Community Power Act: What is it and how can you get involved?
Community Power Act: What is it & how can you get involved?
Here at October Books in our journey to becoming a Community Benefit society we have been blown away by the sheer number of organisations and campaigns striving to increase the numbers of, and provide support for, community businesses. It shows community businesses really are a successful alternative to the standard business models we’ve seen on the high streets before.
Who has power in a community?
We firmly believe communities should be at the heart of high streets and public institutions everywhere, and we deserve more power about how public money gets spent in our neighbourhoods.
Currently, our communities get little or no input into the decisions that affect us most. Even if some initial input is allowed, this is often ignored as the project grows. This needs to change.
‘We’re Right Here’ Community Power Act
‘We’re Right Here’, the campaign for community power, is calling for a Community Power Act. This would be a major piece of legislation that would fundamentally change where power lies in this country. October Books fully supports the Community Power act and believes it to be a vital next step towards real, accountable democracy.
Support Community Power in Southampton and Nation-Wide
Want to learn more about ‘We’re Right Here’ and the Community Power Act? Click here to visit their website for more information about the proposal and how you can show your support.
What does the Community Power Act involve?
From the 'We’re Right Here’ website:
‘The Act would:
1: Establish three new community rights
A Community Right to Buy - Giving communities the right of first refusal once buildings and spaces with significant community value come up for sale.
A Community Right to Shape Public Services - Encouraging greater collaboration between communities and public institutions when designing, commissioning and delivering local services.
A Community Right to Control Investment - Increasing community control over the key spending decisions which affect local neighbourhoods.
2: Introduce Community Covenants
These neighbourhood-level arrangements would bring local people, community organisations and local authorities together to share power and make decisions.
3: Establish a Community Power Commissioner
This independent office would be charged with ensuring action is taken across government to uphold the new community rights, enable the formation of Community Covenants everywhere, and generally unlock community power.
These three measures are intended to complement and reinforce one another. The three new community rights provide a basis for action which is supported and enhanced through the formation and work of Community Covenants. Meanwhile the Community Power Commissioner would both drive the formation of Community Covenants and work to ensure that the government upholds communities’ rights fully and effectively.
The Community Power Act is the missing piece of the devolution puzzle – it will build a clear and trusted track along which power can be devolved from Whitehall to regions, local areas and all the way to the neighbourhood level.
There is already a large and growing movement of people around the country taking action in their communities. This Act would remove some of the institutional and legal barriers in their way. And by changing the basic assumption about where power lies, it would also help inspire others to take action so that ultimately every neighbourhood in the country is supported to take control of its future.
A Community Power Act does not ‘create’ community power on its own. That comes from the awesome potential residing in communities everywhere. But this Act is needed to unlock that potential. We’re Right Here looks forward to working with government, parliamentarians, local authorities, civil society organisations and local communities everywhere to make it happen.
Want more detail on the Community Power Act, including answers to Frequently Asked Questions? Download the full proposal.’
