Havant has been awarded funding of £40 million from the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government’s (MHCLG) Pride in Place Programme. The money is for two of our most deprived neighbourhoods: Leigh Park and West Cowplain (Wecock) and will be used for projects that will benefit those communities over the next 10 years (£20 million for each area).
The programme will deliver on what matters most to local people, focusing on three strategic objectives of the programme:
Pride in Place gives control to the community to decide how best to spend the funding with extensive public consultation and engagement. Each area will be led by a Neighbourhood Board which is independent of the council and will bring together residents, local businesses, grassroots campaigners, workplace representatives, faith, and community leaders and those with a deep connection to their area.
| Chair recruitment process - COMPLETED | February/March 2026 |
| Board recruitment process - COMPLETED | June 2026 |
| First Board meeting - COMPLETED | June/July 2026 |
| Approval of the Neighbourhood Board by MHCLG - IN PROGRESS | 17 July 2026 |
| Boards write a Pride in Place Plan and submit to MHCLG for approval | 30 November 2026 |
The Pride in Place Boards are responsible for setting programme priorities; overseeing programme management; monitoring programme progress; reviewing funding applications and appraisal reports for proposed projects, investments and endorsing funding recommendations.
Neighbourhood Boards include a balanced mix of:
The Boards must also include:
Observers from central government or specialist agencies may attend by invitation.
The Pride in Place Chair is a strategic role that will provide leadership over the 10-year programme. This role will help to recruit the wider board membership, develop the Pride in Place Plan, and drive forward the programme towards delivery. Additionally, the role will lead the transition to a community delivery model in future years.
While the Leigh Park Board is operating with a single Chair, the Wecock Board will be operating with two Co-Chairs. Their information can be found on the relevant webpages for each area (see links below).
Havant Borough Council is the Accountable Body for the Pride in Place funding. This is an important role in managing funding, assurance, compliance and grant agreements, and supporting the Board is their decision making
HBC acts as an enabler and advisor and does not determine Board priorities, but ensures decisions are legally and financially compliant
As Accountable Body HBC will publish governance documents, agendas, minutes and the Register of Interests. These documents can be found in the webpages for each area (see links below)
Leigh Park and Wecock have each been allocated their own separate Pride in Place funding, and as such have established the Neighbourhood Boards which will deliver the needs of their areas individually
To find out more about the specifics of Pride in Place in each area, please follow the links below:
Further information about the programme and the type of projects that could be funded can be found on the government website at Pride in Place Programme.
For any general inquiries related to the Pride in Place Programme, please contact us at prideinplace@havant.gov.uk.