Corby estates get chair for £20m regeneration fund

By the hiyastar.co.uk editorial desk

£20 million is now attached to a named local leadership post in Corby, after lifelong resident Alex Bonner was chosen to chair the Kingswood, Hazel Leys and Exeter Neighbourhood Board.

The board will oversee the Government’s Pride in Place programme across the three estates, shaping a 10-year regeneration plan and deciding which local priorities should be funded. The money has not yet been allocated to specific projects, and the wider board membership has still to be selected.

Bonner’s appointment is the first public step in turning the national funding award into a local programme. For residents in Kingswood, Hazel Leys and Exeter, the next phase will decide who sits around the table, how people are consulted, and what kind of improvements make it into the long-term plan.

£20 million over 10 years for three Corby estates

The Pride in Place programme will bring £20 million of investment to Kingswood, Hazel Leys and Exeter over the next decade. The funding is intended to support a shared vision for the area rather than a single short-term project.

That means the Neighbourhood Board will need to identify local priorities before spending decisions are made. The source announcement says the regeneration plan will determine how the funding is used, with residents, community representatives, businesses, councillors, the local MP and partner organisations expected to be part of the process.

The size of the fund gives the board room to think beyond isolated repairs or one-off grants. It also raises the importance of governance: choices made early in the programme could shape which streets, services, facilities or community projects receive attention first.

Similar Pride in Place schemes are also running in Avondale Grange in Kettering and Queensway in Wellingborough. hiyastar.co.uk has also reported on the Queensway neighbourhood board appointment and another £20 million community fund process, showing how these programmes often begin with local board recruitment before detailed projects are confirmed.

Alex Bonner brings school and estate roots to the role

Alex Bonner was born and raised in Corby and has lived on the Exeter estate for 24 years. She has worked with young people for more than three decades, including 17 years at Kingswood Secondary Academy.

She currently teaches English at the academy and sits on its senior leadership team. That background places her close to one of the communities covered by the programme and gives the chair a long record of working with families and young people in the town.

The chair role is not simply ceremonial. According to the council announcement, the chair will convene and oversee the board, help lead transparent governance, support community engagement and work on the 10-year Pride in Place vision and regeneration plan.

The position was open to people who live or work in North Northamptonshire and have strong links to Kingswood, Hazel Leys and Exeter. Bonner’s appointment now gives the programme a public lead before the rest of the board is formed.

Three local effects to watch

• The first spending decisions have not yet been announced, so residents should expect consultation and planning before visible projects appear.
• Board membership will matter because it will influence which community voices are represented during the regeneration plan.
• The programme is designed for a 10-year period, so early governance rules and priorities could affect the area well beyond the first round of funding.

Board membership is the next decision point

No final decision has been made on the remainder of the Kingswood, Hazel Leys and Exeter Neighbourhood Board. The next step is for Bonner, as chair, to select fellow members.

That process will be closely watched locally because the board is expected to bring together political, community, business and resident voices. The stronger the local representation, the more clearly the regeneration plan can reflect everyday issues across the three estates.

The programme also carries a legacy requirement. The chair’s responsibilities include helping ensure that work carried out under Pride in Place leaves something durable after the 10-year funding period ends.

For now, the confirmed facts are narrower than the funding figure may suggest: Corby has a chair, three named neighbourhoods are in scope, £20 million is assigned over 10 years, and the detailed plan for spending it has still to be written.

Source: North Northamptonshire Council