A significant funding boost of £20 million is coming to Croydon West.

The area surrounding Croydon University Hospital (spanning parts of West Thornton, Selhurst, Broad Green and Bensham Manor) will receive up to £20 million from the Government over the next decade as part of the long-term Pride in Place programme. This is designed to put local people at the heart of neighbourhood renewal.

It follows continued campaigning from Croydon West MP Sarah Jones, who has been pushing hard for more investment in the area. It’s part of the Government’s wider £5 billion Pride in Place plan, which promises to give communities new powers and resources to shape their own futures.

Critical to this investment is that it will be local people who decide how it is spent. Led by a chair supported by both the local authority and constituency MP Sarah Jones, a new Neighbourhood Board will soon represent local residents.

Neighbourhood Boards will co-create a Pride in Place Plan, together with their community, setting out how up to £20 million will be spent over the course of a decade. It’s up to the Board – alongside the local MP and council – to decide what’s in the Plan, but they must be able to show that it’s a genuine reflection of what local residents want.

Local MP Sarah Jones has already launched a survey for residents to outline what they believe the community needs, which can be filled in here https://survey.labour.org.uk/preview/rl9euaubalskqemhojfsbzshd.

The announcement is the latest in a series of major investments the Labour government has unveiled in Croydon. There’s been more visible investment through Labour’s Pride in Place fund: £1.5 million borough-wide and £20 million for New Addington, regenerating high streets, improving green spaces and supporting businesses.

Croydon also received a record £158 million through the Fair Funding allocation – a 37% increase in cash terms over this Parliament. That’s funding for crucial services, support for families and investment in Croydon’s future.

Pride in Place is part of the government’s Plan for Change – a decade-long mission to back the people who make their communities thrive. It sits alongside wider work to deliver cleaner, safer streets, create opportunities on every doorstep, and build the homes, roads and GP surgeries people need to thrive.

Sarah Jones, MP for Croydon West said:

“I’ve been fighting hard to secure long-term investment for communities like ours through Labour’s Pride in Place programme.

“I am delighted that after years of being overlooked, the Labour government has listened – and delivered. Through the Pride in Place Programme, I have secured £20 million of long-term funding for the neighbourhood surrounding Croydon University Hospital, spread over the next ten years.

“That means £2 million every year dedicated to improving our community.

“The input of the local community is vital – it’s your neighbourhood, your plan. I’d encourage residents to fill out my survey so we can help ensure this money is spent on what’s most important to the community.”

Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government 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 unlock opportunities across the country.”