For too long, communities have been left feeling frustrated at their inability to save a much-loved local building such as a post office, community centre or pub. They find they've suddenly lost a popular local service without ever having had the chance to get together and do something about it.
That's why we're giving communities a greater voice and local people the right to bid, buy and take over the running of prized local assets. They will have the opportunity to make their local services more innovative and responsive to their needs.
The new Community Rights, part of the Localism Act, are giving powers back. The new Community Right to Challenge that came into effect last month allows communities to utilise their expertise and local knowledge to run services better. The best authorities already trust local groups and listen and act upon innovative ideas. By creating such an environment, the council can be spurred into thinking differently about how to improve local services.
Last week I was in Hebden Bridge in west Yorkshire, to see how an inspiring community, which has been severely tested over recent weeks, has taken control of its town hall by bringing a neglected local landmark back to the heart of community life. They're not alone. Up and down the country, many communities are showing that taking ownership of assets works.
But there's no pretending that this process is straightforward. Although highly rewarding, it is equally frustrating. As well as dedication, these groups need skills, support and funding in order to get their projects off the ground.
We have introduced the Community Right to Bid, which will become law in autumn, to allow groups to stop the clock on the sale of assets of community value, giving them time to get funding and a business plan in place.
With the right backing, the process is not as daunting as it may first seem. Last week I announced more than £30m in new specialist support, including an advice service and a telephone helpline to help groups to use the Right to Challenge. Crucially, around 90% of the funding for both programmes will go directly to communities, allowing them to buy the support they need to develop their skills and bid for and run excellent local services, as well as giving them opportunities to learn and contact others doing similar things.
A wide range of services will be open to challenge and each local authority will be required to develop and publicise their processes for people wanting to submit an expression of interest. The grants element of the Right to Challenge Support Programme will come into effect shortly. In the meantime, anyone wanting more information on the Right to Challenge can find help on the Community Rights support website that provides advice for every stage of the processes.
The new Community Rights recognise that Whitehall does not have a monopoly on the best ideas. We want to support communities to make the changes they want to see – to help more "can-do" communities such as Hebden Bridge take ownership of a local building that could be put to better use, and have a bigger say in shaping local services around their needs.
Andrew Stunell is communities minister and MP for Hazel Grove. More information about the Community Rights can be found at communityrights.org.uk.
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