Local people in New Normanton will be asked how to spend £20million in government funding to improve their community, following the appointment of a new Board and independent chair to lead on the investment.
Mike Ainsley has been chosen to chair the area’s Pride in Place Board, which will set out local priorities and oversee delivery, driving the changes that residents want to happen in their community, with their input.
The Board also includes local residents, community organisations, businesses, public sector partners, and Derby South MP Baggy Shanker.
A retired comprehensive school teacher, Mike has a longstanding commitment to improving communities and working with residents to address local priorities. He spent 15 years on the board of Derwent Living, and joined the Derby Homes Board in 2011, serving as Chair from 2014 to 2023. He is Chair of Derby Jazz and has an active interest in local community organisations, including the Friends of Normanton Park.
The funding from the Pride in Place programme will support long-term regeneration in New Normanton – an area covering parts of Normanton, Arboretum and Abbey – over a period of 10 years.
The scheme aims to improve everyday life for residents by investing in local priorities such as community facilities, public spaces, opportunities for young people, and initiatives that strengthen pride and connection. As part of the initial launch of the scheme, people living in the area will be consulted for their ideas and feedback, to help shape the programme’s vision and priorities.
This follows a similar investment in Chaddesden West, where a board was put together earlier this year to begin setting out priorities for that area. In total, around 400 communities around the UK have been selected to receive this funding to revitalise their neighbourhoods.
Councillor Sarah Chambers, Cabinet Member for Communities, Equalities and Public Safety, said:
Pride in Place is about making people feel connected to the place where they live, and that they can help make things happen to improve the quality of their lives and their children’s futures. This Government funding is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
Mike Ainsley said:
As a resident of the Normanton area, I'm proud to have been appointed as Chair of the Pride in Place Board. I look forward to working with other residents, local groups, businesses and others to make a real difference to this area.
Together we can establish a shared vision and key priorities to bring about sustained change so that we can all say, ‘We are Proud of Normanton’.
Baggy Shanker MP added:
We all look around our local area and spot things that need attention. With £20 million in Pride in Place funding from the Government, we can now crack on and make those improvements.
Residents know what works, what is missing and where the money could have the greatest impact. That’s why the Government is not only providing the funding but also putting the power to decide how it is spent where it belongs: in the hands of local people.
I’m looking forward to hearing people’s ideas and turning them into changes we can all see and enjoy in our everyday lives.
The Board will now begin the next phase of its work, engaging with residents and stakeholders, before drawing up a medium-term investment plan which will be submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government for review in winter 2026/27.