Starmer to pump billions into Reform areas

The Times, 28th January 2026

Sir Keir Starmer sees Pride in Place as one of the defining schemes of his premiership REUTERS

What’s the top line? Sir Keir Starmer is considering pumping tens of billions of pounds extra in funding for community projects in Britain’s most deprived areas where Labour is under threat from Reform UK. The scheme, called Pride in Place, is set to be a significant focus in the  campaigns for local elections in May. Last year the prime minister announced £5 billion of funding in 146 areas in England, but senior figures have now said that this funding does not go far enough. The Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (Icon) has suggested a new funding pot of £50 billion for a “neighbourhood recovery fund” over 20 years to ensure an all-out effort in pulling these places out of deprivation. 

How are these areas voting? Of the areas that have been selected for funding already, 25 held local elections last year with 23 won by Nigel Farage’s party. The other two were won by the Greens and an independent. The report by Icon suggests expanding this list to 424 neighbourhoods, with under two thirds of these held by Labour, and in half of those areas Reform UK came second in the last general election. A YouGov poll suggests that about three quarters of the proposed areas are forecast to be won by Reform, compared with less than a quarter for Labour. 

The northwest would see the most communities benefit followed by Yorkshire and the northeast. Just two London communities would receive funding. A government source said they had “ensured fairness by targeting the places most in need using deprivation and community need measures, using a robust metric”.

What has been the response to this policy? The reaction has largely been positive, with Chris Webb, the Labour MP for Blackpool South, backing the scheme. Steve Yemm, Labour MP for Mansfield, said “areas like mine have been overlooked for too long”. Sureena Brackenridge, Labour MP for Wolverhampton North East, said the report “sets out an ambitious but deliverable agenda for government”. 

A government spokesman said: “We’re committed to tackling decades of underinvestment and that’s exactly what Pride in Place delivers: the power, tools and funding for local people to revive their communities and shape their futures,” the spokesman added. “They know their areas best and we’re backing them to deliver the changes they want to see.”

Does this announcement increase the chances of the SELRAP Scheme being funded?