News

Thursday November 6th 2025:

Watch this space for further updates about our project coming soon…

Monday December 23rd 2024

Corbridge Community Partnership Community Ownership Fund Update:

As you know, the decision making process on our Round 4 Window 1 application to the government’s £150 million Community Ownership Fund (COF) was halted when the Conservative government called the General Election in May. We have waited six months for the incoming Labour government to clarify what it intends to do with the policy of the previous administration.

Last Friday we received news from the government (embargoed until today, Monday Dec 23) that our application has been unsuccessful. The sole and puzzling reason given was in relation to, “Limited track record of delivery either of related projects or of any project of a similar scale.”

Which could be applied to many of the 333 projects that have actually been successful in previous rounds of the Community Ownership Fund. By the very nature of this process, a number of those previously COF funded organisations have been created especially to save at risk buildings. The Corbridge Community Partnership itself having been formed in 2020.

While the wide ranging skills and real life track record of delivery of the wider group of trustees, specific experts and special advisors involved in this project – some award-winning in their own fields relevant to our plans – were all listed in detail in our 128 page application. Along with those of our prospective future partner charities and organisations, all with proven track records of delivering community services. That leads us and others to believe that the reason given for refusal is highly questionable.

Some £50 million was left to be allocated in the Community Ownership Fund in two final windows. Our Round 4 Window 1 and a concluding Round 4 Window 2. That latter window has now been scrapped by the government.

The embargo on the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government COF decisions expired at 00:01 today when we were then able to see the wider picture of what has happened to other bids. Of the £36 million awarded to 85 projects in the UK just £675,000 was shared between a mere two schemes in the north east of England, according to the government release. That is under two per cent of the R4 W1 allocation. With millions of pounds left unallocated from the COF.

The government has blamed the state of public finances for the decision to end the scheme early. Stating: “We have taken this difficult decision due to the challenging inheritance left by the previous government.” Officials saying the unspent money will be used to fund other government priorities.

Noting that the minister concerned, Alex Norris MP, told us on Friday: “This government is committed to the communities sector and community ownership through empowering communities to own and run those local assets which mean the most to them. We are already demonstrating this commitment through the publication of the Devolution White Paper. There will be future announcements relating to empowering communities in the spring.”

We have subsequently heard from a number of other disappointed projects who also say they do not recognise the reasons they have been given for refusal.

Needless to say, we remain absolutely determined to secure the funds over time from sources we have already identified to make our full project a reality.

Having just received a grant of £30,000 from the Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust with other bids now being prepared.

We are due to sign a 15-year lease for the former Methodist Church in Princes Street by the end of March 2025 with an option to buy the building within the first five years. 

Current building owners the Methodist Church are just one of many organisations and individuals that fully support our vision for the future. That includes our MP Joe Morris who we will be meeting again in the New Year to discuss our ongoing plans.

All agreeing that we certainly do have the capacity to deliver a much needed project for the benefit of the people of Corbridge and surrounding area.

To make life better for as many people as possible.

With thanks for your continued support.

David Crompton, Corbridge Community Partnership Chair

Update Thursday August 15th 2024

A further update on the Community Ownership Fund released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government at 09:32am today.

The final par is the one particularly relevant to our (and others) Round 4 Window 1 application but doesn’t really take us any further forward:

“This government was elected on a manifesto that stressed its commitment to the communities’ sector and community ownership through empowering communities to own and run those local assets which mean the most to them.  

“Communities will rightly be seeking clarity on previous funding commitments. The Chancellor’s July ‘Public Spending: Inheritance’ speech set out the path to confirming plans for this year and next at the forthcoming Budget on 30 October 2024. Future plans for the next Spending Review period will conclude in spring 2025.   

“We understand that this may have caused uncertainty about Round 4 of the Community Ownership Fund. The government recognises this is challenging and will seek to provide clarity wherever it can in due course.”

Update Saturday July 6th 2024

Just posted on the government’s Community Ownership Fund website:

“As you know, a new government has been formed. New ministers are extremely busy during this period and will be working through numerous decisions. We thank you for your patience and will update you on the Community Ownership Fund as soon as we can.”

Update Wednesday May 29th 2024

With a decision on our application to the government’s Community Ownership Fund due to be announced in the next two to three weeks, we received the below email on Saturday (May 25) from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

Dear applicant,

We have now entered a pre-election period. There will be no further Community Ownership Fund announcements at this time.

Kind regards,
COF Team

The official government / civil service pre-election period of sensitivity – what used to be known as ‘purdah’ – having begun at 00:01 on Saturday. See the below screen grab for further information:

Although not unexpected given general election conventions, this is a disappointing turn of events as on Tuesday of last week (May 21) we received this previous update from the government:

Dear applicant,

We intend to inform applicants of the outcome of their R4W1 application prior to the closure of Round 4 Window 2 so that unsuccessful applicants can reapply.

Thank you for your interest in the Fund.

Kind regards,
COF Team

But, of course, the General Election was called the following day.

The final concluding round (R4W2) of the Fund was due to open tomorrow (Thursday May 30) with a closing date of June 26. All reference to this final round has now been removed from the government’s CoF website.

If, as predicted by the polls, a new Labour government is formed after July 4 there is no guarantee that they will continue with a policy of the previous administration.

But we hope they would, at least, honour the current R4W1 application process as it was so close to completion. With many community groups like ours having put a huge amount of work into our bids and the announcement of decisions just weeks away.

Also to note that we do not yet know if the R4W1 process has been suspended or if decisions will, indeed, be made in the coming weeks but not, of course, announced.

Those outcomes then left on the ministerial desk for any successor to decide whether to proceed with them.

With the Fund expected to continue as planned to its conclusion should the Conservative Party be returned to government.

Separately, the Corbridge Community Partnership has been very busy engaging with many other sources of funding and remains determined to press ahead with our plans.

While having received a supportive response to our Pre-Application to Northumberland County Council’s Planning Department, we and our architects are now moving towards submission of a full planning application.

We will post another update as soon as we hear any news after the General Election.