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About Pride in Place

The Park Wood and Senacre area, including parts of Mangravet, Shepway, and Loose and Linton, has been chosen by the Government for Pride in Place, a programme that brings long-term investment and decision-making power into the area for the next 10 years. During that time, £20 million worth of funding will be given to the local area to help make a difference.

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To make sure the money is spent on what matters most locally, a new resident-led Neighbourhood Board will be set up later this year. Before the Board starts its work, 24 residents, selected in a way to make it representative, will come together to help set the direction of the project.

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The panel will meet four times over the summer to work through what would make the biggest difference, what the area’s strengths are, and where attention should go first. The result, a roadmap written in residents’ own words, will become the starting point for the Neighbourhood Board’s 10-year plan and it will help guide how the £20 million is spent.

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The Pride in Place panel is being put together by civic lottery. One adult from every household in Park Wood and Senacre is invited to register their interest in getting involved. From everyone who registers, 24 people will be chosen at random, balanced to reflect the mix of ages, backgrounds, and circumstances across the area. The area covered includes parts of several local wards, so the panel is designed to reflect the whole neighbourhood rather than any single ward. No one is hand-picked. No one is excluded for what they say or who they are.

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Engage. Communicate. Facilitate (ECF), an independent engagement company, is running the process. Maidstone Borough Council asked for this work. ECF's role is to make sure the conversation belongs to residents, not to the council or to any one group. Residents who take part are paid £50 in cash or vouchers for each session, on the day, to recognise their time.

The Panel

The Pride in Place panel meets four times across July and August with one short online session at the end. Each session lasts a few hours. We pay £50 in cash, or in vouchers, on the day to recognise the time you give for the in-person sessions.

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You do not need to know about policy or planning or have any knowledge of the Pride in Place programme. Through the panel we get to hear from residents, talking about what life is like and what would change it for the better.

 

How residents are chosen

 

People are chosen by civic lottery. One resident at every household in Park Wood and Senacre is invited to register. From everyone who registers, 24 people are picked at random, balanced to reflect the mix of ages, backgrounds, working situations and housing types across the two various local wards. No one is hand-picked. No one is excluded for what they think or who they are.

 

Who is running it

 

The process is being run by ECF, an independent engagement company. Maidstone Borough Council asked for this work and ECF runs it at arm’s length, so the conversation belongs to residents.

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The panel’s final piece of work, a roadmap written in residents’ own words, goes to the Neighbourhood Board. The Board uses it as the starting point for its 10-year plan and its first four-year investment plan.

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You can also find more information about the process, in our Frequently Asked Questions section here. 

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How to register:

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  1. Use the form below or return the freepost card you received.

  2. We ask a few short questions to make sure the panel reflects the area.

  3. You will hear back within a week of the deadline, whether you have been selected or not.

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If you would prefer to register by phone, or in a language other than English, please leave a message on 01622 234500 or email prideinplace@engagecf.co.uk.

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When is the deadline: 

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The deadline for applications is midnight on Sunday 5th July 2026. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pride in Place?

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Pride in Place is a government programme that brings long-term investment into specific neighbourhoods. Park Wood and Senacre, along with the surrounding areas Mangravet, Shepway, and Loose and Linton, is one of the neighbourhoods chosen for it. The programme runs for 10 years and creates a new local Neighbourhood Board, led by residents, with the money and decision-making power to make a real difference in the area.

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Why has Park Wood and Senacre been chosen?

 

The Government identified neighbourhoods across the country where targeted long-term investment could make the biggest difference to people’s lives. Park Wood and Senacre is one of those places. Being chosen means £20 million of investment and decision-making come into the area for the next 10 years.

 

Is this connected to the workshops earlier this year?

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Yes, in part. Earlier in 2026, Ipsos ran some workshops in Park Wood and Senacre on behalf of the council, focused on the shorter-term changes that could be made quickly. This Pride in Place panel is about the bigger picture: the next 10 years and the plan that will sit underneath that. We use what the workshops told us as background, so the panel does not start from a blank page, but the panel itself is a new piece of work.

 

Who are ECF, and why is the council not running this process themselves?

 

ECF is an independent company that runs conversations like this for councils, government departments, and other bodies across the country. We are not part of the council. We were commissioned by Maidstone Borough Council to run this process because they wanted it to be independent, and so that residents can drive the process.

 

About being chosen

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What is a civic lottery and why are you doing it that way?

 

A civic lottery is a way of choosing residents that does not depend on who happens to volunteer first or who knows the right people. One adult from each household in the area can register; 24 panellists are chosen at random from everyone who registers, balanced to reflect the mix of ages, backgrounds, and circumstances across the two estates.

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We do it this way for one reason above all: it has to be fair, and it has to be seen to be fair. No one can claim the panel was hand-picked, because it was not.

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Can more than one person at my address register?

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Only one resident at each address can register. If two adults in your household are interested, please decide between you who would like to put their name forward.

 

Do I need to be British, or on the electoral roll?

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No. You need to be over the age of 16 and living at the address. Citizenship, immigration status, and whether you are on the electoral roll do not affect whether you can take part. We do not share registration information with anyone else.

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What happens if I am not selected?

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If you are not chosen for the panel, we will let you know. Your registration information is deleted within 30 days. We may invite you to take part in shorter pieces of community feedback in future, but only if you tell us you would like to hear about them.

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About the sessions

 

What will I actually have to do, if I am chosen?

 

You would join 23 other residents for four sessions of around three hours each, plus one short online session at the end. Each session has the same shape: a welcome and what is coming up; some short conversations with the people next to you; time to look at information together; and time to make decisions as a group. Skilled facilitators run the sessions, and your views are recorded carefully. We will support you throughout the process so you can enjoy it and input into it.

 

When and where do the sessions happen?

 

The four sessions are spaced about two weeks apart, between July and August 2026. Two are on weekday evenings and two are on Saturdays, so people working different hours can take part. They happen at venues in the local area, confirmed with everyone selected. The closing session is a short online catch-up.

 

What if I cannot make every session?

 

Ideally we ask people to come to all four sessions; it is what makes the work meaningful. If you know you will be away throughout parts of July and August, tell us when you register and we will work it out together if you are selected.

 

What is the £50 for, and how is it paid?

 

The £50 is to recognise your time. The panel is real work, and people doing real work should be paid. We can pay you in cash on the day, transfer the money to you by bank transfer after each session, or if you choose to, you can accept the money in voucher form. If you are selected and attend all four sessions plus the closing session, you receive £200 in total across the summer.

 

Support and access

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I have caring responsibilities. Can I still take part?

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Yes. We can arrange and pay for childcare cover during the sessions, or include a younger child in some sessions if that works better for you. If you care for an adult, we can talk about respite cover, or whether having a carer with you in the session works better. Please tell us when you register, or at any point afterwards, what you need.

 

Will there be help with travel?

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Yes. Sessions are held locally so most people can walk or get a short bus ride, but we cover travel costs either way, including taxis where they make the difference between taking part and not.

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English is not my first language. Can I still take part?

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Yes. We can arrange one or more interpreters in other languages if there is demand. Tell us your first language when you register and we will sort it out. The panel works in English at the table, but interpreters can sit with you and translate in real time.

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I have a disability or a long-term condition. Will the sessions work for me?

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Yes. Venues will be step-free and accessible; hearing loops, large print, plain English, and BSL interpretation can all be arranged. If sitting for three hours is hard, we plan breaks accordingly. Tell us what you need when you register, and we will set it up.

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The council, the Board, and what happens next

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Will the council actually listen to what we say?

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The council is not the body deciding what happens with the Pride in Place money. The new Neighbourhood Board is. The Board is made up mostly of residents and works to a remit set by the Government. Your panel’s roadmap goes to the Board as the starting point for its 10-year plan and its first four-year spending plan.

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The council supports the Board and helps with delivery, but the Board, not the council, holds the decisions. Maidstone Borough Council asked for this work because they wanted residents to set the direction for how the money is spent.

 

What is the difference between the Pride and Place panel and the Neighbourhood Board? 

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The Pride in Place panel will be comprised of a group of 24 local residents who will share their experiences and ideas on future funding into the area. This feedback will be shared with the Neighbourhood Board to help inform financial decision-making, as the Board is responsible for how the money is spent.​

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Will my name or anything I say be made public?

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Only with your permission, and in ways you agree to. The panel’s roadmap reports what the group concluded as a group; it does not put names against opinions. If we ever ask whether you would be willing to be quoted, named, or photographed, the answer is always yours, and saying no does not affect your taking part. We follow data protection law throughout.
 

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Data and contact

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What happens to the information I give when I register?

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We use your registration information for two things only: to put together a panel that reflects the mix of people in the area, and to contact you about the panel. We do not share it with the council, the Neighbourhood Board, or anyone else. Our full privacy notice is at https://engagecf.co.uk/privacy-policy/ or available on request.

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Who can I contact?

 

For questions about the panel, registration, or any of the practicalities, you can:

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The answer phone service is run by ECF and we will answer as soon as we possibly can. 

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