Greenlands has been selected as part of the Pride in Place programme, alongside parts of Woodrow, bringing the possibility of long term investment into our community.
This is not a small announcement. The programme is designed to invest up to £20 million over 10 years in selected neighbourhoods, with the aim of improving places that have too often felt overlooked, underfunded or left behind.
As the ward councillor for Greenlands and Lakeside, I welcome any serious investment into our area. However, I also want to be very clear: this must not become another top down exercise where decisions are made in meeting rooms and residents are told afterwards what is happening.
The whole point of Pride in Place is that local people should shape the future of their own neighbourhood. That means residents, community groups, local businesses, volunteers, schools, faith groups and people who actually live and work here must have a meaningful voice from the beginning.
For me, the priorities are simple. We need to listen first.
Residents know where the problems are. They know which open spaces feel neglected. They know where litter builds up, where anti social behaviour causes concern, where footpaths need attention, where community facilities could be better used and where small improvements would make a big difference to everyday life.
This funding should not just be about large projects. It should also be about practical, visible change: cleaner streets, safer spaces, better facilities, improved community pride and support for the groups already doing good work on the ground.
The programme will be overseen by a Neighbourhood Board, including local voices, and the first stage includes the recruitment of an independent Chair. It is important that this process is transparent, representative and rooted in the community. People need to trust that decisions are being made fairly and that the funding is genuinely being used for the benefit of the area it is meant to serve.
Residents who are interested in getting involved should keep an eye on the Redditch Borough Council Pride in Place page, where information about board positions, community engagement opportunities and other roles will be published as they become available:
(https://www.redditchbc.gov.uk/residents/my-place/pride-in-place/)
If applications for the independent Chair or other community representative roles are open when you are reading this, I would strongly encourage local residents with the time, experience and passion for Greenlands to consider applying.
There is also an opportunity to look carefully at the boundary. If there are streets, spaces or community assets that residents strongly feel should be included or considered because they serve the wider Greenlands community, then those conversations need to happen properly and in good time.
I will be watching this process closely, asking questions, listening to residents and pushing for the community to be involved at every stage.
Greenlands deserves investment. It deserves attention. It deserves the chance to improve in a way that reflects the people who live here, not just the priorities of officials or politicians.
My message to residents is simple: please get involved. Share your ideas. Talk to your neighbours. Think about what would make the biggest difference to your street, your estate, your family and your community.
This is our chance to make sure Pride in Place means exactly that: real pride, real place and real power for local people.
Cllr Nikki Lloyd