Nuneaton’s Member of Parliament, Marcus Jones, has urged local people to take advantage of a new Government initiative to help protect community pubs.

The Government has introduced community rights provisions through the Localism Act. These rights are about giving the power to communities to do things their way.  One of the Rights, the Community Right to Bid, enables communities to ask their local authority to list buildings and facilities of local importance, such as pubs, parks and community centres as ‘assets of community value’.  If a local authority lists an asset, should the owner wish to sell the asset, then the community will have 6 months to come up with a plan and funding in order to try to save it.

According to the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), who are firm supporters of the Community Right to Bid and have launched their own ‘List your Local Campaign’, more than 300 pubs have been listed.  This is significantly more than any other type of community asset and we are starting to see real proactive action from communities wishing to take over their local pub and prevent it from being sold. More information on this campaign, and help and advice on how to list your local, can be found on CAMRA’s website at http://camra.org.uk/listyourlocal.

There are now more than 20 pubs under community ownership using the co-operative model which are open and trading – a figure which has doubled in the past year – and more in the pipeline.  The Plunkett Foundation, which we help fund, lead on supporting communities to form co-operatives to take on their local pub, and more information can be obtained from Plunkett’s website: www.plunkett.co.uk.

Commenting, Marcus said: “Britain’s pubs are not only important national institutions with a special place in our hearts, but contribute to the country both socially and economically.  However, the number of pubs listed as assets of community value still represents less than one percent of the country’s pubs, and the Government would like to see the number of pubs which are safeguarded in this way increase even more.

“This could be an opportunity for people in Nuneaton who want to safeguard local pubs, so I am urging people to help to promote and support the Community Right to Bid, as a means by which communities may protect our pubs.”

Listing a pub – or any other asset – is a simple, straightforward process requiring just 21 local people on the electoral register to come together, and your constituents can access expert advice and support via the My Community Rights website: http://mycommunityrights.org.uk.