Hundreds of public assets could transfer to community groups rather than be sold or closed, after the ‘community right to bid' finally passed into law, the coalition's new local government minister has claimed.

Liberal Democrat Don Foster said the law, which came into effect on 21 September, would ‘stop the clock' on sales of assets such as libraries, shops, or village hospitals, so ‘community groups have time to get together a bid, put together a plan and ensure that prized local assets can live on, this time run by the local community for the local community'.