MPs share excitement as Derbyshire areas set to receive £20m in Government funding - with residents deciding how money will be spent
A number of Derbyshire areas are set to receive £20m in Government funding – with residents set to decide how the money is spent and MPs expressing their excitement over the fresh injection of investment.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a major £5 billion package of investment as part of the Pride in Place programme - with Holmewood and Grassmoor one of the Derbyshire areas set to benefit from the new scheme.
As part of the project, 169 areas will receive £2 million every year for a decade, giving long-overlooked communities the certainty and control they need to plan for the future. Cotmanhay in Erewash will also receive £20m in funding, along with Chaddesden West in Derby.
Local people will decide how the funding is spent - from reviving high streets and restoring parks to breathing new life into pubs, leisure centres and community halls.
Communities will also gain new powers to seize boarded-up shops, block nuisance businesses and buy beloved local assets before they close.
Natalie Fleet, MP for Bolsover, shared her excitement over the announcement - and praised the level of community involvement in how the £20m will be spent across Holmewood and Grassmoor.
She said: “I’m delighted that Holmewood and Grassmoor have been selected to receive £20 million through the Government’s new Plan for Neighbourhoods programme.
“This long-term investment will help regenerate local spaces and support projects that make a real difference to people’s lives.
“This announcement shows that the Government is investing in our communities – and what makes them especially welcome is that local people will decide how the money is spent. From shared spaces to grassroots projects, this funding will be shaped by the public – exactly as it should be.”
Adam Thompson, MP for Erewash, said: “People who live in Cotmanhay know it best, and know what it needs to be better. This is our chance to improve Cotmanhay and make the big decisions ourselves – not wait for the council or London civil servants.
“£20 million, that’s £2 million a year for ten years, is an enormous and exciting investment in Cotmanhay. Local people will be able to choose how it’s spent and what on, so all ideas are very much welcome.”
This announcement is part of the government’s Plan for Change, which it describes as a decade-long mission to back the people who make their communities thrive. It sits alongside wider work to deliver cleaner, safer streets, create opportunities on every doorstep, and build more homes, roads and GP surgeries.
The Prime Minister added: “For too long, people have watched their towns and streets decline – powerless to stop boarded-up shops and neglected parks. That ends now.
“We’re investing in the UK’s future, by backing the true patriots that build our communities up in neighbourhoods across every corner of the country. Because it’s people who bring pride, hope and life to our communities.
“This is a huge investment, but what matters most is who decides how it’s spent: the neighbours, volunteers and parents who know their communities best – the people with real skin in the game.
“We’re choosing renewal over decline, unity over division. This is our Plan for Change in action – giving power and pride back to the people who make Britain great.”