Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a rural community ownership fund.

The Department commissioned an evaluation of the Community Ownership Fund in May 2023 to measure the social and economic impacts of different kinds of asset ownership, which will conclude in March 2026.

Interim findings will be published in the coming months highlighting the impact of the funding. A final report will be published in Spring 2026.

The evaluation will assess the impact of assets across a range of different types of geography including assets based in rural areas.