Pride in Place - Hurstead and Smallbridge
Hurstead and Smallbridge have been selected to receive up to £20 million over 10 years (between 2025–2035) so they can decide how to regenerate their local area. This is part of the government’s Pride in Place programme, is government funded and aimed at putting power into the hands of local people in some of the most in-need neighbourhoods across the UK.
A new Neighbourhood Board will represent local residents. Led by a chairperson supported by both the Rochdale Borough Council and the constituency MP, they will be tasked with getting the right people around the table.
The board must be in place by 17 July 2026 at the latest.
Neighbourhood Boards will co-create a Pride in Place plan, together with their community, setting out how up to £20 million will be spent over the 10-year period. It’s up to the Board – alongside the local MP and council – to decide what’s in the plan, but they must be able to show that it’s a genuine reflection of what local residents want.
Programme objectives
- Stronger communities: funding will be available to rebuild relationships, restoring a collective sense of belonging to the community, and bringing people together so they can feel proud of their area and safe in their neighbourhood.
- Thriving places: funding will be available for project that improve town centres and neighbourhoods so they reflect the needs and habits of their community, and residents should have a greater say in how they look and feel.
- Taking back control: to make sure children have the best start in life and that adults can live the life they want to, places will be able to design public services that are accessible, responsive, and tailored to local need. Investing in young people’s futures and in preventative measures now will ease pressure on services over the longer-term.
Timeline
- Early 2026: local community engagement and the establishment of Neighbourhood Boards.
- April 2026: first programme delivery funding payment to be made to lead local authorities which marks the start of the delivery phase. Some of this money will continue to support local community engagement with a small amount available for early “quick win” projects that have the support of the community.
- July 2026: Neighbourhood Boards to confirm finalised membership and any proposals to alter the area boundary to Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) by 17 July 2026.
- Autumn 2026: MHCLG to review membership and boundary proposals and confirm places whether acceptable.
- November 2026: Neighbourhood Boards submit their Pride in Place plan to MHCLG for assessment and approval by 28 November 2026.
- April 2027: programme delivery starts.
Next steps
There will be more information on how to get involved soon. We'll update this page when we have more details.