Community Right to Challenge

The Community Right to Challenge allows local communities the right to challenge how local authorities provide and run services, and potentially take over those services themselves. The Localism Act 2011 allows voluntary or community bodies, parish councils, or two or more employees of a local authority, to challenge the provision of a local authority service.

A ‘challenge’ takes the form of an expression of interest, which the relevant authority must consider. If the relevant authority agrees to accept the expression of interest, it must run a procurement exercise – which would then be open to other bodies that did not provide the initial expression of interest.

The Community Right to Challenge has been used rarely so far, with some 50 expressions of interest submitted as of December 2014.

The right extends to England only.