Residents urged to help shape how £40m is spent to revamp Landport and Paulsgrove
Residents can help to spend £40m to improve our city
Portsmouth MPs have welcomed the Pride in Place programme and urged residents to help shape how £40m is spent in Landport and Paulsgrove.
The scheme, announced last September, will invest £5.8bn over ten years in hundreds of disadvantaged communities. Landport and Paulsgrove have each been awarded up to £20m.
Neighbourhood boards, made up of residents, partners and local representatives, will draw up ten-year plans for each area.
The government said the programme provides “certainty and security” of funding over ten years, allowing areas to create lasting change beyond its lifespan.
It added that Neighbourhood Boards should build community-led partnerships that continue after funding ends, using the money to take ownership of local assets, attract philanthropic funding or investment to ensure the board leaves a long-term legacy.
Each board will be led by an independent chair: Father Bob White, Archdeacon of Portsdown and Vicar of St Mary’s, in Landport, and Father Hugo Deadman, Vicar of St Michael’s and All Angels Church, in Paulsgrove.
Amanda Martin, MP for Portsmouth North, attended a recent drop-in event with Fr Hugo, which she said saw a “great turnout” and “really good ideas shared”.
She encouraged locals to visit the next session at St Michael’s and All Angels Church between 2–3.30pm on Thursday 28 May.
Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, has encouraged residents to submit expressions of interest by 3 June to join the Landport board.
He said: “I am so proud to have secured funding for the heart of our city to help restore pride in place. This £20m investment into Landport will change lives and transform our communities.
“Portsmouth people know our city better than anyone else and that’s why, through this Government funded programme, we are keen to deliver Pride in Place in Landport differently.
“This is our chance to improve our city by making the big decisions for ourselves – not by letting others make decisions for us.
“I look forward to delivering this programme with the community and actively encourage anyone with the interest and time to apply to be a member of the new Landport Neighbourhood Board and help to make a real difference in their community.”
Residents interested in joining can email [email protected] or [email protected] by 12 noon on Wednesday 3 June.