New rights for residents to buy local pubs
Communities will be given "powerful new rights" to buy under-threat pubs, as part of new government plans announced today.
The "landmark" Localism Bill, laid before Parliament today, will give people the right to bid to buy local services and assets, such as pubs, libraries and shops, before they disappear, or are sold to developers.
Councils will be forced to keep a list of public or private assets of community value. And when a listed asset comes up for disposal, either the freehold or a long leasehold, communities will have the chance to develop a bid and raise the capital to buy the property.
The plans are being heralded as a "ground-breaking shift" in power to councils and communities, away from central government, and a key part of the coalition's Big Society agenda.
Councils will also be allowed to grant discretionary business rate discounts. And the Bill should make it easier for small businesses to take advantage of tax breaks.
The planning system will also be reformed with regional planning being "swept away". Instead, it will be replaced by "neighbourhood plans", where councils will have the power to grant planning permission if a local majority are in favour.
"By getting out of the way and letting councils and communities run their own affairs we can restore civic pride, democratic accountability and economic growth - and build a stronger, fairer Britain," said Communities Secretary Eric Pickles. "It's the end of the era of big government: laying the foundations for the Big Society."
Communities Minister Andrew Stunell said local facilities had been closing down "all over the country, leaving towns and villages without vital services".
He added: "Small community groups that are willing to take over local assets often find that they lack the time and resources to get a plan together and compete with the might and muscle of big business and developers.
"The powerful new rights in the Bill will put real power in the hands of real people, empowering local communities and putting them at the heart of local decision making."
