The document discusses potential uses of the Localism Act in rural communities to develop solutions and advocate for local needs. It outlines several rights granted under the Act that could help with affordable housing, running a village shop or pub, taking over local services like grass cutting, developing community infrastructure like village halls, and increasing access to services. These rights include neighborhood planning, assets of community value, the right to build, and the right to challenge local authorities to take over services. While the Act provides opportunities, challenges also exist around issues like securing land, financing development projects, and negotiating with local governments. Overall, creative and collaborative approaches that consider both direct and indirect benefits are recommended.

1. Supporting Communities … Rural Advocacy… Developing Solutions
Practical uses for the
localism act

2. How COULD the localism
act be used….
• Significant secondary legislation
• Likely to be a process of challenge,
revisions and case
• We don’t know the small print

3. Not how SHOULD the
localism act be used….
• Potential wide impacts on sections of
community
• Large focus on development which is
always a controversial issue
• Must find ways to coming to a
community view

4. Ideas to stimulate
discussion and debate

5. 60 second rights…
• Neighbourhood Planning
• Spatial plan for local area
• Shape not preventing
• Must not conflict with strategic policies

6. Assets of Community Value
• Formally right to buy
• Simply allows a community, group or
individual to ‘list’ a site which they
consider to be delivering a valuable
service or public facility.
• Local authorities keep the list
• Owner must notify if want to sell
• Moratorium period

7. Right to Build
• Community Right to Build Order
• Like Neighbourhood plans but site specific

8. Right to Challenge
• Expression of interest to run a relevant
authority service
• Must be considered
• Can only reject on
– Capability
– Unacceptable service (already tendered,
closing, would breech a duty)
– Administrative (not complete, not right period)
• If accepted trigger a procurement exercise

9. Affordable housing
• The scenario
• There is a need for affordable housing
– Keep the community diverse
– Allow people to stay locally
– Provide employees for local businesses and
services
• Looking for affordable housing
development either through RSLs or a
local CLT scheme

10. Affordable Housing
• Possibly most obvious
• Neighbourhood plan
– Shape overall additional development
• Right to Build
– Site specific
• Two main challenges
– Land available and suitable
– Development finance

11. Affordable Housing
• Remember exceptions sites 99% likely to still
exist
• Also National Planning Policy repeals PPS3
• Opportunity for housing cross-subsidy
• Controversial
• Could cause problems- land value
• Where affordable housing led
• Also remember existing stock or potential
buildings…
– Use rights to change usage?

12. Run a shop/pub
• The shop/pub is shutting/shut
• The community is looking to run a facility
itself

13. Run a shop/pub
• Asset of community value
• Can register the asset
• Doesn’t give you the cash or compel the sale to
the community
• Could damage the business
• Would let you know what’s going on except….
– Asset disposal not stopping trading
• Intended for current not future or potential usage
• But…

14. Run a shop/pub
• Right to challenge – help develop extra
income streams building on community
infrastructure to provide extra value
• Right to build/neighbourhood plan – help
designate a suitable site either directly or
as part of an approach to stimulating local
enterprise

15. Take on the grass cutting
• There is a service that you
are providing locally
• There is a service the local
authority is running locally
• They are similar and you
think it would be better if all
aspects were managed
locally
• Most frequent example is
some form of grounds
maintenance

16. Take on the grass cutting
• Right to Challenge
• Probably looking to take on part of the
service geographically limited
• Is it already contracted out?
• Requires to review expression of interest
• Doesn’t specify the tendering
structure/process
• Better to discuss with local authority-
carrot and stick

17. Develop Village Hall, Play area
• The scenario
• The community wants to develop some of
their physical infrastructure
• Could be an adaptation
• Could be a new build/replacement

18. Develop the Village Hall, Play area
• Right to build – to be able to use land for a
facility directly or build on the land by
means of subsidy
• Last round of community buildings
projects majority used own money from
land or housing sales to part fund
– Helped finances
– Helped grant applications by showing secured
income

19. Develop the Village Hall, Play area
• Unlikely assets of community value will
help
– No cash
– Existing or current usage
• Could factor right to challenge into overall
business planning
– Use facilities to add value
– Individually but also as a network
– Discussion is probably the best first step

20. Increase Service Provision
• The scenario
• Service access issues are one of the
biggest community concerns
• Could be looking at a community service
• Provision of a public sector service
• Melding of the two

21. Increase Service Provision
• Right to build/neighbourhood plan
– Help designate infrastructure
– Part of a discussion around CIL and New
Homes bonus (not just capital)
– Influencing and balancing benefits and
challenges

22. Increase Service Provision
• Right to challenge
• Could provide the service better
– Quality consideration; extend hours, different
approach etc
• Develop to cross-subsidise
– Could be in terms of surplus cash or assets
– E.g. minibus does contract work in morning social
work in afternoon
• Building a hub model
– Viability through running 10 services
• May demonstrate extra value
– Can help tendering

23. Final thoughts…
• Opportunities but also challenges
• Will need to see the detail
• Think creatively
• Think about direct and indirect usage
• Think about process costs
• Remember existing structures
• Discuss first
• Be prepared to negotiate

24. Over to you…
• We see certain patterns to why community
activity starts…not exhaustive
• The strengths (orange post it's)
• The risks/challenges (pink post it's)
• About how we stimulate more community
activity? (yellow post it’s)
• How we make this community activity more
sustainable? (green post it’s)
• Collect them up and put them on the walls
• Opportunity to discuss but please do write things
down