Civil Society has reported on how the local group that failed to buy Hastings pier has launched a campaign to scrutinise the laws around community assets that have been sold off without consideration for local community interests, to prevent future community assets being sold off cheaply to private owners.
The charitable group which went into administration had been given £12.7m of Heritage Lottery Fund money to rebuild the pier, which had been destroyed in a fire, and had raised hundreds of thousands from a community share offer.
Amber Rudd, MP for Hastings and Rye, has passed FOHP’s request for an inquiry to Clive Betts, chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government select committee in September. Betts said in his response that scrutiny of the Localism Act would likely have to follow the government’s publication of a memorandum assessing the operation of the act so far, which he hoped would happen soon…