Residents asked to shape spending priorities
Pride in Place Corby will direct £20 million toward improving life on the four historically neglected estates. Bonner said the award amounts to £2 million a year for 10 years and emphasized that residents should help decide how it is used.
"It's about community engagement. It's about getting involved where they want the money to go to and it's giving our community a voice," she said.
The consultation began at Saturday's free family fun day at Kingswood Secondary Academy, where residents were invited to put their ideas into questionnaires. Bonner identified health, education and community as the three main areas of focus, saying they are closely connected.
She said the project needs to reflect both residents' current wishes and their changing needs over the coming decade, with an emphasis on improvements that can last.
Who is on the board
Bonner teaches English at Kingswood Secondary Academy. A lifelong Corby resident, she has lived on the Exeter estate for 24 years and has said young people and schools would be "the driving force" of the project, according to BBC News.
Joining her on the board are Denis Muit; Faye Harris of Hope Church; Cullen O'Neill; Jade McGrath; North Northamptonshire Council councilor Helen Campbell; Alex Locke; Lynn Johnson; Sgt. Greg McClean of Northants Police; Corby MP Lee Barron; Katie Pike; and Andrew McMichael. Bonner welcomed the 12-member team and said it would meet to discuss the findings from community engagement.
The membership sits within national rules requiring Neighbourhood Boards to be resident-led. More than half of each board's members must live or work in the neighborhood, and its membership must include the local MP and at least one ward councilor.
Residents seeking more information can email chair@prideincorby.org.uk or call or text 07483 454529.
Local funding within a UK-wide program
The UK government says its Pride in Place Programme has up to £5.8 billion available over 10 years for 284 communities, with each selected place receiving up to £20 million over that period. The government prospectus includes Corby's Kingswood, Hazel Leys and Exeter neighborhood among those places.
Two other North Northamptonshire neighborhoods are also receiving funding: Avondale Grange in Kettering and Queensway in Wellingborough. Each is allocated up to £20 million over 10 years, according to North Northamptonshire Council.
Pride in Place builds on the earlier Plan for Neighbourhoods program, adding 209 of the UK's most in-need neighborhoods. Its second phase targets smaller areas with populations of around 10,000.
Plan due in November
As a phase 2 participant, Corby's Neighbourhood Board must send its Pride in Place Plan to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government by November 30, 2026. The ministry will assess the plan and consider it for approval.
The first delivery payment is expected in spring 2027, marking the start of the delivery phase.
