Asked by: Baroness Buscombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that direct funding allocated to the Pride in Place programme will support only legitimate high-street businesses.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has launched its flagship Pride in Place Programme, which will provide up to £20 million of flexible funding and support to 284 neighbourhoods over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities.
The Pride in Place Programme is community-led, with Neighbourhood Boards made up of local people deciding how funding is invested, supported by the local MP and the local authority. Neighbourhood Boards have the flexibility to invest in a wide range of activity where this reflects community priorities, including projects and interventions to support and revitalise local high streets.
Neighbourhood Boards must work with local people and the local authority to develop a Pride in Place Plan, setting out the community’s vision for change over the next decade. Neighbourhood Boards should engage the relevant accountable body to decide how best to manage project appraisals, due diligence, awards to organisations and contractual and payment arrangements.
The Government has put in place robust governance and assurance arrangements to safeguard public funds and ensure appropriate financial oversight across all Pride in Place neighbourhoods, with funding delivered through the relevant local authorities acting as the accountable bodies. Programme assurance follows a three lines of defence model, with the first line provided by local authority Chief Financial Officers, the second by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) through proportionate, risk-based checks, and the third by MHCLG’s independent auditors.
Asked by: Baroness Buscombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether neighbourhood boards appointed in local areas to oversee the Pride of Place programme will be required to (1) receive formal written applications for funding, (2) retain independent auditors to carry out financial checks to verify applicants' financial probity, and (3) audit all payments annually for a minimum of five years.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has launched its flagship Pride in Place Programme, which will provide up to £20 million of flexible funding and support to 284 neighbourhoods over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities.
The Government has put in place robust governance and assurance arrangements to safeguard public funds and ensure appropriate financial oversight across all Pride in Place neighbourhoods, with funding delivered through the relevant local authorities acting as the accountable bodies. Programme assurance follows a three lines of defence model, with the first line provided by local authority Chief Financial Officers, the second by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) through proportionate, risk-based checks, and the third by MHCLG’s independent auditors.
Neighbourhood Boards are community-led bodies responsible for shaping local priorities through the Pride in Place Plan, with financial accountability and assurance provided through local authorities acting as the accountable bodies and through MHCLG’s programme-level oversight. This includes the submission of expenditure profiles and forecasts to MHCLG, alongside ongoing monitoring and evaluation in line with published guidance.
MHCLG’s Communities Delivery Unit provides each neighbourhood with a named official to monitor delivery, support governance and escalate concerns where necessary.