The Community Right to Challenge is the right to apply to run a council service.
Who can run council services?
Any "relevant body" can approach North Herts Council to run or help to run a service for which the council is responsible. These bodies have been set out in legislation approved by central government and include:
- a voluntary body or a community body which means a body, other than a public or local authority, that carries on activities primarily for the benefit of the community and not for profit. This includes registered societies (ie industrial and provident societies, such as co-operatives and community benefits societies) and community interest companies.
- a Trust or body of persons that has been established for charitable purposes only;
- a Parish Council (which includes Town Councils);
- Council employees or former employees (two or more);
- Business Improvement District body (‘BID’).
We have a protocol for how any application (known as an Expression of Interest – ‘EoI’) will be handled, which can be downloaded below.
Even if the EoI is accepted, the council has to run a procurement exercise and that means that a relevant body may have to compete with others to run the service.
How to submit an Expression of Interest
If you are a relevant body and are interested then you should read the Protocol the body will need to submit an EoI.
We will accept an EoI under the Community Right to Challenge annually between 1 September and 30 October inclusive.
While we will aim to avoid a disproportionate burden on the applicant, a sufficient level of information is required to ensure that an EoI complies with the requirements specified in the Localism Act 2011.
We will request additional information if we feel there is not enough detail provided to enable us to make a decision. The provision of the additional information is optional and if not provided does not mean that the EoI will not be considered. In this case the council will consider the EoI on the information provided. We have a right to refuse applications and this is set out in more detail in the Protocol below.
The Expression of Interest form can be downloaded below.
Attachments