On Thursday evening we held the first meeting of the Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board for East Speke, chaired by Rev Phil Saltmarsh. This was a chance for the 22-person board to meet each other and to set out the next steps in this £20 million decade-long investment in East Speke. Alongside the board members we also have two young people from the Speke Venny Youth Panel who will contribute and advise the board.
This is money provided by the Labour government to forgotten, left-behind neighbourhoods following years of Tory underfunding. It’s once in a generation community-led funding unlike anything we’ve seen before.
The meeting was a great way to start the process of developing both a ten-year forward plan for the project and a shorter four-year plan for more immediate investment in projects that will help to improve the area and create more opportunities for local residents.
Board documentation will be submitted this week to incorporate the board proper and there is then a November deadline for the forward plans. 75% of the initial money is capital investment so over the summer the board will be engaging with the community on ideas for what the £20 million will be spent on over the next decade.