Community right to challenge

Introduction to community rights

The community right to challenge came into force on 27 June 2012. It was part of the Localism Act 2011 and one of a group of new 'community rights' in the act which are intended to help communities to play a bigger part in shaping the area in which they live.

The community right to challenge paves the way for more communities to help run local services, as local people often have good ideas about how services can be improved. These community rights give people the opportunity to express an interest in running a particular local service, which will then be considered in accordance with procurement law.

For the purpose of the community rights the act states that 'relevant authorities' must consider expressions of interest. A relevant authority includes a county council, a district (or borough) council, a London Borough Council, or any other person or body carrying out a function of a public nature specified by the Secretary of State in regulations. This means that Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council must consider expressions of interest in line with the statutory guidance.

These pages explain who can submit an expression of interest, which services are 'relevant services', which services are excluded, how to submit an expression of interest, and what the council will do when it receives an expression of interest.

Last updated: 22/12/2023, 08:50