The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced a £1.5 billion investment programme aimed at regenerating 75 neighbourhoods across the UK over the next decade.

Each selected area will receive £20 million as part of the government’s new Plan for Neighbourhoods, designed to breathe new life into local high streets, parks, youth clubs, cultural venues, libraries, and health and wellbeing services.

To ensure that funding meets local needs, newly established neighbourhood boards will bring together residents and businesses to decide how best to invest the money in their communities. Options could range from repairing pavements and revitalising high streets to setting up community grocers offering low-cost essentials, co-operatives, or even strengthening neighbourhood watch schemes.

The investment will also focus on improving education, health, and employment services while tackling pressing local issues such as crime.

Alex Norris, Minister for Local Growth and Building Safety, said the programme would provide long-term support to strengthen community spirit and help struggling areas recover. “This will deliver lasting funding to reignite the potential of neighbourhoods that have for too long been left fighting for survival,” he said. “Alongside our planning reforms, devolution of powers, and strengthened workers’ rights, this investment will help people and places to thrive again.”

Among the communities set to benefit are Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire, Irvine in Scotland, Wrexham in Wales, and Coleraine and Derry in Northern Ireland.

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner highlighted the importance of putting local people in control of their own regeneration. “For years, too many neighbourhoods have been starved of investment despite their potential to grow and flourish,” she said. “Communities across the UK have so much to offer—from rich cultural heritage to strong local networks—but they know best what their neighbourhoods need.

“Our fully funded Plan for Neighbourhoods does things differently. It puts local people in the driving seat, giving them the power to decide how government investment is spent, what issues to tackle, and where to focus growth.”

With this ambitious funding package, the government aims to give neighbourhoods the tools and resources to transform their futures, creating stronger, more vibrant communities across the UK.

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