Meeting of the Parliament 04 March 2026 [Draft]
Mercedes Villalba raises an important point. She is absolutely right that there is more that we can do. A number of powers are available to communities to take ownership of assets or land in the areas where they live. However, we know that some of those powers have been very rarely used, and that groups have found them challenging to get to grips with. Another important piece of work that we have taken forward is the community right to buy review, which is about getting to grips with exactly the issues that Mercedes Villalba raises in her question.
We have undertaken that work over the past couple of years, and it was raised during discussions on the 2025 act. I hope to publish the outcome of the review in the coming weeks. I hope that that will provide further recommendations for the next Government to take forward and implement.