The chair of a board who will decide how a £20 million investment is to be spent in the West End of Morecambe had been announced.
£2m of funding for each of the next 10 years has been secured for efforts to regenerate the area, as part of the government's Pride in Place programme.
Helen Bingley OBE has been announced as the chair of the West End Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board, bringing experienced leadership to the programme as it seeks to appoint a locally representative membership to the Board.
The Neighbourhood Board will decide how £20m should be spent in the West End over the next ten years and the money must be spent in full collaboration with the community, meeting their priorities for restoring pride in the area.
The board will be led by an independent chair, allocating funding but only after consultation with local people so that community groups, local organisations and social clubs are included in decisions on how the money should be spent.
Ideas could range from upgrading parks and play areas, to health projects, fixing up empty buildings, supporting the high street, or creating new community spaces.
Helen, who lived on Westminster Road and Clarendon Road in the West End, has worked alongside the community in Morecambe on projects such as Morecambe Bay Poverty Truth Commission and most recently was involved in numerous projects and represented the area as High Sheriff for Lancashire.
She brings years of experience in community collaboration and engagement as well as lived experience of the West End of Morecambe.
Upon the news of her appointment Mrs Bingley said: “I am deeply honoured to accept the position of Independent Chair of West End Pride in Place.
“At a young age, I lived and worked in the West End of Morecambe and, as part of a large extended family, we have all lived throughout the district for generations. I have seen the journey that the West End has travelled and I have always been keen to seek opportunities to support the development of this and other areas of Morecambe.
“The Pride in Place Programme is a 10-year communities programme intended to empower local people to shape the future of their neighbourhood. No one knows the priorities of the West End of Morecambe better than the people who live there and this long-term funding will support this community to shape their ‘place’.
“Supported by Mark Davies, CEO of Lancaster City Council and Morecambe MP Lizzi Collinge, I am leading the recruitment process for the Board structure which will bring together residents, local businesses, grassroots campaigners, workplace representatives, faith, and community leaders and those with a deep connection to this area.
‘’We will ensure that more residents and people who live or work in the area are on the Board than elected representatives.”
“This is a unique opportunity for the people living within the boundary of the West End Pride in Place Programme to get involved to influence how this £20 million will result in much needed improvements.
‘’I am totally committed to supporting the people who live in the area of West End Pride in Place to use these funds to improve their ‘place’.”
Lizzi Collinge, the Labour MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, first announced the news of £20m coming to the West End in September last year.
She said “I have absolute faith that Helen is the right person for this job. She’s a local woman who has spent lots of time in and around the West End of Morecambe and her vast experience and skills will give the Board really professional leadership.
‘’I am confident that she will make sure the community is engaged and consulted on where this money should go at every stage of the programme and that she will ensure value for money, both of which are key priorities for me as the MP.”
CEO of Lancaster City Council Mark Davies added: “The independent chair is key to the success of the outcomes of this programme. The chair will act as a champion for the place and local people, organising engagement that reaches out into the community, to ensure decision-making is community-led.
‘’Helen has a proven success record, an outcome focussed approach, an understanding of our local communities, and most importantly has a people first approach always showing empathy, humility and respect.”
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