Localism Bill victory for voluntary and community sector
19/10/2011
NAVCA is celebrating victory for the voluntary and community sector following the publication of the amended Localism Bill. The amended Bill has been published following the House of Lords report stage. Despite intense lobbying by the Countryside Landowners Association (CLA) to reduce the length of time that charities would be able to exercise their 'Right to Buy', the government has agreed with NAVCA that a six months period is the minimum period needed to make the Assets of Community Value opportunity work.
The Localism Bill will give charities and community groups the right to get local councils to list properties as "Assets of Community Value". This aims to prevent the heart being ripped from communities by buildings being closed or sold. The CLA campaigned for the moratorium period to be reduced to three months. NAVCA campaigned to retain the six months period as a minimum, believing any less would make it impossible for local groups to have enough time to put together a funding package and business plan should a listed asset be put up for sale.
NAVCA has been campaigning for more than a year to ensure the Localism Bill benefits local charities and community groups not big organisations. This work was recognised in the Lords debate. A briefing prepared by NAVCA and ten other national umbrella organisations including NCVO and Locality got an official Hansard mention, the official record of parliamentary debates, after being quoted from by the Deputy Chief Whip, the Lib Dem peer Lord Shutt of Greetland.
Kevin Curley, NAVCA's Chief Executive said;
"NAVCA's campaign is to make sure that the Localism Bill delivers on its promise to give powers to local people and communities. I am delighted that the Lords agreed that communities need at least six months to prepare bids if the 'Right to Buy' is to mean anything.
"Getting our work recognised in the House of Lords is greatly encouraging but there is still a lot of work to do to ensure that the Localism Bill gives real powers to local communities. I would urge everyone with an interest in this to sign up to our campaign at www.RP4C.org.uk."
