The Boston Borough Council Cabinet met to discuss and approve the submission of a ten-year regeneration plan and a four-year investment profile for Boston under the UK Government's Pride in Place Programme¹ (formerly the Plan for Neighbourhoods). The cabinet approved the recommendations, which will allow the council to meet the government's submission deadline of 28 November 2025. The plan aims to secure up to £20 million in funding for the town over the next decade.

Pride in Place Programme (Boston)

The Cabinet approved the submission of the ten-year Regeneration Plan and Vision for Boston and the proposed four-year investment plan profile for Boston. The Director of Economic Development was delegated authority to agree any amendments to the final draft during the submission and assessment phase, in consultation with the Chair of the Boston Town Board, the Section 151 Officer² and the Deputy Leader of the Council. The Council’s Section 151 Officer was also delegated authority to approve the submission of the Pride in Place Programme information to the UK Government by 28 November 2025. This decision is subject to call-in³.

The Pride in Place Programme is part of the UK Government's wider Pride in Place Strategy, which aims to empower communities by providing them with the tools and resources to drive change that reflects their priorities. The programme has three key objectives:

• Creating Thriving Places
• Building Stronger Communities
• Helping communities to take back control of their own lives and areas

The Boston Town Board is responsible for deciding how the funding is spent, working in partnership with Boston Borough Council. The board must develop a plan for the local area and distribute funding to projects that deliver on this vision.

The ten-year vision document and four-year investment profile for Boston are based on a co-ordinated programme of local consultation. Consultation undertaken from June–August 2025 gathered over 1,100 local community responses via surveys, workshops, and stakeholder events. This process identified nine key priorities aligned to the Pride in Place objectives:

1. Enhancing safety and security (Stronger Communities)
2. Revitalising the town centre (Thriving Place)
3. Celebrating heritage, arts, and culture (Thriving Place)
4. Improving education and skills (Stronger Communities)
5. Supporting enterprise and business growth (Thriving Place)
6. Supporting health and wellbeing (Stronger Communities)
7. Enhancing green spaces and connectivity (Thriving Place)
8. Addressing housing affordability (Stronger Communities)
9. Building community capacity and empowerment (Taking Back Control)

The first four years (2026–2030) of the Pride in Place programme will focus on delivering tangible outcomes in the lead-up to Boston 2030, prioritising interventions that address immediate community needs, building social trust and laying foundations for long-term regeneration.

The Investment Plan is structured around the three Pride in Place objectives, with priority interventions targeting the seven neighbourhoods to address specific challenges. Interventions are designed to be agile, community-led and aligned with existing investments such as the Towns Fund⁴, Levelling Up Fund⁵ and UKSPF⁶.

The council will be the accountable body and will have responsibility for overall delivery, engagement with the Board, ensuring that public funds are distributed fairly and effectively, and that funds have been managed in line with the Nolan Principles and Managing Public Money principles. The council will also be responsible for compliance with legal responsibilities in relation to subsidy control, state aid and procurement.

The report noted that cumulatively, the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership (SELCP) is due to receive up to £80m of new investment for the local area over the next ten financial years under the Pride in Place Programme. Boston, Skegness and Spalding are included in Phase One of the current Programme, with Mablethorpe allocated under Phase Two of the programme, due to commence delivery from April 2027.

The report also set out the key risks to be managed in the process of the submission of the Regeneration Plan:

• Capacity to prepare the Regeneration Plan in compliance with the guidance and in timescales prescribed by the Government.
• Inclusive engagement Boston communities from all quarters have an opportunity to influence the Regeneration Plan.
• Partnership relationship between the Council, the Town Board and partners is constructive and collaborative to maximise the benefits of the community.
• Deliverability the Regeneration Plan is aspirational and deliverable to ensure the desired outcomes are achieved.
• Accountability the Council as accountable body is responsible for compliance to a range of issues as identified in the legal implications above.