Some amazing news for our town as today (Friday 20th March) I announced that I have secured £20 million long-term investment for central Luton!
This comes as part of the expansion of the government’s flagship ‘Pride in Place’ programme, which is handing investment and power to local communities to rebuild pride in neighbourhoods across the country.
The central Luton area is set to receive £20 million long-term funding – £2 million every year for ten years. It was selected as part of the government’s drive to tackle deprivation in places left behind by years of Conservative underfunding. It was also highlighted as a prime area to back the building of community cohesion.
Crucially, it is local residents who know the area best that will decide how this funding is spent- ensuring it follows their priorities. It could be used to create and revive community spaces, back community-led projects, fund initiatives to keep streets safer and cleaner for everyone, and lots more.
This follows the £1.5 million already allocated borough-wide last year as part of the Pride in Place Impact Fund. I was pleased to launch a joint survey alongside Luton North MP Sarah Owen on this, asking residents for their ideas on how to spend this impact funding. We recently shared this feedback with Luton Council, highlighting some of the most popular suggestions for use of the funding, including improvements to local parks, greening of roundabouts, and investment in local community venues.
This new round of funding under the Pride in Place programme will go further, specifically aimed at building stronger and more connected communities through a long-term commitment to support the community projects and organisations that really matter to local residents.
I’m incredibly pleased to have secured this £20 million for our central Luton area, following years of campaigning in Parliament for our town to get the funding it deserves and for our brilliant community organisations to be backed to continue their great work. I’m glad that this Labour government is listening, and I am proud to be bringing this investment into our town.
I can’t wait to see the community come together to have their say and shape some great new projects for the area!