Across the country communities are being shut out as key buildings are boarded up, destroyed or sold to developers and turned into spaces that fail to serve the needs of the local community. Power to Change has long campaigned for a Community Right To Buy. The policy, which was announced in the King’s Speech last month, means that communities will get the right of first refusal when spaces with significant community value come up for sale.
In short, a Community Right to Buy could be a game changer for communities across the UK. But to be successful, it needs to be done right. In this panel discussion, we talk through what local people and community groups need from the government to make a Community Right to Buy work for them. We discussed the findings of our new research, Getting it right: Introducing and implementing a Community Right to Buy. The report is based on interviews with politicians, civil servants, community business leaders and experts and practitioners, including in Scotland where a similar right already exists.
Watch the recording
Speakers
Ailbhe McNabola (Chair)
Deputy CEO, Power to Change
Ailbhe’s role at Power to Change is to make the case for community business. She leads engagement with central, regional and local government to create more supportive environments for community businesses. Ailbhe oversees and supports the Portfolio Management Team and Policy and Insight Team.
Imandeep (Immy) Kaur
Co - Founder and Director, CIVIC SQUARE
Immy is a Co – Founder and Director of CIVIC SQUARE. CIVIC SQUARE is a public square, neighbourhood lab, and creative + participatory platform focused on regenerative civic and social infrastructure within neighbourhoods. Immy is part of a creative and dynamic leadership team who work alongside the local neighbourhood, to offer a bold approach to visioning, building and investing in civic infrastructure for neighbourhoods of the future.
Joe Fortune
General Secretary of the Co-operative Party
Joe Fortune is the General Secretary of the Co-operative Party, the political voice of the British co-operative movement and the Labour Party’s sister party. Appointed General Secretary in 2019, Joe has worked for the Co-operative Party for 14 years, previously serving as National Political and Policy Manager. He is a former adviser to a Shadow Transport Secretary and has served on the Executive Committee of SERA – Labour’s environmental campaign.
Josh Westerling
Policy Manager, Power to Change
Josh works on political engagement and across several policy projects to influence local, regional and national decision-makers. He develops new policy thinking, creating compelling policy ideas and positions to engage and influence in order to increase funding and support to community businesses.
Linda Gillespie
Head of Community Ownership, Development Trusts Association Scotland
Over the years Linda has worked with 100s of community led organisations and social enterprises and has seen at first hand the positive benefits ownership of assets can bring to communities; improving the sustainability of their organisations, protecting and developing services and creating jobs. Within her current role at the Community Ownership Support Service at the Development Trusts Association Scotland, she has a particular interest in exploring the underlying enterprise models and innovative options for sustaining community assets into the future.
