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Sustainable communities act
The Sustainable Communities Act (SCA) 2007 means councils and communities can put forward new thinking on how best to improve quality of life and wellbeing in their local areas.
The act became law in 2007. It provides a statutory framework for councils in England – working with local people and community groups – to put forward proposals on sustainable improvements to economic, environmental and social wellbeing.
The Local Government Association (LGA) was appointed in round one as the national ‘selector' body to assess and shortlist proposals made by councils under the act. Proposals from the final shortlist were then decided on by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, after consultation with the LGA as selector.
On 15 December 2010, the Secretary of State issued a second invitation to local authorities under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 ("the Act") inviting councils to consult people, ask them how they would like to see their local area improved and to take whatever action they see fit to make it happen. The Government also announced a new barrier-busting portal which now provides the mechanism to make proposals under the SCA.
Under this new model, there will no longer be formal SCA rounds. Following this, Communities and Local Government (CLG) issued a consultation to invite views of local government, its partners, communities and individuals on regulations governing the relationship between the Secretary of State and the role of the selector on proposals submitted. We are currently awaiting the outcome of this consultation.
If you have any enquiries regarding the Sustainable Communities Act, or would like further information please:
Email: selector@local.gov.uk
Sustainable communities act on the Knowledge Hub
We have set up a group for the Sustainable Communities Act on the Knowledge Hub. This community can be used to:
- discuss the use of the act
- share ideas on potential proposals
- discuss issues councils are coming up against in using the act
- hear the latest updates on round 2.
We are re-lanching this community while still waiting for news from Government on the outcome of draft regulations for round 2. We would love to hear from you in the meantime and see your contributions.
Content Listing
About the act
Find out more about the background to the act – a five-year campaign by a coalition called Local Works whose role has now been taken on by Unlock Democracy – and the act itself.
SCA round one
The SCA to date has provided councils and local communities with aspiring opportunities to promote, revitalize and engage with their local environments. To demonstrate the strength of this, 100 councils participated under round one of the act, generating 301 proposals.
Submitted proposals under round one
One hundred councils participated under round one of the act, generating 301 proposals. As 'selector', we received proposals from every type of authority, from every region and from authorities of every political colour.
Frequently-asked questions
Read fequently-asked questions and answers about the Sustainable Communities Act 2007.
