The Pride in Place Programme

In March 2025, the UK Government announced a £1.5 billion initiative known as the Pride in Place Programme (PiPP), investing up to £19.5m in an initial 75 towns over a decade (2026 to 2036), including Newark-on-Trent. 

The fund aims to raise living standards, reduce social exclusion, spread opportunities for young people, improve health and wellbeing, build stronger and more cohesive communities and reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.

The Newark Town Board will oversee the delivery of local PiPP in Newark, working closely with Newark and Sherwood District Council as the Accountable Body for the funds. The Board’s vision and plan for local PiPP delivery is set out in the Newark Town Board’s Regeneration Plan which details how PiPP will achieve the UK Government’s 3 strategic objectives of ‘thriving places, stronger communities and taking back control.’ The boards thematic priorities, as set out in the Regeneration Plan, are as follows:

• Regeneration, heritage and high streets – including physical improvements to town centres, neighbourhoods and green spaces and support for cultural and creative activities to build on the local heritage offer.
• Safety and Security – including physical improvements to design out crime and interventions to tackle anti-social behaviour. 
• Cohesion – including support to bring people together and encourage social action and volunteering as well as  the capacity and work of local community groups.
• Work, productivity and skills – including  support to improve awareness of, and access to local provision that moves people closer to employment and addresses skills gaps.
• Travel and Connectivity – including support for connectivity improvements within the area.

In addition to the Regeneration Plan, the Board set out its priority projects for the initial investment period in a 4-Year Investment Profile. This profile identifies the following projects, and their respective funding commitments for each year:

• Community Grant Scheme (cohesion) – an annual grant scheme providing grants between £20,000 and £100,000 to support local community organisations to build capacity and help bring local people together to participate in leisure, cultural and social opportunities. 
• Events  Programme (regeneration and high-streets)– supporting the delivery of events within the town to attract visitors and bring local people together.
• Upper Floor Residential Conversion Scheme (regeneration, high streets and heritage) – a proposed scheme to support the incentivisation of vacant upper floor units within the town centre into residential use.
• Capital projects – grant funding to deliver capital projects within the area that align to the identified priority themes,  following a ‘call for projects’ in 2026.

The local Regeneration Plan and Investment Profile were endorsed by the UK Government’s Ministry of Health Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in March 2026, and developed through local community engagement, strategy and socio-economic data findings. The Board will continue to work closely with the local community to develop plans over the lifetime of the PiPP. 

PiPP monitoring returns are submitted by NSDC as the Accountable Body (on behalf of the Newark Town Board) to the UK Government every 6 months. Copies of monitoring returns can be found below:

• April 2026