Community rights

Community Right to Challenge

This community right enables communities to bring a challenge to take over local services where they feel they could run the service differently and better.

The community group would need to put forward an expression of interest which the Council must consider.

The following groups are all eligible to express an interest to run a service currently provided by the Council:

• voluntary and community bodies
• charities
• Parish/Town Council;
• two or more employees of the relevant authority

The My Community Rights website offers information and advice on understanding this community right.

Community Right to Bid

Assets of Community Value

This right allows community groups to nominate land or buildings for inclusion on a register of community assets. The land or building can be publicly or privately owned, however it cannot be wholly residential.

The benefit to the community of having an asset listed on the assets of community value register is that when these assets are put up for sale, a procedure will follow to ensure that community groups have a fair chance to submit bids to the owner. You can find out more about this process by visiting the My Community Rights website.

Assets of Community Value could include the following:

• churches
• village halls
• public houses
• town halls
• village greens
• sport grounds

Who can make a nomination?

Only the following community groups can make nominations:-

• parish councils
• unincorporated groups with at least 21 members
• neighbourhood forums
• community interest groups

For a local group to be able to make a nomination it will have to demonstrate that its activities wholly or partly take place in the local authority's area.

How to make a nomination

You can make a nomination by using the Council's application form which can either be completed online or in paper form and returned to the Legal Services department at the Council. Full details of where to send your application and how any nomination will be dealt with are set out in the procedure note.

Please Note: The owner of an asset may appeal against his or her property being included on the list.

Listing

If the nomination is successful the asset will then be placed on the list of assets of community value. If unsuccessful, the asset will be listed on a list of unsuccessful community nominations. You can access these lists from the downloads' area.

Confidentiality

Please note that any information provided as part of the application may be copied and passed onto a person with an interest in the asset you are nominating and made available under usual access to information requirements.