We’re pleased to confirm that Smethwick has reached a major milestone, with regeneration and investment plans submitted to Government as part of the Plan for Neighbourhoods programme.
In March 2025, the Government announced that Smethwick is set to benefit from up to £20 million over the next decade through the Plan for Neighbourhoods programme. Our Smethwick Partnership Board, working closely with Sandwell Council, has overseen the development of these plans and led extensive engagement with residents, businesses and community groups throughout July and August 2025 to understand local priorities.
Through this engagement, five key priority areas were identified:
- Regeneration, high streets and heritage
- Community cohesion
- Health and wellbeing
- Safety and security
- Education and opportunity
These priorities will help guide future investment in Smethwick. However, they do not limit the types of projects that can come forward, and proposals aligned with any of the programme’s eight investment themes may still be submitted. The engagement findings can be viewed here.
This feedback has directly shaped the newly submitted 10-Year Regeneration Plan, which sets out Smethwick’s long-term ambitions, key priority areas and the principles that will guide future investment.
We have also produced a summary plan and a quick guide, designed to be easier to read and understand for residents, as the Government submission is more detailed and technical.
View Smethwick's 10-Year Regeneration Plan here
We have also submitted a 4-Year Investent Plan, which outlines how funding could be allocated and managed in the early years of the programme. At this stage, no specific projects have been identified, and opportunities to bid for funding are expected to open in 2026.
Alan Taylor, Chair of the Smethwick Partnership Board, said:
“Submitting the 10-Year Regeneration Plan and 4-Year Investment Plan to Government is a major step for Smethwick. These plans reflect the voices of our communities and set out a clear vision for the town’s long-term growth and improvement.”
Councillor Peter Hughes, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Infrastructure at Sandwell Council, said:
“This submission marks the start of an exciting chapter for Smethwick. By focusing on regeneration that reflects the priorities of our communities, we can deliver lasting improvements and new opportunities across the town.”
We are now awaiting a response from Government, which we hope to receive in the early New Year, with funding expected to be released in April 2026.
Editor’s Note: In September 2025, the ‘Plan for Neighbourhoods Programme’ was updated and expanded by the Government as part of the new ‘Pride in Place’ Strategy. The Pride in Place Programme (PiPP) is a UK-wide initiative delivering a 10-year investment package to disadvantaged neighbourhoods, delivered in two phases.
Phase 1 was originally launched as a £1.5 billion programme, providing up to £20 million for each of 75 selected areas over the next decade – a long-term plan aimed at strengthening the foundations of places most in need. These 75 areas were initially identified under the previous Conservative government through the ‘Long-Term Plan for Towns’. When the Government later revised its approach, it maintained funding for the same locations but renamed the scheme the ‘Plan for Neighbourhoods’ to reflect the new focus. This was subsequently expanded and relaunched as the ‘Pride in Place Programme’ under the 2025 strategy.
Smethwick was one of the areas identified in Phase 1 to benefit from the investment.