Brinnington has £20m over ten years, and the plan deciding how it is spent goes to government by 30 November. Grants close 1 September, survey 25 October.
Brinnington has £20 million to spend over the next ten years, and the document that decides how has to be finished by 30 November. The window for residents to shape it is open now, and the first deadline falls on 1 September.
The money comes through the government’s Pride in Place programme, which gives selected neighbourhoods up to £20 million over ten years and puts a local board in charge of spending it (MHCLG). Stockport Council has now appointed Brinnington’s board, and it meets for the first time on 17 September (Stockport Council, 19 August 2026).
The dates that matter
The ice cream van is out today
The most immediate way in costs nothing. On Friday 21 and Friday 28 August an ice cream van is touring locations across Brinnington, handing out a free ice cream or ice lolly in exchange for your thoughts on the neighbourhood. The council calls it Frozen Friday (Stockport Council). Locations are listed on the council’s Pride in Place page rather than fixed in advance here.
There is also an online survey, asking what people value about Brinnington, what should change and what they want to see. It runs until 25 October, and the council is entering everyone who completes it into a draw for a £100 shopping voucher. Note the difference between the two deadlines: the grants close on 1 September, the survey does not.
Grants of £100 to £500, closing 1 September
The part with a hard deadline is the Pride in Place Community Conversations Fund. It offers grants of £100 to £500 to Brinnington organisations to run activities that bring people together and collect their views. The council suggests family fun days, craft sessions, coffee mornings, community meals, walks and gardening, each with some way for people to record what matters to them, such as a priorities board or a conversation table.
The conditions are specific:
- applications close on 1 September, and are assessed as they arrive rather than in one batch at the end
- the activity must be delivered between 4 September and 25 October
- it must take place in Brinnington, be open to all, and include a Pride in Place engagement element
- the organisation must collect basic monitoring information and submit a short end of grant return
Constituted community groups, registered charities, CIOs, not for profit companies, CICs and schools can apply, and small non-constituted groups can apply through a sponsor or host. The council says it will give priority to groups already trusted by residents and to those reaching people who are usually less heard. It will not fund activities outside Brinnington, large capital purchases, political campaigning or religious worship (Stockport Council). Questions go to prideinbrinnington@stockport.gov.uk.
Who is on the board
The board has 13 members: residents, community representatives, public services and elected members. It is chaired by Nikki Thompson, a lifelong Brinnington resident. Also on it are the practice manager at Brinnington Surgery, the neighbourhood sergeant for Brinnington, staff from a local primary school and a specialist college, community volunteers, the Stockport MP Navendu Mishra, Cabinet Member Cllr Dan Oliver and ward councillor Cllr Christine Carrigan (Stockport Council).
It has already taken one decision before meeting. The board has backed the return of Brinnington’s Lantern Parade, a community procession with lantern making workshops, after hearing how much residents value it. No date has been set, and the council expects it in late autumn.
Nikki Thompson said: “This investment is a real opportunity, but it can only succeed if local people are at the heart of every decision. Before the Board starts making plans, we want to listen.”
Why the November deadline is fixed
The 30 November date is not the council’s choice. Under the national programme, every Pride in Place area in this phase has to submit its regeneration plan to government by then, and the plan has to be shaped by the community it covers. That is the reason for the run of engagement crammed into August, September and October: the evidence gathered now is what the plan will be built on, and the plan sets the investment priorities for the next decade.
What it means for you
- If you live, work or volunteer in Brinnington: fill in the survey before 25 October, or talk to the ice cream van on 21 or 28 August.
- If you run a group in Brinnington: you have until 1 September to apply for £100 to £500, and any funded activity must happen between 4 September and 25 October.
- If you want to follow the decisions: the board meets for the first time on 17 September, and its early business is how to reach the wider community.
- The date to keep an eye on is 30 November. After that the plan is with government, and the priorities in it shape where the £20 million goes.
Sources
- New Brinnington Board invites residents to help shape £20 million Pride in Place investment, Stockport Council, 19 August 2026
- Stockport Council: Pride in Place Brinnington, for the board membership, survey and Frozen Friday dates
- Stockport Council: Pride in Place Community Conversations Fund, for the grant terms and deadlines
- MHCLG: Pride in Place Programme prospectus, for the £20 million over ten years and the plan deadline
Have your say
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