Manchester areas get £100m neighbourhood leaders
By Beehive Web Newsroom
Up to £100m in long-term neighbourhood investment is now moving closer to local control in Manchester, after four chairs were named to lead new Pride in Place boards across the city.
Manchester City Council said the appointments cover Benchill South & Wythenshawe Central, Clayton Vale, Gorton South, and Harpurhey South & Monsall. Each area is due to receive up to £20m over 10 years under the Government’s Pride in Place Scheme, with spending intended to be shaped by residents through newly created Neighbourhood Boards.
A fifth Manchester Pride in Place area, Moss Side West, covering parts of Moss Side and Whalley Range, is still waiting for its chair and board appointment process to finish.
Four Manchester boards now have named chairs
The confirmed chair appointments give residents their first clear view of who will guide the local boards expected to influence priorities, projects and spending decisions over the next decade.
| Pride in Place area | Named chair |
|---|---|
| Benchill South & Wythenshawe Central | Eamonn O’Neal, OBE |
| Clayton Vale | Andrew Wickens |
| Gorton South | Jo Sharples |
| Harpurhey South & Monsall | Tom Woodcock |
Eamonn O’Neal, a broadcaster, journalist, Wythenshawe native and former High Sheriff of Manchester, will chair the Benchill South & Wythenshawe Central board. He said he wanted projects to focus on “sustainable, cultural initiatives” and public realm improvements that match the community’s priorities.
Jo Sharples will chair Gorton South. The council said she has spent the past six years supporting community-led work in Longsight, drawing on her background as an architect to promote the area’s culture and local identity.
Andrew Wickens, an Anglican priest who has lived in the Clayton Vale area for 16 years, will chair the board covering parts of Clayton, Openshaw, Newton Heath and Miles Platting. He described the role as an honour and said he wanted residents’ voices to be heard.
Tom Woodcock, who has lived in Harpurhey ward for 30 years, will chair Harpurhey South & Monsall. His background includes work in the voluntary, healthcare and charity sectors.
Areas covered by the Manchester Pride in Place funding
The four confirmed boards cover neighbourhoods across north, east and south Manchester. The council identified Benchill South & Wythenshawe Central, Clayton Vale, Gorton South, and Harpurhey South & Monsall as part of the programme earlier this year.
Clayton Vale includes parts of Clayton, Openshaw, Newton Heath and Miles Platting. Gorton South includes parts of Longsight, Gorton, Abbey Hey and Levenshulme. Harpurhey South & Monsall includes parts of Harpurhey, Moston and Crumpsall.
The fifth Manchester area, Moss Side West, includes parts of Moss Side and Whalley Range. Its chair has not yet been announced.
The Manchester appointments sit within a wider Pride in Place push across England, with similar local board structures being set up elsewhere, including Wellingborough’s £20m Queensway investment.
Up to £20m per area over 10 years
The money is not a single short-term grant for one project. Manchester’s selected neighbourhoods are each expected to receive up to £20m over a 10-year period, meaning boards will have to weigh immediate repairs and improvements against longer-term regeneration plans.
The “up to” figure matters. It signals the maximum scale of the programme, not a completed spending list. The source announcement does not yet set out individual project budgets, delivery dates or the exact mix of capital works, cultural activity, public realm schemes or local services that could be funded.
The council’s central claim is that the boards will become the focal point for how the money is spent. That places unusual weight on local participation: residents will not only be consulted after plans are written, but are expected to help shape what those plans become.
Local boards will decide what change looks like
The practical impact will depend on how each board turns broad ambitions into fundable projects. In Wythenshawe, O’Neal’s comments point towards cultural work and public realm improvements. In Gorton South, Sharples framed the funding as a chance for community-led regeneration with long-term effects.
For Clayton Vale, Wickens put the emphasis on equitable provision, opportunity and residents developing their talents. In Harpurhey South & Monsall, Woodcock brings experience from voluntary, health and charity work in an area he has called home for three decades.
Those local differences will matter. A 10-year fund can be used very differently depending on whether residents prioritise safer streets, youth facilities, high street improvements, cultural projects, green space, community buildings or support for local organisations.
Manchester City Council leader Cllr Bev Craig said the chairs’ “direction, input and guidance” would be vital as work begins with the Neighbourhood Boards. She described Pride in Place as a “once in a generation opportunity” for change to be driven by people who live in the selected areas.
Moss Side West appointment still to come
The next formal step is the completion of the chair and board process for Moss Side West. Once that is announced, all five Manchester Pride in Place areas will have named leadership structures in place.
Residents in the confirmed areas should watch for board membership updates, engagement sessions and early priority-setting work. The source announcement confirms the chairs, the areas and the 10-year funding framework, but not yet the project list that will decide how the money reaches streets, centres and community spaces.
Source: Manchester City Council
Source check Source trail
This article is based on Manchester City Council’s announcement of the Pride in Place chair appointments and the listed neighbourhood coverage.
- Matched each named chair to the neighbourhood stated in the source announcement.
- Kept the funding wording as “up to £20m” per area and “up to £100m” across the Manchester...
- Separated confirmed chair appointments from the still-pending Moss Side West process.
- Avoided listing project budgets or delivery dates that were not included in the source.
- Source
- Manchester City Council
- Scope
- Manchester
- Updated
- 2026-05-27 19:16
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