THURROCK MP Jen Craft has announced securement of £20 million of new funding for Tilbury, through the government's landmark Pride in Place Programme.

The area will receive £2m every year over the next decade, with decisions around funding placed into the hands of local people.

Through the creation of a Neighbourhood Board, residents will have the power to decide how the investment is used in Tilbury. 

The money can be spent flexibly to deliver renewal across the community, such as reviving high streets, restoring parks, making streets cleaner and safer, or breathing new life into derelict and abandoned buildings. 

Having campaigned for Tilbury's inclusion in the scheme, Mrs Craft said the funding represented a fantastic opportunity to "deliver lasting improvements for Tilbury and the people who live there".

Tilbury is one of 339 areas that will benefit from the £5bn scheme, which aims to restore pride in some of the country's most deprived communities.

It comes alongside new powers from the government, which will allow communities to seize boarded-up shops, block nuisance businesses, and buy beloved local assets before they close.

 Mrs Craft said: "This investment will be a gamechanger for Tilbury.

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"Previous funding schemes have often not reflected the needs of the community, who have felt shut out of the decision-making process.

 "Labour's Pride in Place Programme sets that right, by putting power in the hands of local residents to decide how the money is spent.

 "This is a fantastic opportunity to deliver lasting improvements for Tilbury and the people who live there, and I'm determined to make that happen.

 Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed 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 improve lives across the UK."