Joe Hesketh, Plunkett’s Data Manager provides an update on their refreshed directory of assets of community value:

Launched in January 2022, Keep it in the Community (KIITC) is an online database of all community assets in England, such as pubs, shops and land, that have been nominated or registered as an Asset of Community Value (ACV). While records can be updated by members of the public these are not directly linked to the individual ACV registers held at a local authority area. Plunkett endeavours to continue providing the most accurate information on assets of community value and we have completed an update of all records held in the KIITC directory, by collating information on over 4000 assets from all 307 English councils.

As the only complete England-wide database of its kind, Plunkett is able to exclusively provide the statistical headlines below, following the data refresh completed this year:

• In 2021 there were 705 nominations across England, down from 774 in 2020.
• The number of listed assets in England has declined from 3032 in 2020, to 2702 in 2021.
• Public Houses make up 41% of all currently listed assets. This is considerably higher than the nearest category, Green and open spaces, on 15%.
• 263 interim moratoriums were triggered over the last 5 years, with 194 of those triggering the full moratorium period.

To view the refreshed data please visit the KIITC site via this link

What next?

Making use of this invaluable dataset is key to the strategic development of KIITC. Our intention over the coming months is to progress research related to the outcome of the 194 triggered moratoriums. Understanding the outcome of the assets in question will help to reveal the impact of the community right to bid. Our aim is to better evaluate, in situations where community-ownership of an ACV is a realistic opportunity, has the legislation done enough to support the community it is there to serve.

Engaging with local communities and councils is it at the core of our long term strategy for KIITC. Councils play a key role in the ACV process by providing their residents mechanisms to nominate assets, information on the legislation itself and a complete record of listed, expired and rejected nominations. While some councils provide a comprehensive set of information on ACVs, many do not. It is our intention to encourage councils to use KIITC as a central ACV resource, in order to increase awareness of the community-ownership model.

Through research and our engagement work with councils we aim to better evidence the need for a UK-wide Community Right to Buy, enhancing new opportunities for community-ownership and the development of innovative, impactful and inclusive spaces.

Find assets of community value on the new mapping tool

As part of Plunkett’s continued improvement of Keep it in the Community we are excited to announce the launch of an asset of community value map. The map contains information on all listed ACVs and allows users to navigate to the areas they want to view. Assets are broken down by category, allowing user to toggle categories on and off. This update will create an intuitive new way to navigate records held on the website.

To view the new Asset of Community Value map please click here

The Plunkett Foundation is a member of the Rural Services Network.  You can find out more about them at this link.