£40 million for Twerton and Hartcliffe

The government has announced some £40 million of investment into Twerton and Hartcliffe, within 24 hours of the West publishing our new ten-year Growth Strategy,

Those Bath and Bristol neighbourhoods will each receive up to £2 million a year for the next decade, through the national Pride in Place programme, with local people set to decide how the funding is invested to shape their future.

Yesterday, the Mayor and council leaders shared the new regional Growth Strategy, which aims to grow the economy by 28% over the coming decade – creating 72,000 new jobs.

This new government investment sits alongside giving communities new powers to seize boarded-up shops, block nuisance businesses, and buy beloved local assets before they close.

The announcement includes the Trailblazer area investment confirmed in the Spending Review, when the Hartcliffe funding was first announced and welcomed by the Mayor and council leaders alongside wider record investment in the region.

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said:

“Launching our new ten-year Growth Strategy on Wednesday, I talked about the need for investment to deliver real change that local people can see and feel in their communities – particularly in places that have been overlooked in the past.

“Today’s government announcement of some £20 million for Twerton, on top of the £20 million for Hartcliffe, over the coming decade shows that they, like us, are serious about making that happen here in the West of England.

“Local people here in Bath and Bristol will be able to have their say on how to invest this £40 million funding as part of a decade of national renewal, and I can’t wait to see the difference it makes.”

Announcing the news, 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. 

“We’re investing in the UK’s future, by backing the true patriots that build our communities up in neighbourhoods across every corner of the country. Because it’s people who bring pride, hope and life to our communities.

“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.

“We’re choosing renewal over decline, unity over division. This is our Plan for Change in action – giving power and pride back to the people who make Britain great.”

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed said: 

“Building pride in place starts with people, not politics. Local people know what they want to see in their neighbourhoods – and they don’t need government to dictate it. 

“This plan will spark an historic grassroots movement that will restore local people’s power, boost national pride and help people get on in life across the UK as part of our Plan for Change.”

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves said: 

"We’re giving local people the power to transform their hometowns. Giving them more control of how money is spent where they live so that together we can invest in Britain’s renewal and build an economy that rewards working people.

“This £5 billion investment doesn't just reverse decades of underinvestment in our public infrastructure – it cuts through the bureaucracy by giving local people the power to deliver the change they want to see."