Greater Leys has been awarded £20m from the Government as part of a ten year investment to support the local community.
The Pride in Place Programme (PiPP) is a UK-wide programme aiming to invest in disadvantaged neighbourhoods across the country. The funding will provide 75 towns across the UK with up to £20 million each (totalling £1.5 billion) over 10 years.
In Oxford, Greater Leys – which covers most of Northfield Brook Ward and some of the Blackbird Leys Ward - has been selected to receive funding through the programme.
Oxford is the UK’s second most unequal city, and ten out of Oxford’s 83 neighbourhoods are amongst the 20% most deprived in England - this includes the Greater Leys area.
In Oxford, the Leys (consisting of both Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys), there are a much higher proportion of households classified as ‘deprived’ according to the 2021 Census than the average for Oxford City and Oxfordshire.
About the Pride in Place funding
The Pride in Place funding aims to bring together local communities to help make decisions and changes to their areas through Neighbourhood Boards.
The Neighbourhood Board will be responsible for producing a 10 year vision for Greater Leys, supported by interventions which are set out in the Regeneration Plan, to achieve the strategic objectives of the programme.
This will allow Neighbourhoods to decide how to prioritise funding, based on extensive community engagement, across three objectives:
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To build stronger communities: Bringing people together to build community cohesion and resilience, helping people to feel proud of their area and safe in their neighbourhood
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To create thriving places: Creating vibrant neighbourhoods and communities with busy high streets, a good range of local amenities, and high-quality physical infrastructure
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To empower people to take back control: Ensuring everybody feels empowered and in control of their lives and has a say over the future of their community
Each Neighbourhood Board will be led by an independent chair, appointed by the local authority following consultation with the local MP. The chair would act as a champion for the place and provide leadership for the board, ensuring it is community-led and embedded within the local area.
Neighbourhood Boards include the relevant local MP and at least one ward councillor.
Enabling thriving communities
The Pride in Place funding will compliment Oxford City Council’s work to deliver the Thriving Communities strategy. The Thriving Communities approach aims to help strengthen communities and focus resources where they are most needed, in the face of huge funding cuts to local government since 2010. This includes working collaboratively in and with Oxford’s neighbourhoods.
Currently the Blackbird Leys area is undergoing regeneration, which will include a new, modern purpose-built community centre, designed with input from the community, as well as the creation of 294 new homes across Knights Road and the District Centre, along with significant investment in local infrastructure and public spaces.
Last month, Leys Youth Hub, a partnership project between Oxford City Council’s Youth Ambition services and Oxfordshire County Council’s Targeted Youth Support Service, opened at Leys Pool at Leisure Centre. The Youth Hub aims to give young people new opportunities to enhance their wellbeing, have fun and grow their self-confidence through free welcoming sessions for young people aged 11 to 18.
The Council will be working with the central government and the local MP on the Pride in Place programme.
Comment
“This funding is an opportunity for local people to have their say on significant government investment planned for the next decade in the Leys. I’m really excited about how flexible this funding is and I expect residents will have plenty of ideas about how it should be spent to improve the local area and support the community. This new money has the potential to really build on the investment already being made by the city council in the area, for example at the leisure centre, the new youth hub, the planned new district centre shops and community centre. At this stage, we are in very early stages of the funding, and we are looking forward to working with residents, local organisations, Anneliese Dodds MP and central government to kickstart the project and start delivering the change people want to see. We will share more information as it emerges.”
Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities
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