Millions of Government investment into Avondale Grange, Kettering, Kingswood and Hazel Leys Corby and Queensway, Wellingborough, to be discussed next week
Communities11 February 2026
North Northamptonshire Council’s support for the Government’s Pride in Place Programme, securing up to £20m funding for three targeted areas, will be considered by members at next week’s Executive Briefing.
The Government launched its Pride in Place Programme in September 2025. It is a £5 billion, ten-year investment targeting up to 250 of the UK’s most deprived and socially disconnected neighbourhoods. The fund has three objectives; to build stronger communities, to create thriving places and to empower people to take back control.
The Pride in Place Programme aims to bring together residents, the local MP, councils, other statutory partners, businesses and community organisations to produce a clear vision for their area.
There are three areas in North Northamptonshire which have been selected by Government to form part of the programme.
- Avondale Grange, Kettering
- Kingswood and Hazel Leys, Corby
- Queensway, Wellingborough
The three areas were previously identified as ‘left behind’ communities and are areas that are deemed to be ‘doubly disadvantaged’ by both the highest deprivation levels and weakest social infrastructure. They were selected using the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) and Community Needs Index (CNI), to identify areas with the poorest social and economic outcomes and create a single index of need.
Each of these areas will have their own Neighbourhood Board, composed of residents, local businesses, and community organisations and develop their own Regeneration Plan. Each area will receive up to £20 million, with decisions made by these boards. The Neighbourhood Boards will give local people the power to decide how funding is spent, putting communities in charge of the future of their neighbourhoods. Each Board must work with the wider community to develop a Pride in Place Regeneration Plan, setting out a vision for their area and the projects that they would like to prioritise for delivery.
The council will be the Accountable Body for the programme in the area and funding, meaning it is responsible for financial management; administering and overseeing public funds, ensuring compliance, providing financial reporting and delivering transparent “open book” accounting for all costs, including in-kind contributions and addressing any potential conflicts of interest.
The Leader of the Council will nominate a local ward councillor for each Neighbourhood Board.
The Pride in Place Plans will outline a programme for delivery of a range of projects over the course of the ten-year period and beyond, considering opportunities to attract and combine new and existing private, public, and other funding streams.Martin Griffiths, Leader of North Northamptonshire Council
The fund has three objectives; to build stronger communities, to create thriving places and to empower people to take back control. These are all objectives which myself and my peers are fundamentally aligned to and I look forward to getting on with this work.
An independent Chair will be appointed to lead each Neighbourhood Board. The Chair will act as a champion for the place and provide leadership for the Board, ensuring it is community-led and embedded within the local area.
The local MPs will also have an important role in the programme and will each have a seat on their respective Neighbourhood Board. They have started to engage with local communities and have already run some engagement sessions.
North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive will meet on Tuesday 17 February at 10am at the Corby Cube and the papers are now available online. The meeting will be livestreamed on YouTube.