A part of Preston is to be given a £20million funding boost over the next decade.
Ribbleton is to net an additional £2million-a-year for the next decade under the government’s ‘Pride in Place fund’.
The area between Moor Nook, Grange Park, up to Blackpool Road in the west, Longridge Road in the north and down to the River Ribble in the south and east, is one of 339 places chosen for investment by the Prime Minister’s announcement. It is the only area of Preston to receive funding – with nowhere in South Ribble, Chorley or Ribble Valley selected.
Read more: Man to appear in court charged with murder of Gary Carlisle in Ribbleton
No details are yet known as to what the funding will go towards but the government’s fund describes it as being used to revive high streets, restore parks, breath new life back into pubs, leisure centres and community halls.
Leader of Preston City Council, Labour’s Matthew Brown, said: “We welcome the announcement of this funding for Preston and specifically Ribbleton, an area known for pockets of deprivation.
“For the first time, significant funding will be available on a very local level where communities will decide how the funding is spent, led by the people who know their neighbourhood and what will make the biggest difference.
“This aligns and supports Preston’s community wealth building strategy that strives to put prosperity and power in the hands of local people, to deliver inclusive growth and a more democratic economy within a fair and resilient city.”
The area identified as Ribbleton for the funding straddles two county council electoral divisions – Preston East and Preston South East – both of which were lost by Labour in the local elections earlier this year. With one going to Reform and the other to an independent candidate.
Just across the government’s imposed boundary another area of Ribbleton area is due to get a major upgrade to Waverley Park – or Ribbleton Park as it is also known – in the coming months.
More than £3million is being spent on new sports pitches and facilities as part of the scheme which was funded by the Levelling Up initiative under the previous government.
Lancashire in total is to receive £129million from the Pride in Place fund with areas of Blackpool, Fleetwood, Morecambe, Blackburn and Skelmersdale also to see the £2million-a-year uplift and again the funding is focused on a very specific part of the towns.
In announcing the expansion, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “For too long, people have watched their towns and streets decline – powerless to stop boarded-up shops and neglected parks. That ends now.
“We’re investing in Britain’s future, by backing the true patriots that build our communities up in neighbourhoods across every corner of the country. Because it’s people who bring pride, hope and life to our communities.
“This is a huge investment, but what matters most is who decides how it’s spent: the neighbours, volunteers and parents who know their communities best – the people with real skin in the game.
“We’re choosing renewal over decline, unity over division. This is our ‘Plan for Change’ in action – giving power and pride back to the people who make Britain great.”
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