This week the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill had its Second Reading in Parliament, which is an opportunity for MPs to debate the Bill for the first time and look at its purpose. 

The purpose of the Bill is as it says on the tin: empowering communities to have a real say in decision-making.  It is a significant piece of legislation, even through its name being the first time a Bill has ever included the word ’empowerment’ in its title. What must follow is genuine empowerment: not treating communities as an afterthought, but giving them the tools and power to shape their local area.

What this Bill aims to do is rewire our state so that decisions are made closer to communities, representing the biggest shift of power away from central government in over a decade. With power hoarded in Whitehall, local people have been routinely disengaged and disempowered in discussions that directly affect them. This hasn’t been an accident.

The previous Government incrementally eroded social infrastructure, and in turn affected how people feel about the places they live. There is no clearer visual reference of how well a town, city or village is doing than how well its local assets do. The difference between a boarded up, abandoned building and a thriving local pub that brings people together is massive, looking at their impact and service in the community.

For a long time, we’ve seen community campaigning and activism to protect these assets because of their value to the community, but this has always been way harder than it ever had to be. Not anymore.

The Bill’s landmark Community Right to Buy will make it easier and more accessible for communities to buy the assets that are important to them, whether it’s the local pub, library, youth centre or community centre. It also includes, for the first time ever, a special category to protect sports facilities as Sporting Assets of Community Value.

This change is huge, but it’s also so simple. Giving people that know the most about where they live, the biggest say in what happens there, and a chance to properly invest in the place they call home. It’s not about property, but about giving power and control to the hands of local people.

At Second Reading, MPs agreed with the Bill’s purpose and voted to allow the Bill to progress into committee stage – where it will now be scrutinised line-by-line ahead of Third Reading. Committee stage is a time to watch, as these provisions are strengthened and see that the end result achieves the meaningful change the Bill sets out to make.

This Bill may be a moment in time, but it is one that will cement community voice, rights and freedoms for decades to come.