Issue - decisions

1.

Title of Item/Report

Pride in Place - Central Stockton and Portrack - Update

2.

Record of the Decision

Consideration was given to a report on Pride in Place - Central Stockton and Portrack.

In the summer of 2025 Central Stockton and Portrack was announced by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) as one of 284 communities across the country to be part of the Pride in Place (PiP) Programme.  The report updated Cabinet on the work undertaken to date and details the next stages of the development of the programme. 

PiP a new Govt funding programme aimed at putting power into the hands of local people to shape their communities. Central Stockton and Portrack was one of 284 PiP neighbourhoods across the country. The Programme would provide access to £19.6M (over 10 years) to spend on projects that would make a real difference to local people and the neighbourhood. The programme was intended to be flexible, supportive, community led and have a focus on long-term sustainability.

A requirement of PiP funding was the need to establish a Neighbourhood Board which would be responsible for producing a 10-year vision for their place, supported by interventions which were set out in a Regeneration Plan. The Council were the accountable body for the programme. To achieve the strategic objectives of the programme, the Board would need to consider the 3 overarching PiP aims:

•         Stronger communities

•         Thriving communities

•         Communities taking back control

MHCLG guidance stipulated the need for the programme to be driven by the Board and that the Board must be drawn from those who predominantly live and work in the neighbourhood and should also include the local ward councillors and MP.

An initial step for the programme was to appoint a Chair of the Board, through an open and competitive process. This opportunity was advertised through the Council’s social media channels and partnership networks and newsletters throughout March 2026. The selection process, carried out by the Council and Chris McDonald MP was almost complete and would be shared on the PiP pages of the Council website and through the Council’s communication channels shortly. The Chair, supported by the Council would then be responsible for appointing and convening the remaining board members by the end of July 2026.  The programme allowed for board members to claim reasonable expenses, to ensure that all members of the community could become board members and have access to attend meetings.

Ipsos had been commissioned by MHCLG to pilot a range of consultation techniques.  Working with 20 local authorities with PiP neighbourhoods this would form part of a PiP Local Authority good practice engagement toolkit. SBC was one of these authorities.  Working with Ipsos launched the PiP consultation with sessions with year 5 primary school pupils within the Central Stockton and Portrack neighbourhood.  The Council heard enthusiastically about what these young people loved about living in Stockton and what they want their local area to look like in 10 years’ time.

To ensure the Council adheres to critical MHCLG submission deadlines a programme of next steps and deadlines had been developed and was included at Appendix 1 of the report.  This programme set out the plan for engagement and board recruitment over the spring, and the MHCLG deadlines in July for submission of the details of all board members and November for submission of the Neighbourhood’s 4-year Investment Plan and 10-year Regeneration Plan.

Members noted that a further report would be presented to Cabinet before the 28th November 2026 MHCLG deadline; updating Cabinet on the key themes identified following the conclusion of this consultation and engagement phase, how these key themes had shaped the development of proposed priorities and to seek approval for the draft 4-year Investment Plan and 10-Year Regeneration Plan.  The report would also provide further detail and seek agreement on the role of the Council as accountable body and secretariate and provide detail on the proposed programme and governance support requirements.

As noted above a key focus for the programme over the next few months was to undertake an extensive community engagement and consultation programme, to understand what was important to the people who live and work in the neighbourhood. A programme had been designed which built on the existing relationships with stakeholders and partners. Residents had already shared their views on issues such as, the use and development of Tilery park, crime and antisocial behaviour in the town centre and the Stockton and North Thornaby Blueprint. These previous engagement exercises were being used as the foundation for the next stages of consultation, building on what our communities had already shared.

Since January of this year work had been ongoing to raise awareness of the programme amongst the public, business and community sector partners. These groups had helped to raise awareness of the programme and helped to share information about the recruitment of the board chair.

It was important that the Council heard the views and priorities of all sectors of the community, including businesses, young people, minority ethnic populations, and communities of interest and those that do not normally engage with public consultation The programme was designed to include a range of consultation techniques, and be delivered collaboratively with community partners. Two-way communication was critical throughout the programme, this would involve a ‘listen and check back-in’ approach, as well as consultation networks which would contribute to shaping the work programmes for each of the priority areas identified. The engagement programme and results would form part of the submission to MHCLG.

As the programme developed links would be created with the work of wider SBC projects (such as the Neighbourhood Health Pilot for example) and partners. Feedback from all consultees would be shared to ensure that the voice of residents, businesses and customers was used to shape future service design, avoid duplication and priorities issues that were important to residents

RESOLVED that the contents of the report be noted, including the progress towards appointment of a Chair of the Neighbourhood Board and the timetable outlined in paragraph 6 of the report and in Appendix 1.

3.

Reasons for the Decision

The Pride in Place Programme is a ‘hyper local’ community-led government funding programme.  The ethos of PiP aligns with The Stockton-on-Tees Plan and Powering Our Future programme by placing residents at the heart of the work we do, by bringing people together to build stronger, more resilient communities and to create thriving places. Cabinet are asked to note the proposed next steps to enable the council to comply with MHCLG Programme timelines. 

4.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

None

5.

Declared (Cabinet Member) Conflicts of Interest

None

6.

Details of any Dispensations

None

7.

Date and Time by which Call In must be executed

N/A for noting only