£150,000-a-year trials target four Middlesbrough neighbourhoods

Listen to this article3 min · Best available voice selected automatically

Specific streets in Gresham, Hemlington, Pallister Park and Saltersgill will receive targeted support for youth activity, skills and safer estates.

By The Tees Editorial Desk · 14 October 2026

Red-brick homes facing a green open space on Keilder Rise in Hemlington, Middlesbrough Image: Houses on Keilder Rise by JThomasImage source CC BY-SA 2.0

Need something explained?Tap a highlighted word, phrase or concept, or select any part of the article and choose Explain this.

Specific parts of Gresham, Hemlington, Pallister Park and Saltersgill are set to receive targeted support through a new Middlesbrough Council programme backed by £150,000 a year.

The council says the work will focus on a small number of streets, with one area chosen in each of its north, east, south and west neighbourhoods. Government data helped identify the locations, while residents have also been asked about their priorities through conversations on the doorstep.

What the trials could cover

Projects now being developed include more activities for young people, work to tackle nuisance off-road bikes and training intended to help residents move towards employment. The council is also considering rewards for people who take part in community projects.

The announcement describes the work as a series of trials rather than a finished programme. It does not yet name the streets involved, explain how the £150,000 will be divided, give a start or end date, or set out how success will be measured. The council says it will also look for other that could be used in the four areas.

Why the areas were selected

The selection used the Government’s Index of Multiple Deprivation, which measures relative deprivation in small areas known as lower-layer super output areas. The 2025 index combines information covering income, employment, education and skills, health, crime, barriers to housing and services, and the living environment.

That gives councils a consistent way to compare neighbourhood conditions, but the new Middlesbrough announcement does not publish the individual data areas or scores behind its choices. For residents, the next useful detail will be the precise streets included and the timetable for each trial.

Help already available across Middlesbrough

The neighbourhood work sits alongside a separate £240,000 investment in youth . Middlesbrough Council said on 30 September that 11 new clubs or activities would be launched, with areas lacking an existing offer prioritised. The activities are intended for children aged 10 to 16, or up to 18 for young people with . Individual club details are still due to be publicised.

That earlier youth fund offered grants of up to £10,000 to new and emerging groups, and up to £20,000 to organisations with venues and staff already in place. The council has not said which of the 11 offers will operate inside the newly targeted streets, so the two funding announcements should not be treated as a single scheme.

Employment support is already available at the council’s Employment and Skills Hub in the Cleveland Centre, opposite Costa. Residents can drop in without an appointment from 9.30am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, for help with jobs, apprenticeships, work experience and training. The service can also be reached on 01642 811400.

The council has not announced an application process for the four neighbourhood trials, so residents should not assume the funding is an open pot. Further information will be needed before households and community groups can tell which projects are coming to their streets and how they can take part.