Public sector commitment to asset transfer holds firm

SQW, the independent evaluator of the Asset Transfer Unit (ATU), has today published its evaluation report following the ATU’s second year of operation. The report reveals research findings regarding asset transfer activity throughout England, and provides recommendations for the future of the ATU and asset transfer.

The report, Car parks and castles: giving communities the keys, has highlighted that 49% of local authorities surveyed are expecting asset transfers to increase in the coming year, with circa 1,000 transfers estimated to be underway across the country at present. These findings support the Unit’s recent experience, with a 30% increase in enquiries to its information, advice and referral service from those seeking help to progress a community asset transfer since January 2011 in comparison with the same period in the previous year.

Annemarie Naylor, Head of Assets at Locality – which hosts the ATU – says “Since the Unit was established in 2009, it has supported approximately 1,150 asset transfer initiatives. It is currently experiencing a significant increase in demand for its expert advice and support services, in the context of challenging economic circumstances and public sector reform.”

Coventry City Council has received support from the ATU to develop an asset transfer policy and pilot the transfer of two buildings to community groups in different parts of the city. The Allesley Park Community Centre and the Haggard Community Centre have both been granted long leases as part of the process, and continue to work closely with the local authority to help them develop and refine their asset transfer policy.

With the introduction of the Localism Bill and ministerial support to extend the use of the community right to reclaim land, the ATU expects the speed and scale of asset transfer to increase rapidly. In order to address this, the evaluation report makes the following recommendations:

• That the Unit should continue to be funded for a further three years through to 2013-2014, to build on the current momentum and to ensure that specialist advice remains freely available.
• That the remit of the ATU be broadened to help ensure the sustainability of asset transfer initiatives.
• That the Unit’s work should be strengthened by a cross-departmental government group established to identify the key opportunities and barriers affecting the asset transfer agenda in Whitehall and increase involvement of other government departments in this agenda