Government announces over £300m investment for High streets and children play spaces improvements

A £319 million investment has been announced as part of the Pride in Place strategy.

to restore pride and opportunity in neighbourhoods across the country.

The investment is delivered through four clear strands:

-High streets reinvigorated: A £301 million commitment to High Streets Innovation Partnerships will support local communities to reimagine and revive struggling high streets and make them fit for the future.

-Safe places for children to play: A further £18 million will be spent ensuring children in 66 of the most deprived communities have quality play spaces, with cash earmarked to buy new or upgrade playgrounds across the country from Tyneside to Torquay.

-Local progress accelerated:Plans are also moving forward for areas in the first phase of Pride in Place, providing communities £20 million over 10 years to spend on what matters most to them and kickstarting a wave of regeneration across the country.

-Tearing up the rulebook on public spending:Five projects will test a new initiative to get local agencies such as councils, the NHS and schools to pool their cash and work together instead of operating in silos.

The projects will tackle the SEND challenge in Liverpool, prevent youth offending in the North East, support teenagers struggling with their mental health in the Black Country, help adults facing multiple disadvantage in Doncaster, and get young people into work in West Yorkshire.

Communities Secretary Steve Reed said:

"People have watched their communities decline for too long, with little say over how they're run. This government is determined to change that — giving communities the tools, the funding and the power they need to rebuild.

"From new playgrounds to reimagined high streets, we're putting power back in people's hands. People across the country will see and feel the difference this investment makes, restoring pride in local areas."