'Left behind' city area gets £20m investment

MP Judith Cummins, pictured at the Valley Project in Holme Wood, welcomed the investment

A £20m investment in a Bradford community that has been "left behind for too long" has been welcomed.

The government Pride in Place funding will see £2m allocated to the Holme Wood area each year for the next decade.

Local people will decide how the funding will be spent, with a focus on local jobs, community facilities, green spaces, and measures to make the area "safer and stronger", the government said.

Labour's Bradford South MP Judith Cummins described the investment as "once in a generation".

The Pride of Place scheme will see more than 140 areas across the UK given funding to allow residents to have a wider say in their area's regeneration, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The funding will be held by Bradford Council, but an independent board that will include Cummins, local people and community groups will be responsible for the running of the fund and deciding how the money is spent.

After Thursday's funding announcement, Cummins said: "Holme Wood is full of good people with the right ideas to improve their neighbourhood - local people know their area best.

"This money will help to build pride and belief in our community."

The funding will see £2m allocated to the Holme Wood area each year for the next decade

She added: "It's a once in a generation investment in Holme Wood and has the potential to change thousands of lives."

Matt Edwards, who represents the Tong ward for the Green Party on Bradford Council, said: "Any serious investment in Holme Wood is welcome.

"For too long the community has been left behind by government after government, and residents have paid the price."

Councillor Ursula Sutcliffe, a Holme Wood resident and trustee of Holme Wood Community Association, said her organisation is "doing what we can to tackle the notorious grot spots that drag the area down".

"I hope the MP will work constructively with councillors and with all community groups so residents lead the decisions and we see visible improvements on every street," she said.

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