Peterborough Communities £40 million Funding

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Transcript

00:00One of the great opportunities in this new £40 million fund, both in the Orton's and

00:04out up in Pashton, Dunford and the Welland, is that the people in charge of the project

00:08will be the local community. And over the coming weeks we'll be helping set up a local

00:13board for the two projects. That's going to involve representatives from the schools,

00:18the health service, the health housing associations, but also local residents. So watch this space,

00:23we've been bringing out the ideas and we'll be getting guidance from the government. It's

00:26really good that we've been given a nominated official in Whitehall to work with us to make

00:31sure we spend the money effectively, but also we get the consultation right. I want to make

00:36sure this is a project which isn't driven from the town hall, but is driven from the communities,

00:40so that we have that real input locally in the two areas about whether it is short-term

00:46measures like bulky waste collections, new bins tidying up the area, or whether it's

00:52bigger, more ambitious projects like taking over unwanted shops, or a new youth centre,

00:57or getting new healthcare provision. All of that's on the table. We've got 10 years funding

01:01coming on stream and it's going to be much more transparent than things we've seen in

01:05the town's fund. I know one of the criticisms of the town's fund has been, it's been hidden

01:09away from some of the decisions. We were going to let the sunlight shine into this project,

01:13but watch us over the coming weeks as we understand what the rules are about bringing the community together.

01:18So, according to data, levels of the highest deprivation in the way of poverty were chosen

01:25by the government to have considerable investment put into those areas. And actually, I've been a GP

01:32with a clinical background that's worked in one of those areas. I've seen that the social economic

01:36deprivation in those areas is very high indeed. I think that this is a welcome gesture. I'd like to

01:41thank our MPs and the government for prioritising those areas with the highest need and it actually

01:48gives us some huge opportunities to regenerate and develop those areas in consensus with the very

01:54people and organisations that are focused there. So, I'm very excited about the prospects, very excited

02:01working with my colleagues and with the MPs and with local stakeholders and organisations who know about

02:06those areas and where it's going to be most needed. And obviously, the survey that the MPs put out,

02:12it will welcome any input from the public who live in those areas to see what they would like to see

02:17in the way of changing their neighbourhoods. So, incredibly positive indeed.

02:21The real big opportunity here is about getting the community together, whether that's the schools

02:26or the family hubs or parents or community groups and having a local conversation about how we use

02:31this money and what people want. So, it's not about the government saying you're having a new building,

02:36it's about us having a conversation with the council, with residents about how we use this money

02:41over 10 years to improve opportunities in places like that. I'm really delighted that after a long

02:47campaign involving residents, myself, members of the council, we've secured a £40 million investment

02:53in Peterborough. That's £4 million a year, every year for 10 years. This is part of Labour's Pride

02:59in Place programme and what it's about is making sure some of our left behind estates and neighbourhoods,

03:05like we've got in the Orton's or Pasadon or the Welland or Gunthorpe, get a chance to spend money on

03:10giving themselves some TLC. As an independent councillor, former leader and now deputy leader,

03:15I've always drummed about protecting the vulnerable and I'm ever so grateful to Andrew for bringing that

03:21money in to the most deprived areas of Peterborough and protecting those vulnerable, providing the

03:26facilities, bringing them in line with the rest of the community. It is going to be a small change,

03:32a minute change, but it will make a difference and making difference is the key thing for all of us to be here.