Why it matters: The funding amounts to £2 million every year for 10 years and will be spent on improvements decided by local residents – not central government. It comes as part of a national £5 billion programme covering nearly 250 areas across the UK.
What is Pride in Place? The government's Pride in Place programme will see up to £5 billion distributed to nearly 250 areas across the UK. Each area receives up to £20 million of funding and support over 10 years to make long-term improvements that residents want. The programme gives communities new tools to drive renewal – including powers to bring empty shops back into use, protect valued local assets, and tackle long-standing issues in their neighbourhood.
The details: In Stoke Park and Chantry, the funding could support a wide range of improvements, including restoring shops, breathing new life into community spaces, and investing in schools, opportunities for young people and the long-awaited expansion of healthcare provision in the area.
For context: This latest announcement builds on an earlier £1.5 million secured from the first phase of Pride in Place, with 30 projects now recommended for approval across youth centres, places of worship, charities and community organisations. More details on the successful projects will be announced in due course.
What they're saying: Jack Abbott said: "This is genuinely transformational funding – £2 million every year, for 10 years – invested directly into Stoke Park and south-west Ipswich, changing people's lives."
Abbott said: "When I secured the first £1.5 million, I made sure residents were at the heart of the process. Through my Pride in Place survey and report, hundreds of local people told us what they want to see change. That's exactly how this funding should work – shaped by local people, for local people."
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed said: "Pride in Place is about giving power to local people who know best what needs to change in their area. The ambitious plans we're seeing take shape in communities across the country is proof that when you give local people the tools to do the job – things get better."
What's next: Local residents will be invited to take part in shaping how the funding is spent in the months ahead.
The bottom line: Stoke Park and Chantry are in line for £20 million of government investment over the next decade, with local residents set to decide how it is spent. The announcement comes in the same week that Ipswich advanced to the next stage of the City of Culture 2029 competition. As Abbott put it, "This week has been momentous for our town. It feels like a marker of things to come, and the bright future we are building together."
