Ownership of public assets should be transferred to community groups, think tank ResPublica has said

In a new reported, called To Buy, To Bid, To Build: Community Rights for an Asset Owning Democracy, it said that letting communities buy assets such as libraries, swimming pools and village halls would improve public service delivery, address inequalities and advance the government’s Big Society vision.

The publication gives ideas for how communities can buy under-performing assets that the government plans to sell off, then transform them into improved, community-owned assets.

Phillip Blond, director of the ResPublica, said: “Given the extent of budgetary cuts, a large proportion of the public estate is no longer sustainable in its current form.”

He called for a “broadening of asset ownership” to give communities greater independence, reduce social injustice and narrow the poverty gap.

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