The government’s new Pride in Place programme is a bold step in the right direction, a recognition that Britain’s towns and high streets can only truly recover when power, pride, and purpose sit with the people who live and work there.

For too long, communities have watched from the sidelines as decisions about their high streets were made elsewhere. Now, under this plan, local people will be able to have their say on boarded-up shops, save derelict pubs, block unwanted developments, and shape spending priorities for the first time in a generation.

If delivered well, this could mark the largest transfer of power from central government to communities in modern history. But as with any reform of this scale, ambition must be matched with insight. Empowering communities is key, yet without evidence, locals risk being handed responsibility without the tools to act effectively.

Turning Power into Progress

The Pride in Place announcement speaks directly to what many communities have been asking for: a real voice in how their area is run. For local people and councils to make the most of these new powers, they need to know how their high streets are performing, where activity is rising or declining, and what kinds of interventions drive real change. That’s where visitor movement and behavioural data can make the difference between aspiration and achievement.

At Place Informatics, we’ve seen firsthand how detailed insights into footfall, dwell time, and visitor journeys can reshape how places are managed. Understanding who visits, when, and why gives communities a factual basis for decisions, whether that’s where to target investment, how to support local businesses, or which areas need revitalising first.

Data That Amplifies Local Voices

It’s important to be clear: data doesn’t replace local knowledge, it amplifies it. Communities know their places best; data simply helps to quantify what they already feel and measure what works once action begins.

When you combine the passion of residents, the experience of local organisations, and the clarity of evidence, you have a combination that can genuinely change communities. That’s what will make Pride in Place succeed where previous regeneration schemes have sometimes struggled.

Tracking the impact of local action, whether it’s a rise in footfall after a market event, reduced vacancy rates in once-empty units, or more families spending time in town centres, is how we’ll know this policy is working.

If Pride in Place is to rebuild local pride, it must also rebuild local confidence, and nothing does that better than visible, measurable progress. This vision is ambitious and welcome. It recognises that people don’t just want to feel heard, they want to see the tangible results of their voice in action.

Evidence-led place management will be essential in making sure that happens. When we combine local empowerment with data-driven insight, we move beyond short-term projects and towards lasting, self-sustaining solutions, the kind that restores both our high streets and our collective pride in place.