Stockport locals can help decide Brinnington’s £20m fund

Residents in Brinnington are being invited to apply for seats on the Pride in Place Board that will help shape how a £20 million investment is used in the area.

Applications are open now and must be submitted by midday on Friday 26 June. Shortlisting is due to follow soon after, with appointments expected the following week and the first board meeting planned for early July.

The programme is intended to put local residents at the centre of decisions about future projects, priorities and spending in Brinnington. The council says the board will listen to residents first before setting out what the investment should support.

Applications close at midday on 26 June

The most immediate step for residents is the application deadline. Anyone in Brinnington who wants to help guide the Pride in Place programme must apply before midday on Friday 26 June.

The board is being set up to reflect the area’s residents, with the council encouraging people from different backgrounds to put themselves forward. The role is aimed at those with ideas for the area, local knowledge, community experience or a willingness to help shape decisions over the long term.

The first appointments are expected to be confirmed the week after shortlisting. Once the board is formed, its early work will focus on listening to residents and identifying what matters most locally.

Nicola Thompson appointed to chair the board

Lifelong Brinnington resident Nicola Thompson has been appointed chair of the Pride in Place Board. Her role will be to guide the process alongside residents and local partners.

Thompson said Brinnington is her home and that she wants local voices to lead the programme. She encouraged residents with ideas, energy or a passion for the area to apply and become involved.

Her appointment followed a selection process involving Stockport MP Navendu Mishra, Stockport Council Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Public Protection Cllr Dan Oliver, and Brinnington and Stockport Central ward member Cllr Christine Carrigan.

In a joint statement, Mishra, Oliver and Carrigan said Thompson’s lifelong connection to Brinnington meant she understood the community’s strengths and the opportunities ahead. They said the funding would only succeed if local people helped shape the programme and drove the ideas that mattered to them.

What the £20 million investment is for

Brinnington secured £20 million through the national Pride in Place programme earlier this year. The funding is being presented as a long-term investment in the area rather than a single short-term project.

The programme is expected to support community-led projects and activities that make a local difference. The council has also said the work will build on Brinnington’s strengths as a close-knit community with a strong tradition of local involvement.

Local decision-making is a central part of the scheme. Instead of priorities being set only by institutions, the board is expected to gather residents’ views and use them to guide the direction of the investment.

Stockport has pointed to learning from its wider regeneration work, including town centre regeneration, but the Brinnington programme is being framed around neighbourhood priorities. That means residents’ views on everyday needs, community spaces, local activities and long-term improvements are likely to shape the board’s early discussions.

For readers following similar funding programmes elsewhere, hiyastar.co.uk has also reported on another £20 million Pride in Place board appointment.

What residents can expect next

After applications close, the next stages are shortlisting, appointments and the first board meeting in early July. The council says there will then be regular opportunities for residents to engage with the programme, share ideas and influence decisions.

The first priority for the board will be listening. That stage is likely to determine which themes and projects move forward first, and how the £20 million investment is matched to Brinnington’s needs.

Residents who want to be part of the formal decision-making process need to apply before midday on Friday 26 June.

Source: Stockport Council