Huge £40million cash boost for Portsmouth to pay for improvements in the city - including new green spaces and leisure facilities
Portsmouth is set to receive a £40m cash boost from the government in a bid to improve the city.
The money has come from the government’s £5bn Pride in Place programme which sees 339 neighbourhoods receive money to be spent on projects to revive the area - with Paulsgrove reportedly getting £20million of that sum.
Portsmouth is one of 95 areas to receive an immediate £1.5 million to upgrade public spaces with new green spaces, play areas and sports and leisure facilities. Meanwhile a number of other areas across the city, Havant, Waterlooville and Gosport will receive money to help ‘revive high streets, parks and public spaces’ from the government’s Pride of Place programme.
Areas to get the cash locally are:
- Paulsgrove East, Portsmouth
- Fratton West, Portsmouth
- Leigh Park, Havant
- Rowner, Gosport
- Cowplain, Waterlooville
The government was unable to provide a breakdown of the funding when asked by The News, but Portsmouth MP Amanda Martin has taken to social media and revealed that £40 million of long-term funding for Portsmouth , with £20million of that specifically for Paulsgrove.
“That’s £2m very single year for the next decade,” she said.
No information has yet been shared about how decisions will be made over how this money will be spent, with Amanda Martin promising more details will be shared soon.
But the government said that local people will have a say on if they want the funding spent on reviving high streets, restoring parks, breathing new life into pubs or community facilities for example.
“It’s not politicians in Westminster, and it’s not the council who decides how this money is spent,” the Portsmouth North MP said. “It’s you and the local community.”
The government has also said communities will also gain new powers to seize boarded-up shops, block nuisance businesses, and buy beloved local assets before they close.
Welcoming the news, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan, said: “I promised to fight for investment in Portsmouth – and I am proud to have delivered. This £40 million will change lives over the next decade, and I will make sure it is spent where local people need it most.
“Portsmouth people know our city better than anyone else and that is why the Labour government has decided to do this differently.
“This is our chance to improve our city by making the big decisions for ourselves – not by letting other people make decisions for us. I look forward to working with the community in Landport to transform the area through this investment.”
Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage welcomed news of the funding for Rowner “and a chance to finally tackle some of the local issues that people raise with me day in day out”.
She said: “Places like the Griffin Walk play park are in a terrible condition, unsafe, run down and desperately needing attention. That’s exactly the sort of investment local families want to see.”
She added that she hoped the money would not be wasted on “vanity projects like the Criterion Theatre which has remained empty and deteriorating since the council purchased it three years ago”.
“We cannot allow the same thing to happen again. Local people should not see money wasted while parks, play areas and community facilities continue to crumble,” she said.
“I have asked Ministers to give clear assurances that this fund cannot be hijacked for pet projects and that it won’t be lost in the fog of local government reform. Every penny must go where it is genuinely needed and deliver lasting benefits for Rowner residents.”
Havant Borough Council also welcomed the additional funding via the Pride in Place programme.
“A spokesperson said: “As these details have only just been confirmed, we are looking forward to working with the Government - and all relevant groups locally - to make the most of this opportunity.