Community empowerment initiatives announced by the UK Government – but will they be implemented by the new Prime Minister?
30th June, 2026
On 16 June 2026 the Government announced five new initiatives designed to empower English communities, but following the resignation of Sir Kier Starmer as Prime Minister on 22 June 2026 there are doubts as to whether these will be implemented. In this article, Tim Care, Alexander Rose, and Abigail McAllister consider each of the announcements, their legal implications and whether the initiatives will still be implemented.
Which community empowerment initiatives have been announced?
On 16 June 2026, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed MP made a statement in Parliament announcing a raft of new community empowerment measures including:
1) New public funding programmes
Two new funds were announced, these being the:
- £61m Pride in Place Community Right to Buy Fund
- £10m Test, Learn and Grow Capability Fund
The £61m Pride in Place Community Right to Buy Fund aims to give deprived communities the chance to use powers such as the Community Right to Buy in order to take ownership of struggling local assets such as pubs, clubs and community centres.
This public funding is not new money, but rather it forms part of the £301m set aside for the regeneration of high streets and community spaces and falls within the wider £5.8bn Pride in Place programme. However, the announcement signals a more focussed approach to regeneration than the Community Power Pilots which seeks to tackle a wider variety of areas for improvement in set locations. Rather than funding new endeavours and services, the Pride in Place fund seeks to utilise and regenerate pre-existing assets.
In the words of the Secretary of State, The Pride in Place programme is “pushing power out of Whitehall and into the hands of the people who actually use these high streets. They know what they need better than any politician in Whitehall. We’re backing communities to step in and save these high street gems, building on our drive to give communities the key to their own future and power over what matters to them.”
Further details of the Test, Learn and Grow Capability Fund are to be announced in the near future but from what we currently know, the fund will come from the Cabinet Office and support 20 places already involved in the Test, Learn and Grow programme to explore new and improved ways of delivering crucial public services.
2) Community Power Pilots
The concept of Community Power Pilots was first announced in May. However, the Secretary of State has now provided further insight into how these initiatives will operate in practice.
The pilots will support local councils in working with community groups and local people across 25 locations to deliver important community-focussed services in a variety of areas including youth provision, community safety, housing and the creation of green spaces. This is supported by £15m in new funding.
A central ambition of the new measure is to “drive out profiteering from public services“, with a particular focus on children’s social care. This crack-down is made possible by the new powers, a profit cap and wider government reforms aimed at ensuring public funds are used more effectively for community benefit.
Alongside this, a ‘task and finish group’ will be established to jointly determine how strategic authorities and Mayors could play a stronger role in driving improved procurement. This group is understood to set a precedent as it is the first time the “right to request” at Section 53 if the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 has been used.
The Secretary of State has highlighted that “local authorities should retain autonomy in their procurement of the services they are accountable for and should remain responsive to local need and community concerns”.
Recent reforms in procurement law and practice, brought into effect through the Procurement Act 2023, have already enabled public bodies to use procurement tools more flexibly to deliver greater value in public procurement. However, sometimes the boundaries between local authorities, both real and virtual, can prevent procurement strategies being aligned to wider regional priorities and achieving optimal economies of scale.
Strategic Authorities will also have the ability to bring neighbouring bodies together to develop regional strategies and work together to leverage their combined purchasing power. They will also be able to develop strategies on region-wide social value to help suppliers deliver wider benefits from public contracts, working with community-driven initiatives and responding to those local voices that the statement talks about. These words, however, will need to be backed up with accountability mechanisms with real teeth, which is where Strategic Authorities can bring new powers and co-ordination.
3) The Right to Manage
The Right to Manage will allow leasehold property owners to take control over the management of their building, without the need for agreement from the landlord. If successful, the landlord retains the building but the leaseholders are responsible for the day-to-day management such as collecting any service charge, upkeeping communal areas, dealing with complaints, and upkeeping the structure of the building.
The review of the Right to Manage has now concluded, with a number of important reforms proposed to strengthen support, provide greater oversight of the system and encourage stronger enforcement action.
The overarching aim is to make it more accessible for social housing residents to take control and to hold social housing managers accountable. The recent statement highlights that the majority of social housing homes are currently run by housing associations, meaning that residents fall out of scope of the Right to Manage. It is now being explored whether this should be extended.
While further detail is awaited, assurances have been given that any proposed changes will be subject to consultation with both social housing residents and social housing providers.
4) New place unit
It has been announced that a new “Place Unit” will be established within the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government to ensure that local perspectives are embedded at the heart of policymaking.
Conclusion
The announcement of this new wave of community empowerment initiatives is to be welcomed. It builds upon the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 and should contribute to social cohesion. In terms of whether these announcements will survive the change in Prime Minister, the expectation is that they will, given they align with the belief in place-based devolution and social progress of the most likely candidate to prevail.
Ward Hadaway regularly advises public bodies on issues relating to public funding, procurement and subsidy control. Please do get in touch if we can be of assistance.
Please note that this briefing is designed to be informative, not advisory and represents our understanding of English law and practice as at the date indicated. We would always recommend that you should seek specific guidance on any particular legal issue.
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