Report

Getting it right

Think tank: Power to Change

Author(s): Josh Westerling

September 12, 2024

This report from UK think tank Power to Change offers detailed guidance for the Government on how to make a Community Right to Buy work for everyone.

Across the country communities are being shut out as buildings are boarded up, destroyed or sold to developers and turned into spaces that fail to serve the needs of the local community.

A Community Right to Buy could change this by allowing communities the right of first refusal when spaces with significant community value come up for sale, such as empty shops, pubs, and community spaces. If done right, it could help revamp high streets and protect vital community hubs.

This report offers detailed guidance for the Government on how to make a Community Right to Buy work for everyone. It is based on almost 10 years of knowledge working with communities as a think-do tank and funder, and in-depth interviews with community leaders, politicians, civil servants and others.

It draws on learnings from Scotland, where the Community Right to Buy was introduced in 2003. And it outlines how government can build upon the Localism Act 2011, which introduced the Community Right to Bid, to make community ownership accessible for all communities.