Transferring assets to the community
21st May 2007, 1:29 pm
The government’s Quirk Review has published its report ‘Making Assets Work’ which looks at encouraging community management and ownership of local public assets (buildings and land) across England. As widely trailed, it finds that there are no substantive barriers to prevent councils transferring assets into community management or full ownership. Powers already exist for this but many are not fully aware of them, or are not using them to full benefit. The report gives a vision that in 2020 “Grass-roots community organisations work alongside social entrepreneurs, and local government and the wider public sector make ever better use of public assets.”
However, the Local Government Association said that councils are relatively small holders of land and assets, and compared with the NHS, government departments and others public bodies have little left to offer - press release at http://www.lga.gov.uk/PressRelease.asp?lsection=07&id=SXD624-A7842F06.
The government’s implementation plan is due to be published on 22nd May, although New Start magazine already reports that there will be £400,000 for 20 pilot partnerships to push ahead with 40 significant transfer projects over the next 12 months. Communities Department news release at http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1002882&PressNoticeID=2421; Making Assets Work can be downloaded from http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1510515.