State-funded UK scheme to save beloved community sites will close early
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Government to shut £150m community ownership fund despite millions of pounds remaining unallocated. A state-funded scheme that has helped save cherished community sites including mainland Britain’s most remote pub is being shut early, leaving millions of pounds unallocated.
The community ownership fund was launched in 2021, with the aim of handing out £150m worth of grants that would give local groups the financial firepower to take control of pubs, village shops, sports grounds and other beloved assets. However, the scheme, which was due to run to the end of 2025, is being closed early with £135m having been allocated to date. The government blamed the early closure on the state of the public finances, with officials saying the unspent money would be used to fund other government priorities.
Advocates of the scheme had been lobbying Labour in January before the election to expand the scheme and solidify community rights of purchase. It was hoped an enhanced fund could lead to more communities banding together and taking control of cherished local gems, after successes such as the purchase of the Old Forge pub in Inverie, Scotland.
The Old Forge is accessible only by ferry or via a two-day trek through the Knoydart peninsula on the west coast of Scotland. It was bought through crowdfunding support and cash from the community ownership fund in 2022, after a year-long struggle to raise funds and secure a sale.
