Last week we attended webinar about “Community Right to Buy” hosted by Power to Change. It was very interesting to hear a wide range of perspectives from different organisations across the whole of the UK. The webinar drew on the fact that ‘community right to buy’ was mentioned in the Kings Speech and has become quite well known in recent years. The proposed Bill will “include a new ‘right to buy’ for valued community assets, such as empty shops, pubs and community spaces” in recognition of the impact such projects have on reinvigorating both urban and rural communities.
Power to Change, along with many other organisations we have worked with, has been advocating for a community right to buy so it was “really pleased to see the government including this in the King’s Speech.”
In Scotland the community right to buy is already enshrined in law and gives strength to groups who are undertaking community projects to keep services such as pubs and shops open. It will be good to see it entering the statute books in England and Wales too!
Many community charities welcomed the announcement of the bill, with Tony Armstrong, chief executive of the membership body Locality, describing it as a “major opportunity to ensure local people can really ‘take back control’”. He said: “A new community right to buy will be a big help to communities trying to save valued local spaces – this is very welcome and is something Locality has long campaigned for.”
Whilst we continue to work towards achieving that goal for our own community it is heartening to see the successes of other groups we know such as The Black Horse at Grimston. There is a real community within the network that helps support and advise other projects based on their own experiences. This has been invaluable to us and keeps us going!
What can you do?
Whilst we are still working towards getting an agreed purchase you can still help add to our funds. The Easyfundraising app has been a really good source of income for us – click on the link to find our more. It’s so easy to use - we’ve got into the habit of using it for any online shopping thanks to the app reminder! There are so many shops included on the app – I keep finding new ones I never thought would be on it!! If you are already signed up, then share the love! Every new sign up gets us a donation.
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