June 8, 2010
Demonstrating how transfers can be done
A year ago, the Scottish Government commissioned DTAS to promote the concept of transferring public assets into community ownership. One aspect of this work has been to establish eight demonstration projects around the country in places where both the council and a community group have agreed to work together to achieve the transfer. The selected projects are
Summary of Promoting Asset Transfer programme
The programme is running over two years (2009-11) and has three main components:
I. a review of current local authority policy and practice in relation to asset transfer across Scotland. In addition, this review aims to highlight examples of where local authorities have successfully transferred assets to community groups and provide illustrations of some of the key issues that can arise during the course of an asset transfer.
II. a series of seminars running through 2010/2011. The seminars will target different audiences – elected members, council officers and community groups. These seminars will explore aspects of the rationale for increasing community ownership of assets, highlight the benefits and risks that are inherent in asset transfer and in the community ownership of assets more generally. The seminars will also introduce some practical resources for those involved in the process – particularly in relation to assessing the benefits and risks involved.
III. a series of demonstration projects focusing on different parts of the country and different aspects of asset transfer. The selected projects will be offered a range of specialist support in order to facilitate a successful outcome and will take the form of partnerships between local authorities and community groups who have agreed to engage in a transfer of assets in their area. The scope of this phase will be broad and it is anticipated that it could range from consultancy support to assist in the development of a local authority-wide asset transfer strategy to the provision of a range of technical advice services with a focus on a specific transfer. The selected projects are :
In Highlands….Muir of Ord village hall
In Perth and Kinross…..Aberfeldy Town Hall
In Stirling Council area….Braeport Centre in Dunblane
In Edinburgh ……Portobello Community Centre
In Glasgow ……a former primary school in Govanhill
In North Lanarkshire….two community centres in Bellshill and Coatbridge
In Dumfries and Galloway……Moffat Town Hall
In Argyll and Bute…..Campletown Town Hall