Labour unveils community right-to-buy fund

Labour will give communities powers to take over pubs, football clubs and historic buildings. Shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy (pictured) has unveiled a new community right-to-buy, giving locals first refusal on assets. She also said Labour would introduce licensing systems to clampdown on second homes. Nandy said she was inspired by the near-collapse of Wigan Athletic in her constituency, when locals were unable to secure the funds required to rescue the football club. The planned Community Ownership Fund will give groups access to funding to buy assets, as well as the right to buy them without competition. The plans will also include the right to force the sale of land or buildings that fall into significant disrepair. Nandy detailed the proposals in a speech at the Forum Music Centre in Darlington, which was saved by community intervention. She said: “This is the first step on the way to greater financial autonomy for our towns, villages and cities. The only conditions attached are that it must raise revenue to be used and passed down through the generations, and that it must be driven by the wishes of the community, held in common and used for the common good.” She added: “With a stronger licensing system, communities will be able to reap the rewards of thriving tourism, while ending the scourge of communities becoming ghost towns when holidays end, and end people being priced out of their own neighbourhoods just for homes to stand empty for months on end.” To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews Image © Jonathan Hordle/Shutterstock