A plain English guide to the Localism Bill
The Localism Act (2011) is a key piece of legislation which reduces the power of central government and gives power to communities so they can have a greater role in decision-making about the future of their local areas. It has potential to benefit the historic environment and the role communities can play in managing and caring for it.
For example, the new Community Rights could be a rallying point for communities to protect their heritage assets, ensuring that they remain an integral part of community life and potentially bringing them under community control if they are at risk of being sold off. However, there is very little funding or training for communities to make use of the Act’s provisions, meaning that deprived communities and some sections of less deprived communities will be less able to take advantage of the potential community benefits.
