Work is well under way to put into action a once in a generation plan to reshape communities across Manchester.
Earlier this year Manchester City Council announced that it was going to benefit from the Pride in Place initiative – a scheme that would direct up to £20m each in funding to five Mancunian neighbourhoods.
To lead this project five community chairs were selected to represent their neighbourhoods, and become the living bridge between what residents wanted and how that was going to be delivered.
Over the summer a huge amount of community engagement has taken place across the city. This presented local people the chance to express what their priorities are, how they would like to see change implemented and how over the next ten years this £100m project will be shaped.
Visit this page to find out more about Pride in Place.
Whether it was money for more green space, better public amenities or cleaning up the neighbourhood the choice on how that money will be spent is and will remain within those neighbourhoods.
This summer the five people were recruited into the position of neighbourhood chairs – people who will be the link between their communities and the Council.
They are:
- Hassan Hassan, Moss Side West (parts of Moss Side and Whalley Range).
- Eamonn O’Neal, OBE, Benchill South & Wythenshawe Central
- Jo Sharples, Gorton South (parts of Longsight, Gorton, Abbey Hey and Levenshulme)
- Tom Woodcock, Harpurhey South and Monsall (parts of Harpurhey, Moston and Crumpsall)
- Andrew Wickens, Clayton Vale (parts of Clayton, Openshaw, Newton Heath and Miles Platting)
Each of our neighbourhood chairs have their own long standing and personal ties to the communities which they now represent. We spoke with them to understand why they decided to put their name forward, and take on this important responsibility.
Eamonn said: “This is a unique opportunity for the people in Benchill and Wythenshawe to decide how this money is spent. It’s not happened before and we’re not sure if it will happen again.
“I wanted to be someone who can help the community decide what they want and how we can push it through.
“It’s both an honour and a huge responsibility to take on this position and I don’t do it lightly. What I want to do is the best job I can for the people who make this community special.”
Hassan added: “This for me is a once in a generation opportunity for the local people. For me to be able to facilitate their voice and deliver an outcome that they are looking for, rather than things being top down, is a beautiful opportunity.
“It’s one that we cannot afford to miss.
“We’re still in the early days of this scheme but I want people to know that I will be a champion for your causes and that my door is always open for people who want to get the best result for Moss Side.”
Councillor Garry Bridges, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “The roll out of Pride in Place is nothing short of a seismic shift in how we prioritise and uplift our communities.
“Under previous governments we did feel a sense that some areas were at risk of being left behind – Pride in Place now looks to change that.
“By investing £20m across five neighbourhoods over the coming 10 years we regard this as a game changer and we want our local residents to feel empowered by what is yet to come. We have an incredible cohort of neighbourhood chairs whose expertise will be key in this project being delivered and I want them to know the Council is committed entirely to their success.”