£20m funds 'must be rooted in priorities of local people'

Government cash to boost 'pride in place'

- Phil Corrigan Local Democracy Reporter

AN 'overlooked' Stoke-on-Trent neighbourhood will receive £20 million of Government funding.

Meir North has been named as one of 169 areas which will get £2 million a year over the next decade, as part of the Government's £5 billion Pride in Place scheme.

The news follows Bentilee & Ubberley being announced as a 'trailblazer' neighbourhood for the same programme back in June.

Stoke-on-Trent has also been awarded £1.5 million of capital funding to upgrade public spaces in the city.

The government says that local people will get to decide how the Pride in Place funding is spent in their area, whether that means improving community facilities, tackling empty shops or boosting skills and education.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council says it has already started working with residents in Meir North and Bentilee & Ubberley to understand what the priorities for the wards should be, although the authority is still awaiting Government guidance for the trailblazer scheme.