A state-funded scheme that helped save treasured community venues including some of mainland Britain’s most remote pubs has closed prematurely, leaving millions of pounds unallocated.
Launched in 2021, the Community Ownership Fund aims to deliver grants worth £150m to provide local groups with the financial means to take control of pubs, village shops, sports pitches and other much-loved assets.
However, the scheme, which was due to run until the end of 2025, has ended early, with £135m allocated so far. The government blamed the early closure on the state of public finances, and officials said unspent funds would be used to fund other government priorities.
Supporters of the scheme had been lobbying Labor in January ahead of the election to expand the scheme and consolidate community buy-in. Following successes such as the acquisition of the Old Forge pub in Inverry, Scotland, it is hoped the increased funding will prompt more communities to band together and take control of precious local gems.
Old Forge can only be reached by ferry or a two-day hike across the Nodart Peninsula on Scotland’s west coast. After a year of efforts to raise capital and secure the sale, it was purchased in 2022 with crowdfunding support and cash from a community ownership fund.
Last year the fund also gave local people £300,000 to buy the Vale of Aeron pub in Ceridigion, Wales, which poet Dylan Thomas loved when he lived nearby in the 1940s.
Ministers promised to work out more details on community ownership of assets as part of changes following the release of the English-language devolution white paper published earlier this month.
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The Community Ownership Fund announced its final round of funding on Monday, with £36m allocated to 85 projects across the UK, including 35 community centres, eight pubs and eight parks.
Nineteen sports clubs and leisure facilities will be retained, including four historic swimming pools, such as the 1960s Portishead Lido in North Somerset, and one of the country’s last remaining tidal pools, Blixer in Devon. Tom’s Victoria Shoal Pool.
More than £1.7 million is being spent to refurbish and extend the MacMillan Hub community arts center in Edinburgh, while a further £800,000 is being spent to expand the building and outdoor space for an autism and other needs charity in Belfast. The final round of funding also included £400,000 to create a museum for the Welshpool and Llanfair light rail.
A total of £135m has been spent on 409 projects since 2021, with a further £8.5m providing pre- and post-application support.
Local Development Minister Alex Norris said: “We are prioritizing these grants to help protect and upgrade the services these important places provide for their communities – whether that’s improving sporting and education opportunities, tackling loneliness The problem is still to strengthen family services for parents and children.
“This is just the start of our work to support communities and give them greater control of their assets, and we will develop a full strategy over the next year.”