Mansfield and Ashfield both set for £1.5m windfall as part of £5bn Government scheme

The new scheme, called Pride in Place, is worth £5bn nationwide and encourages neighbours and families across the UK will lead the revival of their communities.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has described it as ‘backing the true patriots who build their communities up and choose unity over division’.

As part of the fund, 169 areas nationwide will receive £2m every year for a decade, giving long-overlooked communities the certainty and control they need to plan for the future.

In Nottinghamshire, those areas are Broxtowe, Cinderhill and St Ann’s East.

Meanwhile, both Mansfield and Ashfield will be among 95 areas that will receive an immediate £1.5m to upgrade public spaces with new green spaces, play areas and sports and leisure facilities.

Nottingham is also on that list, which could mean further funding for areas like Bulwell.

The Government says the key aspect to the scheme is that local people will decide how funding is spent — reviving high streets, restoring parks, and breathing new life into pubs, leisure centres and community halls.

The Prime Minister 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 the UK’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.”

Steve Reed MP (Lab), Secretary of State for housing, communities and local government, Steve Reed said: “Building pride in place starts with people, not politics.

"Local people know what they want to see in their neighbourhoods – and they don’t need Government to dictate it.

“This plan will spark an historic grassroots movement that will restore local people’s power, boost national pride and help people get on in life across the UK as part of our Plan for Change.”

Rachel Reeves MP (Lab), Chancellor of the Exchequer, added: "We’re giving local people the power to transform their home towns.

"Giving them more control of how money is spent where they live so that together we can invest in Britain’s renewal and build an economy that rewards working people.

“This £5bn investment doesn't just reverse decades of underinvestment in our public infrastructure – it cuts through the bureaucracy by giving local people the power to deliver the change they want to see."

This announcement significantly scales up the work already underway in 75 areas, helping communities regenerate and restore local pride.