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
The new planning proposals will be a developers charter. The planning regulations as they stand can and are being manipulated to disempower at a neighbourhood level. The GMSF has been used by Rochdale council to bulldoze through proposals which have nothing to do with the principles of the GMSF but…
Tim OLocal planning for local people. Power back to residents. Local is resilient. Small is so much more beautiful and can be long term. Better for everyone. Yes everyone
Grainne RThis is sadly a common struggle around Europe, and we should all be worried about it, especially now.
Stephan HThis just makes sense!!
Lizzie BIts very important that local people have a say in what happens in their neighbourhoods
paul mI am strongly opposed to the stripping away of what are already weak and inadequate powers for people and organisations to participate meaningfully in the planning process. These should instead be strengthened and extended to enable more democratic involvement and accountability.
Alan GWe need to housing but we need to do our upmost to keep climate change in mind, green spaces in mind and a voice to be heard
Jacqueline CIt seems to me that this is a massive power grab by central government to control us by removing local democratic processes that are now in place. What then about the Local Plans that in some cases have taken years to carefully develop? There are serious concerns here about the…
Wendy HThis 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 SI strongly oppose the removal of the local democratic element.
Iain B