Empowering communities to lead £5 billion of investment on local projects that matter

A man and a woman looking proud next to a colourful mural they have created

The government’s Pride in Place programme is a generational opportunity, with £5 billion earmarked to deliver real improvements that matter to communities, led by local people and backed by the UK government. Residents, MPs, councils, businesses and community organisations will join together as ‘neighbourhood boards’ in nearly 250 locations to decide how funding will be spent to shape local areas. However, connecting funding with locally-led projects effectively while meeting reporting and engagement requirements is a massive logistical challenge.

As the authorities receiving and managing Pride in Place funding, councils will face three hurdles as we see it at Spacehive: 

  • the ‘participation gap’ where traditional consultations miss the very communities they aim to serve
  • the ‘use it or lose it’ clock that requires funding to be committed quickly
  • a heavy reporting burden to demonstrate impact to MHCLG every six months

In a recent webinar we hosted with Walsall and Boston Borough councils on Pride in Place, who are both Spacehive clients and recipients of Pride in Place funding, it became clear why community crowdfunding is the natural infrastructure for this programme. Pride in Place rightly demands that local people call the shots, and our model delivers just that, moving beyond passive consultation. When residents back a project with their own money, they are implicitly saying that they think it’s a good idea – an invaluable gauge of public opinion.

One of the most compelling reasons to use this approach is the opportunity to amplify funding. Pride in Place encourages councils to ‘crowd in’ private investment, and our data shows that every £1 invested by a council typically generates an additional £3 from crowdfunding. This external investment is made up of grants from public sector bodies, contributions from local businesses and corporates, and small donations from thousands of citizens – all of whom care about community development and are stakeholders in local areas. 

We know that bringing neighbourhood boards, councils, communities and MPs together is a core requirement of the new guidance. Spacehive provides dashboards that turn raw data into impact stories with a public record for full transparency. Pride in Place stakeholders know exactly how many people supported a specific project, providing accountability and the measurable proof of local pride.

Over the past few years, Cheshire West and Chester Council has been using Spacehive to deliver exactly the kind of interventions Pride in Place is designed to support. Projects funded include:

Since launching their crowdfunding approach, the council have been able to ‘crowd in’ over £1.5 million on top of their grants to support 186 transformational projects in one unitary area alone. That’s over 10,000 individuals and businesses donating to leverage the council investment in projects. But it’s more than just money, according to Leader of the council, Cllr Louise Gittins. Spacehive crowdfunding “empowers local people to turn project ideas into reality by calling on backing from communities and generating real local spirit”, making it a blueprint for Pride in Place. 

Two people browse a community art gallery

Ultimately, Pride in Place is about genuine, long-term transformation rather than quick wins. Spacehive stands ready to support councils and communities to achieve this, harnessing 15 years of experience with local government, intuitive funding technology and expertise in community development. Whether you are managing a £1.5m impact fund or a larger place-based allocation, this is about ensuring funding delivers long-term improvements that residents want.

Having strong foundations for Pride in Place will help to realise that vision and tools like the Spacehive platform provide efficient mechanisms to assist councils and neighbourhood boards seamlessly.

If you want to view a recording of our recent Pride in Place webinar or find out how we can help you amplify funding allocations, engagement and impact, get in touch.