The investment, part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, aims to empower local areas to improve their high streets, boost local pride, and tackle regional inequalities.

Funding will be delivered through local authorities for a range of projects including town centre improvements, upgrading green spaces, and providing support for local businesses and skills. Speaking on the announcement, Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander confirmed the programme would provide targeted, long-term funding to the areas that can benefit most, with some places receiving up to £20m over 10 years.

The Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) has welcomed the news, extending an invitation for local authorities to collaborate closely with its business network. The SCC emphasised that successful businesses creating local employment are key to regeneration and that this new funding must be leveraged alongside private sector investment for maximum effect. They highlighted the need to address long-standing issues, such as the one-fifth of Scots living in deprived areas and the blight of derelict buildings.

Doug Smith, Vice President of the SCC, reiterated the importance of local business engagement to ensure the funding’s benefits are maximised. “The Scottish Chambers Network includes many hundreds of business members already operating across these cities and towns,” he said, “so there is a real opportunity to engage with local business communities.” However, he added a note of caution, stating that the business community awaits full details “to see if the government’s policy can live up to its ambitions”.

Allocations

Pride in Place: extended Plan for Neighbourhoods (new) – up to £20m each (£280m total)

• Aberdeen City
• City of Edinburgh
• Falkirk
• Fife x2
• Glasgow x2
• Highland
• North Ayrshire
• North Lanarkshire 
• South Ayrshire 
• South Lanarkshire 
• Na h-Eileanan Siar
• West Lothian 

Pride in Place Impact Fund (Pride in Neighbourhoods) (new) – £1.5m each (£12m total)

• Glasgow City
• West Dunbartonshire
• North Ayrshire
• Dundee City
• North Lanarkshire
• Inverclyde
• East Ayrshire
• Falkirk

Existing Plan for Neighbourhoods - announced Spring 2025 – up to £20m each (£200m total)

• Angus (Arbroath)
• Moray (Elgin)
• Orkney Islands
• Aberdeenshire (Peterhead)
• Dumfries & Galloway (Dumfries)
• North Ayrshire (Irvine)
• East Ayrshire (Kilmarnock)
• West Dunbartonshire (Clydebank)
• North Lanarkshire (Coatbridge)
• Inverclyde (Greenock )