Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Pride in Place Programme: Regeneration

Wednesday 22 October 2025 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • UK Government investing over 41 million in West Dunbartonshire constituency
  • Labour highlights disparities in community and public service improvements between Scotland and rest of UK
  • Pamela Nash questions SNP government's use of Scotland's share of funding

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Douglas McAllister Lab West Dunbartonshire
Scotland
Context

Douglas McAllister is concerned about the regeneration of his constituency, West Dunbartonshire. He highlights that the UK Government has invested over £41 million in his area through the pride in place programme.

Question

The UK Government are investing more than £41 million of funding in my constituency, including the recently announced pride in place award. That will unlock the potential of my West Dunbartonshire constituency, matching the level of ambition I have to regenerate our town centres and communities and make them fit for the future. Does the Secretary of State agree that this is in stark contrast to the SNP, which has given up on our communities right across Scotland and in West Dunbartonshire?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Kirsty McNeill)

I commend my hon. Friend on his ambition for his seat and his sterling advocacy for it. He is right that this funding will help revitalise our high streets, create jobs and improve safety and security in Scotland. He is also right that the SNP is desperately out of touch with its squabbling over independence while services across Scotland are at breaking point.

Partly answered

How: Squabbling Over Independence

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Q2 Pamela Nash Lab Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke
Scotland
Context

Pamela Nash notes that her constituents are looking at improvements seen across the border in England and Wales while questioning where their share of resources has gone.

Question

Since the election last year when Labour came to power, our constituents in Scotland have seen their friends in England and Wales see real improvements in their communities and public services, while they look on and wonder what the SNP Government are squandering Scotland’s share on. Does the Minister agree that key to the success of the pride in place funding and projects, including the £41.5 million coming to Lanarkshire, is that we are putting power directly in the hands of people to make decisions about investments in their own communities?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Kirsty McNeill)

My hon. Friend is right that both her constituents and mine look with some envy to the other side of the border where millions of extra NHS appointments have been secured while waiting lists in Scotland go up and up. Local communities are at the heart of Scottish life, which is why we are giving them control over hundreds of millions of pounds of investment to revitalise their high streets, take ownership of important local assets and build thriving and prosperous places to work, live and visit.

Partly answered

How: Millions Of Extra Nhs Appointments In England

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Q3 Harriet Cross Con Gordon and Buchan
Economy Scotland
Context

Harriet Cross questions the effectiveness of the pride in place programme, noting the decline in her constituency's high streets due to energy policies.

Question

The Government’s pride in place initiative—their equivalent of levelling up—should be great and should be felt across Scotland, but unfortunately we are feeling the opposite in north-east Scotland because of the Government’s energy policies. Our high streets need regeneration after a decade of disastrous decline in the sector, whether that is from SNP or Labour policies. How will the Government act to ensure that our high streets in north-east Scotland will not be further decimated?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Kirsty McNeill)

I remind the hon. Lady that, of course, her constituents benefit from a city region and growth deal—there is investment going into her area. If she has complaints about the decline of her constituency, I suggest that she looks at her colleagues and holds them accountable for 14 years of catastrophic economic mismanagement by the Conservatives.

How: Complaints About Decline

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Q4 Pete Wishart SNP Perth and Kinross-shire
Scotland Local Government
Context

Pete Wishart queries why Perth, particularly Perth and Kinross, has received no funding from the current allocation under the pride in place programme.

Question

As long as I get any opportunity, I will continue to ask why Perth, and Perth and Kinross, is not getting one penny from the current allocation. Why has Perth and Kinross never had one single penny from any Government allocation? Why did this Labour Government take away the £5 million that we finally got from the Conservatives? Finally, when is Perth, and Perth and Kinross, going to get its fair share?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Kirsty McNeill)

The allocations under the pride in place programme have been evidence led, based on data and on a formula that is progressive and puts money into the pockets of those who need it most. If the hon. Gentleman is worried about where money in Perth and Kinross has gone, I suggest he asks the First Minister of Scotland, who is from his own party and has received more than £5 billion. His constituents, like mine, will be asking, “Where’s the money gone, John?”

How: Money In Perth And Kinross

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