A dozen individuals who will have a significant influence on reshaping Hamilton town centre have been named. This select group includes council chiefs, business figures, and local residents, all of whom will sit on the new neighbourhood board overseeing £20 million of regeneration funding for the town.
A report going before South Lanarkshire Council’s executive committee on June 24 seeks formal approval of these appointments. The board will be responsible for deciding how the decade-long Pride in Place funding is spent.
The council papers confirm that 30 expressions of interest were received by the closing date of April 17, with 13 candidates invited to interview before a final shortlist was agreed.
The recommended board members are: Hamilton North and East Councillors Davie McLachlan and Colin Dewar; local resident Chioma Gregory; Catriona Mason of Seniors Together; Gillian McCahon of the Hamilton Information Project for Youth; local resident and former Glasgow City Council City Development director Ian Robertson; local resident and chartered surveyor Alasdair Irvine; local business owner and Lanarkshire Chamber of Commerce chair Tracey Campbell-Hynd; Malcolm Thomas-Harley of Hamilton Business Improvement District; Martin Cryans of South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture; and Alison Brown, the council’s Head of Enterprise and Sustainable Development. An education representative is still to be confirmed.
Alongside these members, the board will also include independent chair Ronnie Smith, Hamilton MP Imogen Walker, and MSP Alex Kerr, bringing total board membership to 15.
A Pride of Place Programme update report will be presented to councillors at the council’s executive committee on June 24.
Kevin Carr, the council’s executive director of community and enterprise resources, wrote in the report: “The neighbourhood board is required to develop a Pride in Place Plan outlining their vision for change over the next decade and how they will use their funding to achieve their goals.
“The board is required to detail how funding will be spent in the first four-year investment cycle. This plan is required to be formally submitted to the UK Government for approval by 28 November 2026, with approval anticipated in spring 2027.”
The board is expected to hold its initial meeting mid-July to agree a consultation strategy and arrange to hold various public consultation events over the summer and early autumn to inform the Pride in Place Plan.
The council has appointed two project officers for an initial period of one year to lead on the consultation process.
The £20 million funding will be split, with 63 percent going towards capital works and 37 percent spent on revenue funding. This is in addition to £8 million already approved for Hamilton town centre as part of the council’s 2025/26 budget.
The council must notify the UK Government of the finalised board by July 17.
