area.
Other areas to benefit from the same cash fund that are in or close to our region will be Hough Green in Halton and Skelmersdale South East.
Birkenhead Town Centre is one area to benefit from the major government cash fund (Image: Wirral Council)
In a separate fund – labelled the Pride in Place Impact Fund – a number of boroughs will receive an immediate £1.5m to upgrade public spaces with new green spaces, play areas and sports and leisure facilities.
In our region – the places being handed this immediate cash include Liverpool, Knowsley, St Helens and Halton.
Prime Minister Sir 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 Britain’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.”
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Governmen, 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.”
Liverpool council leader Cllr Liam Robinson said: “I’m really pleased that the government recognised there’s some real opportunities here in Liverpool.
“This is really good news for some of the most deprived communities in the city and in the country, and it’s the type of investment we’ve not seen in this city from national governments for over 15 years.
“I am really looking forward to working with communities and delivering real regeneration and real change, which will also improve the local environment.”