We’ve just received this by e-mail…

Community Matters has received an extension to its BASIS funded programme
and is able to offer;
targeted support to community organisations to achieve a “Step change in
sustainability”

This can be up to 10 days intensive support on specific issues such as but
not limited to;

·       Business planning

·       Identifying and developing sources of income

·       Review and update of policies and procedures

·       Community consultation

·       Enterprise development

·       Hand holding support to achieve Visible or pre-Visible
accreditation

·       Review strategic plans

·       Facilitated away days

·       Incorporation, registering as a company

·       Training courses for staff and trustees/management committee
members on some or all aspects of community facilities management

·       Trustee/board recruitment, training and induction

·       Supporting volunteering

·       Asset transfer

·       Legal compliance incl.  health and safety/risk assessments

·       Financial management

If you know any organisation that might benefit from this support, they do
not need to be community matters members, please ask them to contact me at
al.bell@communitymatters.org.uk<mailto:al.bell@communitymatters.org.uk> or
alisonbellconsulting@gmail.com

<mailto:alisonbellconsulting@gmail.com> both
email addresses are still activeThe support will be allocated on a first come first served basis to c300
organisations Nationally, and must finish by end of Feb 2013 

Saba Salman of the The Guardian Voluntary Sector network was attracted to write about Birmingham and it’s community asset tranfer work after finding the warts and all case studies on this website.  In a piece she called Making community asset transfer work, she wrote:

The benefits of transfer are clear – community empowerment for local people and asset disposal for the council – but how do you overcome the hurdles?

In Birmingham, the council built on its involvement in the government pilot, recently agreeing a new protocol outlining a consistent path to transfer, from initial expressions of interest to the point of handing property or land.

Karen Cheney, co-ordinator of the council’s community asset transfer development programme, believes clarity is key. “Every local authority has to be very clear as to what community asset transfer means to them.” Councils can dispose off assets at preferential rates in various ways including freehold, a long lease, a shorter lease or a licence to occupy. In Birmingham it involves transferring leasehold, because “that’s protecting both sides – if it is freehold it’s gone and if it goes wrong, retrieving the situation is more costly”. Birmingham’s transfer website is clear, packed with information and avoids any overt council branding.

She also spoke to Masood Yasin of comm:pact about how he organised the transfer of Hutton Hall – which is also covered on this site.

The toolkit is a good first point of information on asset transfer from a sports perspective. The toolkit provides information, resources and case studies that will be of use for anyone attempting asset transfer in a sports context.

• Building your case (pdf, 723kb)
• The Consultation Phase (pdf, 114kb)
• Planning a future strategy (pdf, 707kb)
• Where to go for funding (pdf, 754kb)
• Creating a working body (pdf, 721kb)
• Influencing the right people (pdf, 709kb)
• Asset transfer (pdf, 721kb)
• Evidence and needs analysis (pdf, 815kb)
• Condition survey (pdf, 691kb)
• Creating a business plan (pdf, 740kb)
• Keeping the pool open (pdf, 697kb)

There are more resources and case studies on pools in the Pool Watch toolbox.

About the Programme

The Spaces 4 Change Awards from UnLtd and Channel 4 provides funding and support to entrepreneurial individuals across the UK. We are looking for innovative ideas that unlock unused or under-utilised spaces for young people aged 16-25. Spaces that can be used to practice their cultural, creative or sporting passions.

What is available?

32 Awards of up to £5,000 for individuals or informal groups to set-up and run their own project and support from a dedicated Development Manager.

What are we looking for?

The Spaces 4 Change Awards will support individuals or informal groups with projects that:

• Unlocks unused or under utilised spaces in their communities;
• Benefits young people aged 16 -25 years old, and;
• Allows young people to practice their cultural, creative or sporting passions.

Your project must not:

• Be part of your paid employment;
• Involve political or religious campaigning;
• Involve activities outside the law or against public policy, or anything that encourages ethnic, religious or commercial disharmony;
• Involve employing people other than yourself to carry out most of the project work;
• Be used mainly to achieve academic qualifications;
• Be used to fund living expenses.

(The Quirk Review - “Making Assets Work”)

It is hoped that this website will act as a support and guide  for both public agency staff and community organisations to the ins and outs of Community Asset Transfer in Birmingham giving an interesting, creative and importantly  ”warts and all”  picture of previous and current work.

Following the AWM funded Birmingham Community Asset Transfer Programme 2008-10 including  the two pilot demonstration projects at Norton Hall and PerryCo Community Centre it is great to report that Cabinet  have now approved in March 2011 a Community Asset Transfer revised Protocol and New Way of  Working for Birmingham i.e. a corporate , consistent pathway from an initial expression of interest to the point of transfer of property and / or land to community and voluntary organisations.

This revised Protocol and new way of working will be implemented during this new financial year 2011-12.

The Cabinet Report and related documents have beeen uploaded to this website on the blue tab at the top of the page

This website will now be highlighting new and exciting community asset transfer projects such as Hutton Hall along with updated  information and advice on community asset transfer for groups.

Just wanted to finish with a couple of quotes that relate to the examples of asset transfer that acted as the pilots during the Development programme to give a flavour of  the messages we are trying to get across on this website

” This asset transfer did not all go smoothly. Negotiating the lease and delays over funding caused frustration and delays, but because of the investment in the relationships and the partnership it was at times tortuous it was not faceless”

( Carrie Weekes- Regional DTA Officer)

…and one from me…

This project was…” changing people’s views about what the purpose the purpose of a building is ” and “giving community organisations the opportunity to have a stake in their community by the management of their assets “

Please let us know what you think…..

Opening of Hutton Hall

Photo of Hutton Hall Celebration Event by Podnosh

On Friday, 1 April 2011 a celebration event was held at Hutton Hall Community Centre in Washwood Heath to show off the fantastic art work on the outside of the building and for its very imminent community asset transfer hand over to Commpact from Birmingham City Council.

Masood Yasin, Senior Project Manager at Commpact in Washwood Heath – with a whole host of volunteers and support from Macarts – has led this project through the community asset transfer initiative.

In this audio, Masood talks about the challenges of working through the community asset transfer – it’s been 2 years’ work. He also talks about how the hard work has paid off in a rejuvenated community centre that looks fantastic and will be a great place for young people, families and community groups to meet. He wants the centre to be the hub, the heart of the community, for everyone in Washwood Heath.

See more of the artwork and other photos from the event on flickr.

Photo of Hutton Hall Celebration Event by Podnosh

Cascading Asset Transfer was a course run by the Asset Transfer Unit and funded through Capacitybuilders Income Generation Workstream, funded by Capacitybuilders and the Asset Transfer Unit.

The aim of the course is to equip workers in VCS infrastructure support organisations with the knowledge to support both VCS groups and local authorities considering or undertaking community asset transfer or asset based development.

Course Outcomes

‘Assets Ambassadors’ in local infrastructure organis- ations who can recognise and understand asset development opportunities for VCS organisations, can help develop projects and can signpost appropriately and confidently. More confidence and understanding of the process will lead to better quality projects being developed and a network of asset transfer expertise across the country.

Course Structure

The course development has been based on the Asset Transfer Partnership Routemap published in 2010, which uses case studies to map the key stages involved in successful asset transfer. The course will explore each of the crucial stages, helping those who work to support the VCS to understand the role they can play at each stage and to learn and recognise good practice.

What is community asset transfer?

The 2008 Quirk Review identified clear benefits from local groups owning or managing assets; as a means of empowering communities and as an effective way for local government to achieve its goals.

At its simplest, community asset transfer is a process by which the management or ownership of land or buildings in local authority ownership is ‘transferred’ to the voluntary & community sector (VCS). Community ownership can bring together people from different backgrounds. It can foster a sense of belonging. It can play a role in enhancing the local environment, alleviating poverty and raising people’s aspirations. Fundamentally, it’s about giving local people a bigger stake in the future of their community – the ‘Big Society’ in action.

Participants on the Cascading Asset Transfer Course on the issues facing communities around Asset Transfer.

• The tools and resources developed and provided by the Asset Transfer Unit are useful and good.
• Model strategies and policies are particularly useful
• There needs to be more information about where groups can find sources of support.
• Cascading this knowledge amongst both third sector organisations and infrastructure support will be really useful
• There is a huge amount of uncertainty in communities at the moment about the potential future of assets and their own sustainability as organisations.
• There needs to be more support and information on the financial support which may be available to help groups with asset transfer.
• Infrastructure organizations are being asked to make recommendations to their own local authorities so it is useful to be able to have additiona support services through the ATU to refer people to.
• There is a concern that the community won’t have access to “good” assets rather than those which can’t be sold quickly for capital receipts.
• There seems to be a big push coming from local authorities and government for assets to be taken on by third sector groups- decisions may be rushed and viability is a concern.
• Case studies are ALWAYS useful, and those available on www.buildingcommunity.org.uk are a good way of communicating ideas and stories.

The Asset Transfer Unit has produced a second edition of To Have and To Hold by Lorraine Hart. This is a comprehensive guide to community asset development, written by an experienced practitioner and designed to give confidence.

To Have and To Hold

The Building Community resource has been developed by the ATU to showcase real time, real life stories of Asset Transfer from around the country.

It has been designed to inspire and inform, and contains community centres and castles and everything in between!

www.buildingcommunity.org.uk