Long-term funding for two of Cheshire West and Chester’s most in-need neighbourhoods

People in Blacon South and Ellesmere Port Town and Rossmore will choose how to spend new funding of £20 million in each area over the next 10 years.

The funding is part of the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government’s Pride in Place Programme, which will be administered by Cheshire West and Chester Council.

The Pride in Place Programme is a long-term project and a new way of helping and boosting communities. Local people will decide how the funding is used in their area and plans will be developed by the local community. The strategy is designed to give communities certainty and control over their future through long-term funding of 10 years, alongside wider efforts to improve local services, safety, and infrastructure.

This funding is designed to target areas with high levels of deprivation and aims to address some of the most pressing local issues within some of the UK’s most deprived neighbourhoods in order to:

• Build stronger communities with a shared sense of belonging.
• Create thriving places, with vibrant high streets, green spaces and quality amenities.
• Empower local people to shape the future of their neighbourhoods.

In Cheshire West and Chester, the funding will be used in Blacon South and Ellesmere Port Town and Rossmore, identified by the Government as areas with high levels of deprivation within them. The Government has chosen 250 areas, each with a population of around 10,000 people, that are ‘doubly disadvantaged’ by both the highest deprivation levels and weakest social infrastructure.

Cllr Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, said:

“I am delighted that Blacon South and Ellesmere Port Town and Rossmore have been chosen to receive Pride in Place funding. These two areas will each receive £20 million over 10 years, and the most exciting part is that how this money will be spent will be completely down to their local communities, and not the Council. This is a new and refreshing way of doing things which will be a different way of working than usual. It is based on the understanding that projects tend to work better when they are designed with the benefit of local knowledge and delivered with the support of the local community.

“Using this funding, we want to empower local communities to lead the transformation of their neighbourhoods. This will build on the Council’s record of working with, listening to, and delivering for our communities. Local people are best placed to make their own decisions on what they need in their areas, which will help to encourage pride in where they live and ultimately lead to more sustainable regeneration. Strong neighbourhoods and communities are vital to drive growth and improved outcomes in wellbeing, education, crime and health. We will be announcing more details soon on the process and how people can get involved.”

The full Pride in Place Strategy is available here:

Pride in Place Strategy - GOV.UK

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has published a Pride in Place Strategy, which aims to support and empower communities at a hyper-local level. This strategy is part of the Pride in Place Programme, previously known as the Plan for Neighbourhoods, providing up to £5 billion of long-term support to the most in-need communities. It aims to help communities thrive by investing in local infrastructure, public spaces, and services.

Blacon South and Ellesmere Port Town and Rossmore have been selected by Government using a metrics-based methodology, using Indices of Multiple Deprivation and the Community Needs Index.

The full list of places and the details of the selection methodology is published in the Pride in Place Programme place selection methodology note:

Pride in Place Programme: place selection methodology note - GOV.UK