The UK government has launched its long-awaited £5 billion "Pride in Place" programme, a decade-long initiative designed to revitalise towns and communities by putting local people in charge of how regeneration funding is spent. The scheme, which was officially announced this week, will see 169 areas across the UK each receive £2 million per year for ten years, while a further 95 areas will be given immediate funding to improve public spaces such as parks, high streets and community centres. The aim, according to ministers, is to give neighbourhoods the means to breathe new life into their towns and stimulate local economies through community-led development.