Barrow set to receive £20 million in funding
That's as part of the government’s Pride in Place Programme
Last updated 4th Oct 2025
A Barrow neighbourhood is set to receive £20 million over the next decade as part of the government’s Pride in Place Programme (PiPP).
Central government has announced phase two funding of PiPP. In this second phase 169 neighbourhoods across Great Britian have been earmarked to receive £2m in funding a year for 10 years.
The only place in Westmorland and Furness to receive funds is Barrow Central.
As previously reported by the Local Democracy Service, Barrow-in-Furness is the most deprived area in the county, with Barrow Central in particular being especially deprived.
According to the government website, PiPP’s aim is to “build strong, resilient and integrated communities”.
PiPP will also give communities new powers to “seize boarded-up shops, block nuisance businesses, and buy beloved local assets before they close.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “For too long, people have watched their towns and streets decline – powerless to stop boarded-up shops and neglected parks. That ends now.
“This is a huge investment, but what matters most is who decides how it’s spent: the neighbours, volunteers and parents who know their communities best – the people with real skin in the game. “
According to the government’s website, the distribution of phase 2 funding was decided according to three criteria.
The first criterion is “focus on need”. A composite measure of deprivation and community need, using the Index of Multiple Deprivation and Community Needs Index, to identify “areas with the poorest social and economic outcomes and create a single index of need.”
The most deprived areas were selected for PiPP funding.
The website reads: “Deprivation refers to a lack of material resource and access to opportunities, while community need captures challenges such as poor access to services, limited community infrastructure, and low civic participation.
The next criterion was the exclusion of PiPP phase 1 areas. Phase 2 exclusively targets areas that missed out first phase funding.
Westmorland and Furness received no funding during the initial phase of the programme.
The final criterion was geographic spread. This was done so all nations in the Britain received some level of funding.