Wirral Council Leader welcomes major new support for local communities

Wirral Council's leader has welcomed a Government announcement of significant new funding to support and help transform local communities.

Under the new "Pride in Place programme" three Wirral communities - Woodchurch, Seacombe and Birkenhead Central - will be handed unprecedented new powers to seize boarded shops, save derelict pubs and block unwanted gambling and vape shops on their high streets.

Local people will be given the power to revitalise their neglected high streets, create new spaces for young people and address the issue of derelict pubs, to breathe new life into neglected communities up and down the country. 

Cllr Paula Basnett, Leader of Wirral Council, said:

"I welcome today’s announcement that Wirral has been included in the Government’s new Pride in Place Programme.

"This long-term national £5 billion investment programme has the potential to make a real difference for the people of Wirral. By focusing on strengthening local services, improving community spaces, developing skills, and upgrading Wirral's infrastructure, it represents a once in a generation opportunity to tackle deep-rooted inequalities and deliver lasting change.

"Decisions about investment must be shaped locally, with residents’ voices at the heart of the process, so the commitment to establish a local Neighbourhood Board, working alongside the council, our MPs and, crucially, our communities is the right approach.

"The decision we took last week to save our libraries and create community hubs aligns with the Government's approach to support our neighbourhoods.

"As a council we will play a proactive and constructive role to ensure this funding delivers maximum benefit for the people of Wirral. This is about building stronger, fairer and more resilient communities, and we are determined to seize the opportunity."

The Prime Minister today announced the “Pride in Place” Programme with historic funding to invest in over 330 across the country communities to tackle deep-rooted deprivation and regional inequality through wide-ranging action, including:

• Community Right to Buy: handing local people the power to buy beloved assets, helping them turn around derelict pubs, create new parks and regenerate treasured spaces in the heart of their communities.
• Compulsory Purchase powers: allowing communities in England to acquire assets and eyesores like boarded up shops and derelict abandoned businesses, allowing new local start-ups to thrive. For larger sites – like disused department stores or abandoned office blocks – it could even see new health centres opening up, or local housing to help reach our target of 1.5 million homes.
• Power to block unwanted shops: empowering councils in England to say no to new betting shops, vapes stores and fake barbers.
• Giving residents the power: the Government will only approve spending if community groups, local organisations and social clubs have been included in decisions on how the money should be spent – putting real power in local hands and giving them a proper say over their community.

For further details of the announcement see https://www.gov.uk/government/news/communities-to-seize-control-over-high-streets-and-restore-pride and Pride in Place Programme phase 2: methodology note - GOV.UK