10-Year Vision
Why it matters: Defines the long-term ambition.
10-Year Vision BuilderExplore Toolkit
New to Pride in Place?
Start Here
New to Pride in Place? This short guide explains how the programme works, what your community needs to produce, where to find the official guidance and which practical UrbanCat tools can help.
Reading time: 8–10 minutes
Welcome
Start Here is an independent orientation guide produced by UrbanCat for people who are new to the Pride in Place programme — including anyone heading into their first Neighbourhood Board meeting.
Official MHCLG guidance remains the authoritative source for the Pride in Place Programme. The Pride in Place Hub organises official guidance alongside independent practical resources to make the programme easier to understand and implement.
Official. Published by MHCLG or another official source.marks Government content.Free UrbanCat Toolkitmarks UrbanCat implementation resources.
The Pride in Place Journey
Pride in Place is not simply about writing a Plan. Communities need to understand their place, build an evidence base, agree priorities, establish effective governance, deliver investment and monitor what changes over time.
The Pride in Place journey runs in seven stages: Understand, then Evidence, then 10-Year Vision, then 4-Year Investment Priorities, then Governance, then Delivery, then Monitoring.
- Stage 1UnderstandLearn what the programme is and what it asks of your place.
- Stage 2EvidenceBuild a shared picture of your neighbourhood before you decide anything.
- Stage 310-Year VisionAgree what success looks like over a decade.Open guidance
- Stage 44-Year Investment PrioritiesChoose the projects for the first investment period.Open guidance
- Stage 5GovernanceSet up a Board that can make clear decisions.Open guidance
- Stage 6DeliveryGet projects moving, on time and on budget.Open guidance
- Stage 7MonitoringTrack what actually changes for residents.Open guidance
What is Pride in Place?
Pride in Place is a long-term neighbourhood programme. Selected neighbourhoods receive funding and support over a decade, with the aim of improving the everyday places and services that shape how people feel about where they live.
Decisions are intended to reflect local priorities. Each neighbourhood has a Neighbourhood Board — residents, community organisations, businesses, local institutions and the council working together — which agrees the long-term vision, chooses what to invest in and oversees delivery.
Community involvement is not a formality. Boards are expected to show how residents shaped the priorities, not just that they were told about them afterwards.
The core discipline of the programme is joining things up: evidence about your place leads to priorities, priorities lead to investment, and investment is delivered and monitored so you can see what changed. Because the programme runs over ten years, early decisions about evidence, governance and record-keeping matter far more than they might first appear.
Want the full programme detail?
What do I actually need to produce?
Five things sit at the heart of the programme. Everything else supports them.
| Required Output | Why It Matters | UrbanCat Toolkit |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Vision | Defines the long-term ambition. | 10-Year Vision BuilderExplore Toolkit |
| 4-Year Investment Priorities | Sets out projects for the first investment period. | 4-Year Investment Priorities ToolkitExplore Toolkit |
| Governance Arrangements | Establishes Board governance. | Governance ToolkitExplore Toolkit |
| Stakeholder Engagement | Demonstrates community involvement. | Stakeholder Mapping ToolkitExplore Toolkit |
| Delivery & Monitoring | Supports implementation and reporting. | Delivery & Risk Management ToolkitExplore Toolkit |
4-Year Investment Priorities
Why it matters: Sets out projects for the first investment period.
4-Year Investment Priorities ToolkitExplore Toolkit
Governance Arrangements
Why it matters: Establishes Board governance.
Governance ToolkitExplore Toolkit
Stakeholder Engagement
Why it matters: Demonstrates community involvement.
Stakeholder Mapping ToolkitExplore Toolkit
Delivery & Monitoring
Why it matters: Supports implementation and reporting.
Delivery & Risk Management ToolkitExplore Toolkit
Official MHCLG Guidance
You do not need to read every Government document at once. These are the core documents to understand, why they matter and the practical UrbanCat guides that will support them.
| Official Guidance | Why Read It? | UrbanCat Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Official. Published by MHCLG or another official source.Pride in Place Programme Prospectus(opens GOV.UK in a new tab) | Overall programme overview. | Programme Overview GuideIn development. Being written now — not yet available to download. |
| Official. Published by MHCLG or another official source.Funding Profiles & Timelines(opens GOV.UK in a new tab) | Funding and milestones. | Funding & Timelines GuideIn development. Being written now — not yet available to download. |
| Official. Published by MHCLG or another official source.Governance & Boundary Guidance(opens GOV.UK in a new tab) | Neighbourhood Board and governance. | Governance GuideIn development. Being written now — not yet available to download. |
| Official. Published by MHCLG or another official source.Pride in Place Plan Guidance(opens GOV.UK in a new tab) | Preparing the Pride in Place Plan. | Writing Your Pride in Place PlanIn development. Being written now — not yet available to download. |
| Official. Published by MHCLG or another official source.Monitoring Guidance(opens GOV.UK in a new tab) | Monitoring and reporting. | Monitoring & Delivery GuideIn development. Being written now — not yet available to download. |
| Official. Published by MHCLG or another official source.Pride in Place Guidance Collection(opens GOV.UK in a new tab) | Latest official clarifications, FAQs and updates in one place. | Go to the official GOV.UK collection |
Pride in Place Programme Prospectus(opens GOV.UK in a new tab)
Why read it: Overall programme overview.
Programme Overview GuideIn development. Being written now — not yet available to download.
Funding Profiles & Timelines(opens GOV.UK in a new tab)
Why read it: Funding and milestones.
Funding & Timelines GuideIn development. Being written now — not yet available to download.
Governance & Boundary Guidance(opens GOV.UK in a new tab)
Why read it: Neighbourhood Board and governance.
Governance GuideIn development. Being written now — not yet available to download.
Pride in Place Plan Guidance(opens GOV.UK in a new tab)
Why read it: Preparing the Pride in Place Plan.
Writing Your Pride in Place PlanIn development. Being written now — not yet available to download.
Monitoring Guidance(opens GOV.UK in a new tab)
Why read it: Monitoring and reporting.
Monitoring & Delivery GuideIn development. Being written now — not yet available to download.
Pride in Place Guidance Collection(opens GOV.UK in a new tab)
Why read it: Latest official clarifications, FAQs and updates in one place.
Free UrbanCat Toolkits
Official guidance explains what is required. These practical UrbanCat toolkits are designed to help you do the work.
Free UrbanCat Toolkit
10-Year Vision Builder
Guided workbook, downloadable 10-Year Vision template, AI prompts and practical examples to help communities prepare their vision.
Explore ToolkitFree UrbanCat Toolkit4-Year Investment Priorities Toolkit
Practical tools to help communities identify, compare and prioritise investment over the first four-year programme period.
Explore ToolkitFree UrbanCat ToolkitStakeholder Mapping Toolkit
Practical tools to help identify, understand and engage the organisations and people that can support delivery.
Explore ToolkitFree UrbanCat ToolkitGovernance Toolkit
Practical governance templates and tools for Neighbourhood Boards and programme teams.
Explore ToolkitFree UrbanCat ToolkitDelivery & Risk Management Toolkit
Practical tools to help communities organise delivery, manage risk and monitor implementation.
Explore ToolkitNeed Additional Support?
Everything above is free. If your Board wants extra hands, UrbanCat also offers paid support.
Pride in Place Diagnostic
Understand where your neighbourhood is today.
Learn MorePride in Place Blueprint
Build a practical 10-year vision and 4-year investment plan.
Learn MoreDelivery Support
Practical help delivering investment over the next ten years.
Learn MoreWhat's Next?
You do not need to solve the whole programme at once. Start by making sure your Board shares a common understanding of Pride in Place, what your community needs to produce and how decisions will be supported by evidence and community engagement. Then use the Hub to move through each stage of the journey.