One of the most exciting and transformative policies this government has introduced is the ‘Pride in Place’ programme, planned to directly benefit our most deprived communities.
Lynn has indeed been given a hefty £20million by the Government, but at this stage it is not clear where it will be spent. I am hoping it will be invested in the communities that need it most, such as my own ward of Fairstead.
The Government’s programme aims to give people up and down the country the power to revitalise their neglected high streets, to breathe new life into neglected communities, and to create new spaces for young people.
Communities will get new powers to seize boarded-up shops, to save or revitalise their treasured local pubs, and to clean up the eyesores in their area.
Local people will finally have the powers to put things right after years of decline – an inheritance the Government is determined to fix through the Plan for Change.
This is about choosing a future where communities are empowered to come together, rather than be divided, and where renewal is chosen over decline.
The Pride in Place initiative was unveiled last year by the Government. It is an unprecedented programme backed by record funding aimed at letting local people call the shots on where and how money is spent in their communities, restoring local pride and helping them reclaim their streets.
As stated above, the government has given £20million to Lynn, which is meant to improve the places where people actually live.
Fairstead – the ward I represent on the borough council – is among the most deprived areas in West Norfolk. That is not hyperbole – it is based on national statistics.
Many families struggle with poor health, low incomes and scarce opportunities. The gap should concern everyone, whatever their political views.
The RISE and Beacon Projects in North Lynn, championed by my fellow colleague Cllr Ben Jones, already do good work but could do much more with proper investment. Fairstead needs projects like this too.
When areas are left behind for a long time, problems build up. Health gets worse. Young people have fewer chances. Pressure on public services increases. That is exactly why this funding exists.
So far, the only confirmed use of this £20million has been for work linked to the St George’s Guildhall.
I know some residents feel that spending neighbourhood money on a building will not improve health in our deprived communities – that it will not give young people somewhere to go nor help families who are struggling day-to-day.
However, Shakespeare’s Guildhall is an important historic building and I very much hope that its redevelopment will deliver on the promises made, revitalising our town centre by bringing in more tourism and boosting businesses.
But it is important that the money meant for neighbourhoods should reach neighbourhoods – if it doesn’t, then the scheme misses the point.
For instance, a community hub for Fairstead could bring services together in one place – advice, youth activities, training, health and work support.
This is a practical, not political, idea – involving using public money in a way that actually helps people.
The test is simple. If this funding does not improve life in the parts of King’s Lynn that need it most, then what, exactly, is it for?
Neighbourhood money should be spent where neighbourhood life is hardest – not where the bricks look best.
I will continue to call for this money to be used in the communities that need it most and I look forward to hearing the outcome of consultations that have been held with community groups and stakeholders.