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 proposed reforms to the Planning system are the biggest challenge to democracy that are currently being put forward by this government. These reforms are rapidly heading towards even greater autocracy. The aims they are claiming to propound are spurious and meaningless and are purely included to attempt to give…
Susan SI am very worried that projects can take place more easily if the land is not green belt. Some areas may have become far more green over the years and this will not be taken into consideration. We really need to conserve the wild spaces that we have.
Elisabeth JI'm a former city councillor, and know from experience how residents feel when they don't have any control over what is build in their local community. The government's reforms go in the wrong direction on this front. This charter is an important way of demonstrating that there are many people…
Simeon JClearly 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 PWe already live in the one of the most centralised systems in the modern world. To take away local involvement in planning decisions make this even worse. These decisions should be left with local communities and power should not be handed to developers and Westminster. We have already seen how…
Charles Haward SI strongly oppose the removal of the local democratic element.
Iain BLocal people are the best people to understand needs and effects of proposals. It is essential that local people have a say in decisions,that effect them and their community.
Madeleine J C 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 GOur borough Ealing, is getting destroyed by development. No consideration given to the current existing community.
Ann MThe Lawton Report of 2010 called for “more, bigger, better and joined-up spaces for nature.” A decade later this lack of habitat has still not been addressed. In his letter of September 2020 to the Prime Minister, Professor Sir John Lawson calls for bringing nature to people: “We need a focussed programme…
Mini G