Thurrock Council’s Cabinet has approved plans that will help recover pride in our borough, and ensure local communities across the borough benefit from £1.5m of external capital funding.
The Pride in Place Impact Fund is a Government initiative to help make small improvements to local areas, based on what local people want to see. This fund is separate from the £20m Pride in Place funding allocated to Tilbury.
The proposals that were agreed by Cabinet on Wednesday 15 July have been designed to respond directly to insight and feedback from residents, taken from a range of data and evidence including complaints data, resident surveys, public health data, member enquiries and engagement with MPs.
The proposals include some specific projects that have been identified by engagement with local communities, as well as some boroughwide projects to ensure as many people benefit as possible – these include six new playgrounds across the borough, and an expansion to our CCTV network to help crack down on fly-tipping and ASB. Other projects include:
- Investment in the green spaces around the high-rise block flats in Chadwell St Mary
- Investment in Grays Town Park to improve the park and community facilities
- Improvements to Grays High Street
- Creation of a Pride in Place community grants scheme to support smaller investments in visual, sustainable improvements to neighbourhoods
Cllr George Monk, Cabinet Member for Deregulation, Efficiency and Civic Pride, said:
“This is a really positive announcement that will see improvements across our borough, and help increase pride in Thurrock.
“These projects respond to the things local people tell us they care most about. All of the proposals are based on local engagement and evidence to make sure we spend this funding on the things local people have told us they want to see.”
“Although this isn’t council funding, it’s important we maximise every penny, and so members and officers will work closely together to monitor progress, and ensure each project delivers value for money as well as wider benefits for local people.”
While these proposals focus on how to spend the Pride in Place Impact funding, the council plans to use this evidence-based approach going forward, to make sure residents are at the heart of decisions about how external funding is spent.