Search for Sheppey East Pride in Place chair
Published
Tuesday 10 March, 2026
Updated
Monday 16 March, 2026
The leader of a new Pride in Place neighbourhood board, which will shape £20 million of investment into Sheppey East, is being recruited.
The area’s MP, Kevin McKenna, and Swale Borough Council are looking for someone to shape and deliver the plan to help improve the lives of people living in this part of the Island, as part of the Government’s Pride in Place Programme.
This programme brings £20 million of long-term investment to the area, a chance to improve the physical and social infrastructure for the local community and tackle deep-rooted issues.
The MP and local council are looking for an independent chair to lead a new Sheppey East neighbourhood board.
Once appointed, the chair will be responsible for recruiting the rest of the board.
This board will be made up of people who have the essential skills, drive, and dedication to work collaboratively with everyone in the local community, to deliver the transformational improvements people living and working in Sheppey East want to see.
The board will be responsible for putting together a plan for how to invest the funding to deliver improvements to local priorities and then delivering it over the next ten years.
The chair is a volunteer role and is open to someone who can bring communities together, embodying the community-led spirit of the programme.
They must be prepared to relentlessly champion Sheppey East and will need to be able to commit the time needed to make the programme a success.
While there is no specific professional background or work experience required, they will need to demonstrate experience and understanding of the bigger picture of the challenges and opportunities present; how to bring together a wide range of diverse stakeholders inside and beyond the local area; and how to attract more investment and expertise into the area, if required to deliver the ambitions of local people.
This position is not open to elected officials such as an MP, or local councillor at county, district or parish level.
There will be events throughout March for people to learn more about how they can get involved in helping deliver the programme.
This builds on earlier events in the area, where people started to discuss with each other what the challenges people face in the area are, and how those challenges might be addressed.
These upcoming events will provide residents with an opportunity to chat to the team, understand the various opportunities to get involved and have a free slice of cake:
- Monday 16 March Leysdown Family Hub (Warden Bay) 10:00-12:00
- Tuesday 17 March Leysdown Village Hall (Leysdown) 17:00-19:00
- Thursday 19 March Eastchurch Village Hall (Eastchurch) 13:30-15:30
- Saturday 21 March, The Bandstand (Leysdown) 11:00-13:00
The funding can be used for projects in Sheppey East that local people want to see from March 2027 onwards, spread over ten years.
These could include improving the transport, safety, education, work opportunities, health and wellbeing, High Streets, community cohesion and power, and heritage of the area.
But the ambition of local people is not limited to existing ideas of how to do things, this is an opportunity to try fresh ideas as well, if that is what people decide Sheppey East needs.
This is additional money on top of existing funding for public services.
It is to add new, extra benefits to an area of the country that has been historically overlooked.
As well as this long-term investment, Swale Borough Council also received £1.5 million in capital funding to be spent over a more immediate timeframe.
This is being used – among other projects - to improve Sittingbourne High Street, including refurbishing the toilets, a new changing village for Faversham Pools and further improvements to the Beachfields area in Sheerness.
Kevin McKenna, MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, said:
“I’m so pleased that we’ve reached the point in Sheppey East’s Pride in Place programme, where we are actively recruiting the chair and members of its brand new, neighbourhood board.
“I know from the events that we already held about Pride in Place that people locally are excited and energised about the possibilities unlocked by this new funding.
“The government’s intention is to do something really different for places all over the country, like Sheppey East, which have had their resident’s ambitions thwarted year after year.
“Key to that is creating a new type of neighbourhood board to make this happen, led by people from right across the local community to create new possibilities together.
“People are incredibly keen that the neighbourhood board, and its chair, have all the skills and drive to do something truly transformational for everyone in East Sheppey. Something that will have positive effects that last way beyond the end of this ten-year programme.
“For me personally, I’m really looking forward to see who wants to get stuck in, roll their sleeves up and work with me and everyone else, bringing renewed pride to the communities of Sheppey East.”
Cllr Tim Gibson, leader of the council, said:
“We fully support the Government’s ambitions to make sure this significant investment in Sheppey East is led by the local community.
“Local people know the issues the area has better than anyone, and we need to use that knowledge to help deliver sustainable improvements for the local community.
“We need someone who knows and understands the challenges local people face every day and will listen to every voice.
“They will have a crucial role bringing together the local community to decide on the priorities for the project and creating a plan for how the funding can create a lasting impact.”
Cllr Lee-Anne Moore, SBC ward member for Sheppey East, said:
“While there will be representation from local government on the board, the way it has been set up means there will always be more representation from others.
“The funding power ultimately lies in the hands of the people set to benefit from it, and we, as elected members, can’t wait to join the wide range of community voices helping to bring about real change for Sheppey East.”
Cllr Tara Noe, SBC ward member for Sheppey East, said:
“We will be hosting events throughout March for the people of Sheppey East to learn about how they can help shape the Pride in Place programme.
“Whether that is the role of chair, sitting on the board, helping provide ideas for where the funding should go, or even just learning how to stay up to date with the projects.”
You can find out more about the project and the role of chair of the Neighbourhood Board on the council’s website here. www.swale.gov.uk/pip
The Government’s Pride in Place Programme is a £5 billion national programme designed to empower local communities.
Sheppey East is one of 169 areas across the UK to be selected for this long-term funding, which will provide up to £2 million annually for a decade.
People who live and work in the identified areas are best placed to identify challenges and inform solutions, with three strategic objectives:
- to build stronger communities
- to create thriving places
- to empower people to take back control
