The Charter For Communities
We believe in community rights – and that people are the solution, not the problem.
Our Charter gives communities both protections and opportunities to drive positive change in our local areas.
Write to your MP
In July 2025, The Government introduced the England Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, with an aim being to ‘give communities stronger tools to shape their local areas’. The Community Charter gives people and places the basic rights they need to shape local decisions, protect their environment, and build healthier, fairer communities.
Write to your MP to tell them you support the inclusion of the Community Charter in the Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill.
About the Charter for Communities
Communities across England face big challenges — from the climate crisis and poor housing to disconnection and division. Too often, decisions are made far away in Whitehall, leaving local voices unheard.
Our Community Charter recognises that people are already creating solutions — from community energy to housing projects, green spaces and local initiatives that bring people together. With the right support, these efforts can strengthen our health, wellbeing and democracy.
Why It Matters
• Communities are often treated as problems to manage, rather than partners in shaping the future.
• Local voices are sidelined as decision making is centralised.
• The government’s Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill fails to give people real power over their own places.
• Our Charter shifts the balance. It gives people the rights they need to protect where they live, influence decisions, and build thriving, connected communities.
The Seven Rights
The Charter draws on international law and existing models of good practice. All are credible, achievable and already recognised elsewhere — just not yet implemented in England.
1. A clean and healthy environment (UN human right, 2022)
2. A healthy home (drafted into UK legislation but not yet passed)
3. The right to play (UN Convention on the Rights of the Child)
4. The right to grow food on public land (proposed in previous UK planning amendments)
5. The right to roam and swim (already law in Scotland)
6. A voice in local decisions (Aarhus Convention, now an EU directive)
7. The right to challenge decisions (in line with Aarhus principles and earlier UK proposals)
What’s Next
This Charter is an invitation to rethink how we work together — government and citizens, state and community. It builds on international conventions and proven ideas, but places people and places at the heart of decision-making.
By recognising these rights, we can unleash the energy of communities to create fairer, healthier and more hopeful futures.
This charter has been developed by people who care about who makes the decisions that affect the places we live. Find out more about Rights Community Action and sign up to our subscriber list here
For any queries, please email charter@rightscommunityaction.co.uk.
Signatures
This Charter not only accurately represents my strong views on this subject but also accurately highlights the anger and frustration resulting from the helplessness of being powerless to influence what happens in my own community.
Chris ADecisions that affect the community should be made by that community. Considerations of climate change, sustainability, infrastructure, green spaces and the environment should take priority.
Sarah BClearly covering a lot of countryside in bricks and mortar is something that is being caused by the ever increasing population. However very little thought is going into this process and nature is on the run and being eradicated. Most planning application of any size does allow a 3min slot…
John PIts very important that local people have a say in what happens in their neighbourhoods
paul mPoor planning has harmed communities, reduced valuable green space and created car-dependent suburbs. We can and must do better.
Amanda SThis change to the Planning rules threatens to destroy the democratic process and to undermine all the hard work that has gone into creating Neighbourhood Plans. Local opinion and support is crucial to fair and democratic government. The proposed changes do nothing but pander to developers and central government.
Richard SHolmer Green and Hazlemere Neighbourhood Development Forum is a Facebook group which is giving a voice to people in these villages. We aim to let people know about prospective development plans, rather than relying on a poster on a random lamppost. Agreements have been signed between Planning Officers and Developers…
Susan JI fully support this statement and the principles behind it. I would like to thank Rights: Community: Action for the help given, via the website, with our response to "Planning for the Future".
Stuart BIt makes sense for Local Authorities to have control of the development of their boroughs and for residents to have a say in the planning applications that affect their areas. It is important that the London Plan and local plans are the policies that local authorities adhere to. The government…
Cllr Tricia CLocal people should have the ability to make decisions that affect them, their community, their environment.
Madeleine J C M