Keir Starmer will provide more funding to councils in disadvantaged communities in a bid to revitalise the high street – and battle Reform UK in the process.
Local groups will be given powers to seize boarded-up shops, save derelict pubs and block gambling & vape stores on high streets.
New housing secretary Steve Reed said: “The government is putting power into their hands so local people decide how best to restore pride in their neighbourhoods, not us in Westminster.
“That’s what real patriotism looks like: building up our communities and choosing renewal over division.”
Labour hopes the plan will hope them regain support from Reform UK, as the sense of isolation in deprived communities is thought to have given the far-right party a boost.
Sky News reports a Labour source saying: “Reform is trying to divide communities, Labour wants to empower them, and we are giving them the tools and resources to turn them around.”
Fresh funding will be allocated to neighbourhood boards made up of community leaders and stakeholders, who will work with councils.
They can then buy assets like grassroots football clubs, seize derelict buildings, and keep pubs open, with the help of Community Right to Buy and Compulsory Purchase Orders.
Councils will also be able to block betting shops, vape stores, and fake barbers, the latter of which are being used as fronts for money laundering.
The programme will be called Pride in Place.