Public buildings and spaces are vital; whether they are local libraries, green spaces or community centres, these assets sit at the heart of our neighbourhoods. 
But years of austerity measures and cuts to local authority budgets have meant that hard-pressed councils are having to sell, cut or shut crucial parts of community infrastructure.
Locality’s ‘Places and Spaces – The future of community asset ownership’ paper calls for a £1bn fund to save the nation’s public assets. Not only would this prevent the most iconic community buildings from being lost for good, it’s a huge opportunity to empower communities, reshape public services and regenerate local economies.
Following the EU referendum, the need for communities to have a real stake in their local areas and control over the activities and services which matter to them has never felt more important. This new Community Asset Investment Plan could help put communities back in the driving seat and give them more control over what happened in their neighbourhoods.
For further information, visit: http://locality.org.uk/our-work/campaigns/places-and-spaces/