Residents quizzed on how £20m should be spent

Residents in an area of the city are being asked by Derby City Council how to spend £20 million in government funding to improve their community.

People in New Normanton are being asked how the Pride in Place cash should be spent following the appointment of a new board and independent chair to lead on the investment.

Retired comprehensive school teacher Mike Ainsley has been chosen to chair the area’s Pride in Place Board, which will set out local priorities and oversee delivery, driving the changes that residents want to happen in their community, with their input.

The board also includes local residents, community organisations, businesses, public sector partners, and Derby South MP Baggy Shanker.

The funding from the Pride in Place programme will support long-term regeneration in New Normanton – an area covering parts of Normanton, Arboretum and Abbey – over a period of 10 years.

It follows a similar investment in Chaddesden West, where a board was put together earlier this year – chaired by Ryan Duckett, chief executive of Derbyshire County Cricket Club – to begin setting out priorities for that area.

Councillor Sarah Chambers, the city council’s cabinet member for communities, equalities and public safety, said: “Pride in Place is about making people feel connected to the place where they live, and that they can help make things happen to improve the quality of their lives and their children’s futures.”