Board set to decide how £20m is spent in city
BBCA board made up of residents and stakeholders will be set up to decide how £20m will be spent in Worcester, Worcester City Council has revealed.
It comes after the Warndon West area of the city was selected to take part in the Government's Pride in Place programme.
In September, the government announced up to £5bn of investment had been made available for 339 "overlooked" communities across the UK, to spend on boosting high streets, parks and public spaces.
Wyre Forest District Council has also announced it has plans to create a similar board for Kidderminster.
The board for Warndon West, discussions over which are due to start on 10 February, will decide how the £20m is spent over a 10-year period.
'Incredible opportunity'
The MP for Worcester, Tom Collins, will sit on the board to act as a champion and enabler of the local community.
"Pride in Place is about putting power in the hands of local people to shape where they live," he said.
"Anyone who lives in Warndon knows that in lots of ways the area has been left behind.
"This is about changing that for good, by putting money and power in the hands of local people."
Councillor Lynn Denham, city council leader, described the Pride in Place programme as an "incredible opportunity to give the people of Warndon West".
"It is the people of the area that will make the decisions about where and how up to £20m will be spent to improve their lives and their prospects for the future," she explained.
'Transform our neighbourhoods'
The board will be set up by June and will consist of at least eight members who all live or work in Warndon West.
A Kidderminster council spokesperson said the board that a resident can lead was "a once-in-a-generation opportunity".
"[It will] make a lasting difference in Birchen Coppice, Rifle Range, Foley Park and Silverwoods," they said.
"As chair, you'll bring residents, businesses and community leaders together to decide how funding transforms our neighbourhoods."
The deadline to apply has been set for 7 March with interviews for the chair set to take place on 31 March.
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