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<p>Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published on-line
as part of our transparency agenda. They are available at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-communities-and-local-government&publication_type=transparency-data"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-communities-and-local-government&publication_type=transparency-data</a><br><br></p><p>
</p><p>Through the Community Right to Bid, introduced as part of the Localism Act
2011, communities and local groups can protect local assets, such as parks, playing
fields and allotments, by nominating them to be listed by the local authority as an
Asset of Community Value. If the listed asset comes up for sale, local community groups
can ‘pause’ the sale for a period of time in order to raise the finance to make a
bid to buy it.</p><p> </p><p>In February, the Department held a green spaces seminar
to explore barriers to pursuing innovative solutions to protecting green spaces and
to consider what actions central government might usefully take to help remove some
of these. The National Trust attended this seminar and presented the approach they
are exploring in partnership with Sheffield City Council to create an endowment fund
for the city’s parks. This work is being pursued as part of the £1 million Rethinking
Parks project initiated by Nesta, Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery.</p>
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