Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will review the adequacy of the eligibility criteria for (a) the Common Ground Fund and (b) other capital funding schemes at helping to increase levels of support for community organisations seeking to acquire their first building.

The Government recognises the importance of community spaces and buildings which offer vital resources for communities across the country.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has policy responsibility for community assets and community development. In September 2025 MHCLG launched the Common Ground Award to invest capital funding into VCSE sector organisations that are bringing people together from different backgrounds, supporting the cost of constructing or renovating facilities, or the purchasing of equipment to deliver services. Organisations are not required to own the property from which they operate to be eligible for the Award.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not have policy responsibility for community ownership and has not conducted its own assessment of the eligibility criteria or impact of capital funding schemes.