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Nandu Kerai, Ellen Reaich and Paulette Romain

Department for Communities and Local GovernmentJuly 2014

You’ve got the power

The Vision

The Challenge

• Doing everything at the lowest possible level and only involving central government if absolutely necessary

• Giving away power to individuals, professionals, communities and local institutions

• A society where people, neighbourhoods and communities have more power and responsibility and use it to create better services and outcomes

What do we want to achieve?

• Communities genuinely more in control of decisions, assets and services

• Build different relationships between people and services – with interaction, engagement and ownership accepted as the norm

• People to have an understanding of what they can do, what their role is and how they can make a difference

Neighbourhood Planning

STEP 1Get informed on mycommunity

rights

STEP 2Designate

Neighbourhood Planning Area +

Forum

...

STEP 3Consultation &

community engagement

...

STEP 4Local Authority

publicise the plan

...

STEP 5Examination of

plan

STEP 6Referendum

STEP 7 Love your

Neighbourhood!Eg Locality Road

Map

Examples of neighbourhood plan policies

Exeter St James preventing conversion of houses to multiple occupation once a certain threshold is reached

Upper Edenallows single dwellings in rural areas, where the local plan would only allow them where there are at least 3 existing ones.

Lynton & Lynmouth

prevents new housing intended for

use as a second

home

Community Right to Bid

STEP 2Parish council or 21 people support and nominate the

asset

STEP 3Local Authority accepts/rejects

nomination

STEP 4 If asset is going to be sold, can have up to

6 months to raise funds to buy

STEP 5Could use community

shares?

STEP 6Asset is brought into community

control

STEP 1Get informed:

mycommunityrights.co.uk

Find an asset that you want to protect

Residents of Nunhead, south London, came together to stop the clock on the sale of their local

pub, The Ivy House, and raised money to buy it using community shares.

Residents of Nunhead, south London, came together to stop the clock on the sale of their local

pub, The Ivy House, and raised money to buy it using community shares.

Green Valley Grocer is a community-owned co-operative in Slaithwaite, buying seasonal produce from farmers within 30 miles to sell to locals. The shop has become profitable again,

and eight paid jobs have been created.

Green Valley Grocer is a community-owned co-operative in Slaithwaite, buying seasonal produce from farmers within 30 miles to sell to locals. The shop has become profitable again,

and eight paid jobs have been created.

Community Shares

STEP 5Develop a share offer document setting out why your community should invest

STEP 1Find out how :

www.communityshares.org.uk

STEP 2 Make the case

and gather community

support

STEP 3To issue shares:

register community group as an Industrial

Provident Society

STEP 6Launch and

promote share offer to attract

investors

STEP 4Set your funding target based on your business

case£18,000

Community Right to Challenge

STEP 1Get informed:

mycommunityrightsConsider your capacity and

strengths

STEP 2Speak to local

authority

STEP 3Build your

business case

STEP 4Complete &

submit expression of

interest

STEP 5Local

authority responds

STEP 6Bid to run the

service

Our Place

STEP 1Find out more about

the programme mycommunityrights.o

rg.uk/ourplace/

STEP 2Join the Our Place network and take

advantage of support and learning

STEP 4Work with your

council, police, GPs, business and

voluntary groups

STEP 3Buddy up with like-minded people and

communities

STEP 5Make changes in your

neighbourhoodOur Place

Our Place HaverhillOur Place Haverhill

What we learned

• An Our Place approach can generate better services Services are tailored to the needs of the neighbourhood Communities can reach and influence hard to help groups Public service providers work better together, with the community and with business

• An Our Place approach can make neighbourhood spend go further

Communities are taking control of local services and assets, to reduce waste and generate savings

Local people are coming forward to volunteer alongside statutory services Free professional support for community organisations Businesses are coming forward with ‘in-kind’ support

• An Our Place approach can create more resilient communities Communities are influencing decisions about services and ‘spend’ in their

neighbourhood New community role for councillors Increased democratic engagement

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That’s all very well but this seems complicated…

• Funding expert support organisations to work with community groups, parish councils and local authorities. Find more info at www.mycommunityrights.org.uk

• Providing over £50m of grant support for communities using the new powers and opportunities

• Working closely with other government departments to make it easier for communities to understand the wider help available

That’s why we’re:That’s why we’re:

• Supporting www.justact.org.uk: a resources website featuring a 10 step guide to running a community project and home to the Knowledge Bank filled with guidance on specific types of projects

….and support is available

DCLGDCLG

Community assets

£19m 2012/15

Community assets

£19m 2012/15

Right to challenge -

£9.5m 2012/15

Right to challenge -

£9.5m 2012/15

Community shares £590k

2012/15

Community shares £590k

2012/15

Right to build£6.5m 2012/15Right to build£6.5m 2012/15

Tenant Empowerment Fund up to £8m

2011/15

Tenant Empowerment Fund up to £8m

2011/15

Neighbourhood planning

£10.36m 2013/15

Neighbourhood planning

£10.36m 2013/15

Our Place!£4.3m 2012/15

Our Place!£4.3m 2012/15

Parishes£900k 2013/15

Parishes£900k 2013/15

Where we are nowWhere we are now

Over 900 designated neighbourhood

planning areas; 20 ‘yes’ votes

Over 900 designated neighbourhood

planning areas; 20 ‘yes’ votes

123 Our Place areas

123 Our Place areas

93 Community Share offers

£25m combined value

93 Community Share offers

£25m combined value

245 Challenge organisations

supported

245 Challenge organisations

supported

May 2014Over 2,000 uses of the rights…

and counting.

May 2014Over 2,000 uses of the rights…

and counting.

1200 Community assets listed under Community Right to

Bid

1200 Community assets listed under Community Right to

Bid

2 Community Right to Build

Orders approved

2 Community Right to Build

Orders approved

17 campaigns for new parish councils

supported

17 campaigns for new parish councils

supported

We want to see…We want to see…

Thousands of areas

designated

Thousands of areas

designated

Thousands of assets listed

Thousands of assets listed

145 share offers£22m

145 share offers£22m

Over 100 Our Place areas

Over 100 Our Place areas

30 campaigns for new parishes

supported

30 campaigns for new parishes

supported

Dozens of referendums

Dozens of referendums

Community Rights made real!

You’ve got the powerto shape where you live

and the responsibilitythat goes with it