THE Prime Minister has called for the regeneration of Bexhill town centre as part of a major expansion of the Government’s Pride in Place programme, unveiled during a visit to Hastings this morning (5 February).
Sir Keir Starmer was in Hastings to promote the next phase of the scheme, which will hand thousands of residents across England the power to decide how millions of pounds are spent in their local neighbourhoods.
Under the expansion, 40 new areas will be brought into the programme, with local people able to influence how up to £20 million is invested in each community, funding that could be used to revive struggling high streets, protect community facilities, or support new local events and activities.
Speaking during his visit, Sir Keir highlighted the need for renewed investment in Sussex towns, calling for the regeneration of Bexhill town centre alongside improved sports facilities in Hastings.
The expanded package is worth up to £800 million nationally and builds on the wider £5 billion Pride in Place programme, which has already supported hundreds of communities across the country.
The initiative is designed to put decision-making power into the hands of residents through locally run Neighbourhood Boards, made up of people who live and work in the area. These boards are responsible for listening to the community and deciding how funding is spent.
Examples from elsewhere in the country include £500,000 used to save Ramsgate’s last remaining youth centre by securing its freehold, and £1 million set aside in Elgin to create a new regional athletics hub bringing sports clubs together under one roof.
Sir Keir said towns across the country had suffered from long-term decline. He said: “Youth clubs that have been abandoned, shops boarded up and high streets decimated.
“We must reverse the devastating decline in our communities and give power, agency and control to the very people who want to improve their community – those who have skin in the game.”
He added that Pride in Place was about communities leading change themselves, backed by government support, to help drive national renewal.
In Hastings, organisers of the programme have already been engaging with residents at events, supermarkets and park runs to understand local priorities – an approach the Government says will be central to its long-term success.
The latest announcement brings the total number of areas receiving Pride in Place funding to around 380 nationwide, with ministers saying the benefits will extend beyond individual neighbourhoods to create stronger, more cohesive towns.
Further details on how communities will be selected and how local residents can get involved are expected to be confirmed in the coming months.
