Corby estates get chair for £20m regeneration plan
A £20 million regeneration programme for three Corby neighbourhoods now has its first named local lead, with lifelong resident Alex Bonner appointed to chair the Kingswood, Hazel Leys and Exeter Neighbourhood Board.
The board will oversee how the Government’s Pride in Place programme is shaped locally over the next 10 years. The funding is intended for Kingswood, Hazel Leys and Exeter, but no spending decisions have yet been made.
Bonner’s appointment starts the next phase: building the rest of the board, agreeing how residents will be involved, and developing a long-term regeneration plan that sets out local priorities before money is committed.
£20 million will be shaped over 10 years
The Pride in Place programme will bring £20 million of investment to Kingswood, Hazel Leys and Exeter across a decade. That scale matters because it is not a one-off grant for a single project; it is a long-term fund that will need choices about priorities, phasing and local oversight.
The Neighbourhood Board is expected to produce a shared vision and a regeneration plan for the area. That plan will identify what the neighbourhoods want to change and how the programme funding should be used.
The source announcement does not list approved projects, deadlines for applications, or a confirmed timetable for construction or delivery. Residents should therefore treat the chair appointment as a governance step, not as confirmation that specific schemes have already been selected.
Similar Pride in Place schemes are also running in Avondale Grange in Kettering and Queensway in Wellingborough, placing Corby’s Pride in Place programme within a wider North Northamptonshire regeneration push.
Alex Bonner brings school and estate links
Alex Bonner was born and raised in Corby and has lived on the Exeter estate for 24 years. She has worked with young people for more than three decades, including 17 years at Kingswood Secondary Academy.
She currently teaches English at the school and sits on its senior leadership team. Those links give the new chair direct experience of one of the communities covered by the programme and of young people growing up in the area.
The chair role is not limited to representing one institution or one estate. According to the announcement, the post involves convening and overseeing the board, working with the local MP, councillors, partner organisations, community representatives, businesses and residents.
The position was open to people who live or work in North Northamptonshire and have strong connections to Kingswood, Hazel Leys and Exeter. Bonner’s local background was a central part of the appointment set out by North Northamptonshire Council.
Board membership is the next decision point
The rest of the Kingswood, Hazel Leys and Exeter Neighbourhood Board has not yet been confirmed. The next step is for the chair to select fellow members.
That stage will determine how different voices are represented as the programme moves from appointment to planning. The board is expected to work with residents and local partners, but the announcement does not yet state how applications, nominations or resident involvement will operate.
The board’s responsibilities include championing community engagement, supporting transparent governance, and helping co-create the 10-year Pride in Place vision and regeneration plan. It is also expected to consider what legacy remains after the programme ends.
For residents, the practical point is that the spending plan is still ahead. The first visible decisions are likely to be about who sits on the board, how local priorities are gathered, and what process will be used to turn community views into funded projects.
What changes for residents now
The appointment gives the Corby programme a named chair and a clearer route into its planning stage.
- The £20 million fund is for Kingswood, Hazel Leys and Exeter over 10 years.
- Alex Bonner will chair the board overseeing the local Pride in Place programme.
- The remaining board members have not yet been announced.
- No final decisions have been published on how the funding will be spent.
- The regeneration plan will be the key document setting local priorities.
The strongest test for the programme will be whether residents can see how their priorities move from consultation into board decisions and, eventually, funded work on the ground.
Source: North Northamptonshire Council
Source check Source trail
This article is based on North Northamptonshire Council’s announcement and separates confirmed details from decisions still to be made.
- Confirmed the named chair as Alex Bonner.
- Checked the funding figure as £20 million over 10 years.
- Verified the affected neighbourhoods as Kingswood, Hazel Leys and Exeter.
- Noted that board membership and spending decisions have not yet been announced.
- Source
- North Northamptonshire Council
- Scope
- Corby
- Updated
- 2026-05-27 17:27
Source check
Report a trust issue
Send a clear signal to community moderation if the source, facts or context need review.
Comments