Pride in Place for St Nicholas

Stevenage has been granted an initial £150,000 capacity payment to carry out engagement, publicity and recruitment followed by the balance of £2 million a year over ten years.

We will establish a Neighbourhood Board that can work with residents and partners to develop, agree and oversee a ten-year Pride in Place Plan for St Nicholas, including a more detailed four-year investment plan for the first phase of delivery.

Neighbourhood Board

Government guidance for the management and administration of the funding requires that delivery should be led through a Neighbourhood Board. The board will have at least eight members, with at least 51 per cent living or working within the neighbourhood and should reflect the demographics of St Nicholas. It will include the local MP and at least one ward councillor but will remain clearly community-led and will evolve to be independent of the local authority and central government. The council acts as the accountable body initially, with government expecting the St Nicholas board to move towards a community-led delivery model by year three.

Indicative timeline

Over the summer of 2026, the council will conduct high quality engagement events across the community including work to recruit the board members and understand what areas of investment the community wishes to see. The goal is for the board to be established by the end of August. The board will then work to submit its plan to central government in February 2027 on how the Pride in Place funds will be invested to benefit the community.

Early use of funding

The initial £150,000 payment will support the recruitment and launch of the board and early, high-quality community engagement. This can be used to:

• establish and run the board, 
• support resident and community engagement,
• develop the local Pride in Place Plan,
• secure technical advice,
• prepare schemes so they are ready to move quickly and deliver community-backed quick wins.

The early phase will be focused on building the local means of delivery, evidence base and engagement process properly, rather than rushing immediately to a fixed list of projects.

In practical terms, that early engagement phase could make use of accessible neighbourhood venues, helping residents to engage in familiar local settings.

Investment themes and examples

The range of activity the fund can support is deliberately broad, covering;

• regeneration, 
• high streets and heritage,
• green spaces and parks,
• community facilities and resilience,
• arts and culture,
• work, productivity and skills,
• health and wellbeing,
• cohesion and community power,
• safety and security,
• education and opportunity and
• digital infrastructure.

Government guidelines make clear that the programme can support a mix of physical, social and economic interventions.

On parks, play areas and green space, examples include;

• park and community garden improvements,
• better access to green spaces,
• tree planting, and
• in some cases, the creation of new green space.

In practice, the Pride in Place prospectus references Rossendale’s first four-year Pride in Place plan which includes park improvements and wider rights of way works.

On skills, employment and business support, the funds could offer;

•  support to help economically inactive residents into work,
• business support for entrepreneurs and social enterprises, and
• skills provision linked to local gaps.

It also specifically allows funding for equipment and facilities for training delivered by a skills provider or college linked to local employer need, which is particularly relevant to Stevenage.

On health, wellbeing and cohesion, the funding could support;

• community mental health hubs,
• social prescribing,
• healthy eating initiatives,
• preventative health support, and
• the co-location of services in accessible local buildings.

It also supports activity that brings people together through volunteering, mentoring, neighbourhood events and cultural exchange.

This could include youth provision for a broader age range, local skills and job training in partnership with North Hertfordshire College and others, improvements to play and community facilities, and wider neighbourhood enhancements linked to open space and recreation.

Residents of St Nicholas can submit their feedback for Pride in Place investment priorities in our council survey using the button below.

You can also email questions to the Pride in Place team at Stevenage Borough Council or visit the government’s What is Pride in Place page, where you can learn more. You can see case studies of how the funding has benefitted local communities on the government pages.

Applying to join the St Nicholas Neighbourhood Board

On the 17 June, we will hold an informal information session for those interested in the above positions to find out more and ask questions. This will be held at:

• St Nicholas Community Centre from 10am until 6pm.
• Closing date for all application will be midnight Sunday 28 June 2026.
• Shortlisting starts: 29-30th June.
• Interviews begin: week beginning 6 July.

Board Recruitment – voluntary positions

The chairperson will be responsible for forming the board. Once the chairperson has been appointed, an open recruitment process will take place for the board members.

The board will listen to the community, shape priorities for the area and decide how funding should be used.

If you would like to register your interest in joining the board, please contact the team on st.nicholas.pip@stevenage.gov.uk stating which board you are interested in and your contact details.

Programme timetable

June to July 2026 Recruitment of Neighbourhood Board members

August 2026 Board formed

June to Oct 2026 Community engagement to identify priorities and develop the Pride in Place plan

Feb 2027 Submission of the Pride in Place plan to central government