City has bright future, says housing minister

Peterborough has a "bright future" with significant untapped potential, Housing Secretary Steve Reed said while in the city to highlight a regeneration initiative.

Reed spoke to the BBC on Friday during a visit to Brookside Methodist Church in Gunthorpe, where he discussed the government's Pride in Place programme.

Under the scheme, two areas in the city - Paston, Gunthorpe and Welland, and Orton Malborne and Orton Goldhay - will receive up to £20m over 10 years to improve their communities.

Reed called it "a transformational amount of money", adding that the initiative "identifies up to 300 of the poorest communities in the country, and two of them here in Peterborough".

During his visit, Reed met with residents and community leaders, including Jonathan Jelley and Ejaz Moghul, who will chair the neighbourhood boards that will oversee the two projects.

He said: "Really the sky is the limit - it's up to local people to choose what they want to do and the difference they want to make.

"I know people don't feel the difference yet, but that money is coming and local people are having a bigger say - this is Peterborough's big moment.

"I think Peterborough has an amazing future. It's well located - only a 45-minute train journey from London. There's a lot of investment that could come into Peterborough."

Labour MP Andrew Pakes described the Pride in Place investment, which was announced in September, as "a game changer" for the city's most deprived areas, adding that funding would start arriving from January.

Shabina Qayyum, a Labour councillor and leader of Peterborough City Council, said: "As a council, we are making sure we firm up the governance process around how we release those funds, but we've got to do that at pace so people can see visible, effective change in their communities."

Jelley said: "People want change. The key is building trust by properly listening and putting the community first.

"We're still in the early stages - putting structures and governance in place and building our neighbourhood boards ahead of key milestones in July and November.

"But I'm really encouraged by how engaged residents already are."

Paul Bristow, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Conservative mayor, said he welcomed the investment.

"There is no doubt that investment is needed in these areas of Peterborough, but we need to make sure the money and opportunity is used effectively," he said.

"I will be looking carefully at the plans, to make sure the proposals have a clear objective, to ensure that this funding has a lasting impact for the future of the city," he added.

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