Today the Prime Minister announced 40 additional areas to benefit from £20m investment each over the next 10 years, £2m per year, as part of the Pride in Place scheme.
Margaret Mullane MP has been lobbying Ministers and the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government since the first tranche of Pride in Place funding was allocated last year, urging the government to invest more in her constituency.
Today the Heath Ward area in Dagenham has been confirmed as one of the recipient communities.
Margaret said: “This is remarkable! This transformational investment will see power put back into the hands of the community. This is the difference a Labour Government makes.
“The new phase of our Pride in Place project will see local people given the power to revitalise their neglected high streets, create new spaces for young people, seize boarded up shops through new compulsory purchase powers, save libraries and much more.
“The Heath Ward area has one of the highest rates of deprivation in the borough and in my constituency, but it also holds a lot of promise. From the Fiddlers and Central Park, through the Heath Park Estate, and down to Oxlow Lane, this funding will breathe new life into the community. Amazing news.”
Investment in local communities and communal life is central to rebuilding pride and belonging. That is why this unique round of funding is targeted at supporting places facing the greatest challenges. This forms part of the Government’s wider action plan for social cohesion, investing in the shared spaces, local institutions and community leadership that bring people together and help restore pride in our neighbourhoods.
Over the coming months Barking and Dagenham Council alongside the local MPs will begin to establish a panel, made up of community groups, local organisations and social clubs, who will consult with the wider community and decide how the money is used over the next 10 years.