Making community asset transfer happen
29th May 2007, 1:10 pm
Following on from the recent Quirk Review, ‘Making Assets Work’, the government has announced a six point action plan “to give people greater control over how key assets in their communities are run - from disused swimming baths to pubs and community centres”.
As trailed, this includes a £400,000 fund for councils to vie become one of twenty pilot areas who will transfer up to forty key assets from local authorities to community organisations, plus a £30 million Community Assets fund to support community-led organisations in owning and running buildings, to be managed by the Big Lottery Fund.
New guidance will be issued to all local authorities to help them identify assets that community organisations could run, there will be a drive to promote powers available to residents to call for assets to be devolved, and training programmes for community organisations to build management skills.
Press release at http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1002882&PressNoticeID=2426, the full ‘Opening the transfer window: The government’s response to the Quirk review’ at http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1510746.
The Development Trusts Association has produced briefings on both the review and the government response, http://www.dta.org.uk/whatsnew/quirkreview.htm. And Capacitybuilders have announced a grant to support the DTA Community Asset Programme - http://www.capacitybuilders.org.uk/info/story/default.asp?item=63.