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Written question asked by Baroness Buscombe (Conservative) on Monday, 9 February 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 23 February 2026. It was answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Labour) on Monday, 23 February 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Pride in Place Programme

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government whether neighbourhood boards appointed in local areas to oversee the Pride of Place programme will be required to (1) receive formal written applications for funding, (2) retain independent auditors to carry out financial checks to verify applicants' financial probity, and (3) audit all payments annually for a minimum of five years.

Answer

The Government has launched its flagship Pride in Place Programme, which will provide up to £20 million of flexible funding and support to 284 neighbourhoods over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities.

The Government has put in place robust governance and assurance arrangements to safeguard public funds and ensure appropriate financial oversight across all Pride in Place neighbourhoods, with funding delivered through the relevant local authorities acting as the accountable bodies. Programme assurance follows a three lines of defence model, with the first line provided by local authority Chief Financial Officers, the second by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) through proportionate, risk-based checks, and the third by MHCLG’s independent auditors.

Neighbourhood Boards are community-led bodies responsible for shaping local priorities through the Pride in Place Plan, with financial accountability and assurance provided through local authorities acting as the accountable bodies and through MHCLG’s programme-level oversight. This includes the submission of expenditure profiles and forecasts to MHCLG, alongside ongoing monitoring and evaluation in line with published guidance.

MHCLG’s Communities Delivery Unit provides each neighbourhood with a named official to monitor delivery, support governance and escalate concerns where necessary.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL14416
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Pride in place programme
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk