Case Study: Supporting the Greater Carlton Neighbourhood Board to Mobilise Pride in Place Delivery

Client: Gedling Borough Council and the Greater Carlton Neighbourhood Board

Date: Dec 2025 - Mar 2026

Challenges Faced by the Client:

Following the submission of the Greater Carlton 10-year Pride in Place Plan and 4-year Investment Plan, Gedling Borough Council and the Greater Carlton Neighbourhood Board needed to move quickly from planning to delivery. This required detailed project specifications, procurement documentation and grant programme design to be developed in advance of funding approval, ensuring projects could begin as soon as approval was received.

The Council also needed effective governance, programme management and stakeholder coordination to maintain momentum, manage risks, align delivery with local priorities and keep a wide range of partners engaged throughout the mobilisation phase.

Our Support:

Having played a central role in support the preparation of Greater Carlton's 10-year Pride in Place Plan and 4-year Investment Plan and building on our established relationship with the Board, Mutual Ventures provided ongoing support to Gedling Borough Council and the Greater Carlton Neighbourhood Board, helping to ensure Year 1 projects were ready for implementation.

Working closely with the Neighbourhood Board Chair and members, as well as Council officers, including procurement, legal, finance, service and community teams, we supported the development of detailed project specifications in preparation for the procurement of projects identified in the Investment plan, as well as planned grant schemes.

As programme managers, we coordinated governance and delivery activity across the programme. This included:

• Facilitating and managing the Pride in Place Delivery Group, bringing together key Council teams to develop investment-ready projects and ensure alignment with programme guidance, strategic priorities and community needs.

• Developing and managing a programme dashboard that tracked progress across all Pride in Place interventions.

• Preparing Board agendas, papers, programme updates and risk reporting to support effective decision-making.

• Maintaining and regularly updating the programme risk register.

• Supporting reporting requirements to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

• Undertaking a comprehensive community mapping exercise to strengthen the evidence base and ensure projects reflected local priorities.

• Exploring ongoing community engagement options to move the Neighbourhood Board's relationship with the wider community 'from consultation to conversation'.

Outcome Achieved:

Our support enabled the Greater Carlton Neighbourhood Board to transition smoothly from planning into delivery. Through strong programme management, governance support and coordination across multiple stakeholders, Year 1 projects were developed to an delivery-ready stage ahead of anticipated funding approval.

This proactive approach ensured procurement activity, grant programme design and project mobilisation could progress at pace, supporting the timely commencement of Pride in Place delivery from April 2026 and helping to turn the Board's long-term vision for Greater Carlton into tangible action.

Quote from Client:

“Mutual Ventures have provided exceptional support throughout the development of our Greater Carlton, Pride in Place programme. They successfully led the preparation of a comprehensive Regeneration Plan, supported our Neighbourhood Board, delivered an effective consultation campaign and helped position projects for delivery. Their strategic insight, professionalism, and ability to engage partners and communities have been invaluable. We would highly recommend their services to any organisation seeking expert regeneration and placemaking support.”

 Nathan Wall, Assistant Director – Economic Growth & Regeneration, Gedling Borough Council

For more information on Mutual Ventures’ work on Pride in Place contact mark@mutualventures.co.uk.