THURROCK Council, which recently announced it plans to sell off its shopping parades and retail sites, is set to get £1.5 million to invest in community spaces.

Thurrock is set to receive the money to boost regeneration and invest in community spaces, as part of government plans to restore pride in local areas.

The government has announced up to £5bn of investment for 339 "overlooked" communities across the UK to spend on boosting high streets, parks and public spaces.

The government says funding for Thurrock Council, through Labour's 'Pride in Place' programme, can be spent in new and creative ways on a range of community projects.

The investment will see 169 areas get £2m every year for a decade, while a further 95 places will get a one-off payment of £1.5m.

Thurrock's allocation is among the lesser commitments, Basildon - for example - has been promised £20m of the cash (£2m every year for a decade) which is to be dedicated to 'saving treasured pubs or libraries, creating and restoring green spaces, or cleaning up neighbourhoods'. 

The government says it will also deliver new powers for communities to take control over how the money is spent.

Funding will only be approved if local community groups, voluntary organisations, and social clubs have had a say in the decision-making process.

The government says this means 'it will be in the hands of people in Thurrock to decide how to improve the area: whether by investing in new facilities, saving at-risk community spaces, or cleaning up the streets through tackling graffiti and flytipping'.

The 'Pride in Place' programme is supported by significant new powers, including 'Community Right to Buy' – which gives Thurrock residents the power to use funding acquire struggling pubs, create new parks, and regenerate community spaces.

The £1.5 million of funding for Thurrock will be delivered over two years, to enable immediate work on improving places and spaces valued by communities.

Thurrock MP Jen Craft, said: "This funding is a real opportunity for people in Thurrock to take control over improving our area.

"As local residents, we know what our area needs and this investment is a chance to make that happen.

 "Having grown up in Thurrock, I've seen community spaces put at risk of closure, pubs and shops shut on our high streets, and town centres deteriorate. 

"This scheme allows us to begin reversing some of that decline, to restore pride in our area and make Thurrock an even better place to call home."

Council leader Lynn Worrall said: "This investment is a welcome news for Thurrock, giving local communities the chance to shape improvements in our high streets and town centres.

"The funding will be an important boost to the Council's ongoing work to invest and support the spaces and facilities that matter most to our residents.

"I look forward to working with local organisations and community groups to use this investment to make a difference to our area".

Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, said: "When people step out of their front doors, they know their communities are struggling. They see shuttered pubs, fading high streets and their local areas in decline. 

"Yes, communities have been stretched – but they haven't given up. They're working hard to make things better, and we're backing them. 

"The Government is putting power into their hands, so local people decide how best to restore pride in their neighbourhoods, not us in Westminster. 

"That's what real patriotism looks like: building up our communities and choosing renewal over division."