Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board Chair
The Pride in Place Programme is a new government funding programme, aimed at putting power into the hands of local people in some of the most in-need neighbourhoods across the UK, so that they can decide how to regenerate their local area. It gives communities control of £2m every year for the next 10 years, to be spent on projects that will make a real difference to the neighbourhoods they live in.
In Gateshead, Wrekenton and Beacon Lough have been identified as areas that will receive this level of targeted support.
Together with Mark Fergusson, MP for Gateshead Central and Whickham, Gateshead Council is seeking to appoint an Independent Chair to oversee the work of a Neighbourhood Board. The Board's role is to work with the wider community to establish which projects they want to prioritise and how they want to spend their Pride in Place funding.
The Chair should act as a champion for the place and local people, organising engagement that reaches out into the community, to ensure decision-making is community-led.
The Chair should act as a champion for the place and provide leadership for the Board, ensuring it is community-led and embedded within the local area. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government expects that the Chair should be someone who is 'from', living or working in the area, holds a prominent role in the community or has a passion for the place, such as:
* the head of a local charity
* a local campaigner
* a community leader
* a faith leader
* a teacher
* a local GP
* a director of a football club
The Chair of the Neighbourhood Board cannot be an elected representative, such as:
* an MP
* a local councillor
Find out more in role profile.
This is a voluntary role, however reasonable out-of-pocket expenses will be reimbursed.
Expressions of interest should be sent by email to Chief Executive Officer Dale Owens ) by midday on 4 January 2026. This should be no more than 500 words explaining:
* Why you are the right person to be Chair, and
* What you will bring to help our community succeed, explicitly aligning your EOI to the criteria in "What You'll Bring" above.