Programme guide
The Pride in Place programme, explained
284
Named communities
Up to £20m
Funding per area
10 years
Programme length
The basics
What is the Pride in Place programme?
Neighbourhood scale
Money is targeted at a defined neighbourhood rather than a whole council area, so investment is visible on one high street, estate or town centre.
Long-term by design
A ten-year horizon lets areas plan beyond the usual single-year funding cycle and commit to things that take time to pay off.
Locally decided
A Neighbourhood Board of residents and local partners sets the priorities, with the council acting as accountable body for the money.
Typical investment themes include high streets and town centres, community and youth spaces, safety and public realm, transport and connectivity, and support for local enterprise. The official programme documents are published by government — read the Pride in Place collection on GOV.UK.
The money
How Pride in Place funding works
What the allocation looks like
Named areas receive a headline allocation — commonly up to £20 million — profiled over ten years rather than paid as a lump sum. The mix of capital and revenue matters: capital builds and repairs things, revenue pays for the people and programmes that keep them used.
Who holds the money
The local authority is the accountable body. It handles assurance, procurement and reporting, but it does not set the priorities on its own — that is the Board's job, agreed jointly through the plan.
Governance
Who sits on a Neighbourhood Board?
Residents
People who live in the neighbourhood, recruited so the Board reflects the area rather than the usual voices.
Community and voluntary organisations
Groups already delivering on the ground — youth work, faith groups, tenants' associations, food projects.
Local businesses
High street traders and larger employers with a stake in the neighbourhood's economy.
Public sector partners
The local authority as accountable body, plus partners such as police, health and housing providers.
Composition rules you have to meet
- At least 8 members, so a broad range of voices and perspectives is represented.
- At least 51% of members should live or work inside the neighbourhood boundary — the Board must be resident-led.
- Members should broadly reflect the age, ethnicity, gender, faith, disability and income mix of the area.
- The relevant local MP must sit on the Board as a champion for the community.
- At least one ward councillor. Numbers of elected representatives should be limited so community leadership stays in front.
- The Chair cannot be a local councillor, a local authority officer or a civil servant.
- Every member has an equal vote. Council officers may provide secretariat support and observe, if the Chair agrees.
What your Board must publish
- A documented decision-making process setting out board voting rights.
- Profiles of board members.
- All board papers, published within 5 working days ahead of the meeting.
- Draft minutes, published within 10 working days of the meeting.
- Final minutes, published within 10 working days of board approval.
- Any conflicts of interest reported, inside the published minutes.
- Transparent records of all Pride in Place spend.
Publish on the lead local authority website. All members sign up to a code of conduct based on the Nolan Principles, and the accountable body considers DBS checks where board activity is regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults.
Wales
Following the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 and the May 2026 election, areas now have multiple regional Members of the Senedd rather than one constituency member. MSs sit outside the Board structure: the secretariat shares papers with all relevant MSs at the same time as members, invites comments before the meeting and sends a summary update afterwards.
Scotland
The appropriate constituency MSP should be invited to sit on the Board.
Northern Ireland
Councils are encouraged to invite MLAs to the Board and should ensure representation is balanced.
Source: MHCLG Pride in Place Programme Delivery Guidance, published 20 August 2026.
The deliverable
What a 10-year vision and 4-year investment plan need to include
- 1
Evidence base
What the data and residents say about the neighbourhood: deprivation, health, safety, footfall, empty units, transport.
- 2
Agreed priorities
A small number of themes the community has genuinely chosen, not a wish list of every possible project.
- 3
Interventions
The specific things the money will fund, sequenced across the ten years with early wins and longer builds.
- 4
Governance
How the Board makes decisions, manages conflicts of interest and works with the accountable body.
- 5
Measurement
The outcomes you will track, the baseline you are starting from and how you will report progress.
Objectives
What the programme is trying to achieve
Thriving places
Visible improvement to the physical fabric of the neighbourhood — high streets, parks, public buildings, transport and safety — so the place feels cared for.
Typical measures
- Condition of buildings and public space
- Empty units and footfall
- Perceptions of safety
Stronger communities
More and better social infrastructure: the groups, spaces and relationships that let people meet, organise and support each other.
Typical measures
- Active local organisations
- Use of community spaces
- Volunteering and participation
Taking back control
Real local decision-making power sitting with residents through the Neighbourhood Board, not just consultation on decisions already taken.
Typical measures
- Resident representation on the Board
- Local influence over spend
- Trust in local institutions
Deadlines
Key dates and what has to be in place
- 20 August 2026Official information
Consolidated Delivery Guidance published
MHCLG combined the governance, boundary, funding profile and timeline guidance into a single Delivery Guidance, added sections on social media, safeguarding and assets, and updated the role of Members of the Senedd in Wales. The indicative interventions list is now published separately with nine planning categories.
- 12 August 2026Official information
10-year vision content checklist published
The six areas every 10-year vision has to cover, alongside the Pride in Place Plan guidance for Phase 2 places.
- Within the first months of being namedOfficial information
Neighbourhood Board established
Board recruited and constituted with resident majority representation, an agreed chair, terms of reference and the local authority confirmed as accountable body.
- Before the investment planOfficial information
10-year vision agreed
The long-term direction for the neighbourhood, built on evidence and community engagement, signed off by the Board.
- As set by MHCLG for your cohortOfficial information
4-year investment plan submitted
The costed, deliverable programme for the first four years, submitted through the accountable body. Submission windows differ by cohort — confirm yours with your accountable body.
- Ongoing through deliveryOfficial information
Monitoring and reporting returns
Regular reporting to MHCLG through the accountable body, alongside the local learning your Board keeps for itself.
Dates change. Check the latest official guidance and announcements before working to any deadline shown here.
Next steps
What happens next in your area
Check your area
Every named community across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with funding, phase and plan links.
Search the community directoryBuild the plan
Free templates, toolkits and checklists covering evidence, engagement, governance and measurement.
Browse the resource libraryGet practical help
UrbanCat's diagnostic, blueprint and delivery partner support for Boards that want an extra pair of hands.
See how UrbanCat supports BoardsFAQs
Pride in Place questions and answers
- What is the Pride in Place programme?
- Pride in Place is a UK Government neighbourhood regeneration programme that gives selected communities long-term funding, typically up to £20 million over ten years, to invest in local priorities such as high streets, community spaces, safety and transport.
- Who decides how Pride in Place funding is spent?
- Each area sets up a Neighbourhood Board made up of residents, community organisations, local businesses and public sector partners. The Board agrees a 10-year vision and a rolling 4-year investment plan with its local authority, which acts as the accountable body for the money.
- What is a Neighbourhood Board?
- A Neighbourhood Board is the local group that decides how a neighbourhood's Pride in Place funding is used. It brings together residents, community organisations, local businesses and public sector partners, and it agrees the priorities, the 10-year vision and the 4-year investment plan with the accountable body.
- Who gets Pride in Place money?
- The money is allocated to a named neighbourhood, not to individuals or to a council's general budget. The local authority holds it as accountable body and releases it against the plan the Neighbourhood Board agrees, so it reaches local projects, community organisations and suppliers delivering that plan.
- How much is Pride in Place funding and how long does it last?
- Named areas commonly receive up to £20 million, profiled across ten years rather than paid as a lump sum. It is a mix of capital funding for buildings and public realm and revenue funding for the people and programmes that keep them used.
- How do I find out if my area is part of Pride in Place?
- Search the community directory on this site. It covers every named Pride in Place community across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with the local authority, programme phase, funding and links to published plans.
- What do the 10-year vision and 4-year investment plan need to include?
- Plans generally set out the neighbourhood's evidence base, the priorities agreed with residents, the interventions to be funded, governance and decision-making arrangements, and how progress will be measured over the ten years.
- Are the resources on this hub free to use?
- Yes. Every template, toolkit and checklist is free for Neighbourhood Boards, local authorities and community organisations to download and adapt — you just need a free Pride in Place Hub account to open UrbanCat toolkits and resources. Official MHCLG guidance is always free to read without an account.
- How can UrbanCat help my Neighbourhood Board?
- UrbanCat offers three levels of practical support: a Neighbourhood Diagnostic to understand where you are today, a Neighbourhood Blueprint to build your 10-year vision and 4-year investment plan, and a Neighbourhood Delivery Partner role to support delivery over the decade.