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Community Asset Transfer
What is Community Asset Transfer?
Community Asset Transfer (CAT) involves the transfer of the responsibility for an asset from the Council to a community group or voluntary organisation. This can be done through either a transfer of management responsibility, short or long term lease, or through the transfer of outright ownership.
Background Information about the Council's Property Assets and respective roles is available here.
What is our policy on Community Asset Transfer?
The Council's Community Asset Transfer Policy has been developed to improve the way we work in partnership with local organisations. It aims to assist communities to be more sustainable and to create alternative ways of delivering services.
The policy recognises that transferring community assets can be a valuable tool in empowering communities. Where Community Transfer Bodies (CTBs) have demonstrated that they have the capacity and satisfy the assessment criteria, asset transfer can provide a platform to create locally responsive solutions to community needs.
The Asset transfer element of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 will help to empower CTBs through the transfer of land and buildings, and by strengthening their voices in the decisions that matter to them.
The Act sets out how a community group can ask to buy, lease, manage or occupy land or buildings owned by public sector bodies. Public sector bodies must publish and maintain a list of assets that they own or lease. Regulations and guidance have now been published by Scottish Government to implement asset transfer under the Community Empowerment Act. This aspect of the legislation came into force on 23 January 2017.
Different parts of the Act will come into force at different times. For more information about the Act you may wish to visit the Scottish Community Development Centre for a briefing that explains the provisions of the Act. It sets out some of the implications and opportunities for community development, community organisations and community planning.
Part 3 of the Act (Participation Requests) allows communities in Glasgow and across Scotland to ask to participate in certain decisions and processes made and carried out by the Council. Sometimes a CTB may wish to take over a building or land and the services which are delivered by the relevant authority from those premises. This could be addressed by a participation request in relation to improving the outcomes of the services or by an asset transfer request. We do not recommend using both types of request for the same project. Information on how to submit a participation request is available here.
What assets will be considered suitable for transfer?
The assets may include but not be limited to community centres, local halls and play areas. Each application for transfer will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Each public authority is required to publish a register of all their assets. The asset register for Glasgow City Council is available here however a hard copy is available on request. The Scottish Government has set out here (section 7.9) the types of land that need not be included in relevant authorities' registers.
If a transfer is going to involve any new building or change the use of an existing building or property then it is likely that the work will need planning permission. The City Development Plan sets the policies for considering all new development and should be viewed to investigate whether a development is likely to be acceptable. Alternatively you can contact Planning with a query.
Further information
For further information please see our Questions and Answers or How to apply.
Further Sources of Support
Funding
Community Assets Funding helps local communities to address specific inequalities or disadvantages through ownership of an asset.
The People and Communities Fund (PCF) supports community anchor organisations to grow and strengthen by delivering outcomes to meet and respond to the aspirations of their communities.
The Architectural Heritage Fund
Promotes the conservation and sustainable re-use of historic buildings for the benefit of communities across the UK, particularly in economically disadvantaged areas. Where a building is listed, scheduled, or within a conservation area or of acknowledged historic merit - and potentially involves a change of ownership and/or use - help is available through advice, development grants or loans.
Provides funding to third sector organisations to deliver positive outcomes for the individuals and communities that they work with. Provide additional capacity and skills building support to funded organisations.
Information and Advice
Community Enterprise in Scotland (CEiS)
Provides business support to social enterprises.
Community Ownership Support Service
The Community Ownership Support Service (COSS) has been funded by the Scottish Government to support community based groups in Scotland take a stake in, or ownership of, previously publicly owned land or buildings. This adviser based service is being delivered Scotland wide and aims to provide individual community groups and public bodies with a bespoke support service.
Development Trusts Association Scotland
Through the provision of information, advice and support, and the effective facilitation of its inspiring development trust network, DTA Scotland seeks to contribute to the building of independent, enterprising and resilient communities.
Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector (GCVS)
Provides comprehensive support to the third sector in the city - focusing on staffed and unstaffed voluntary and community organisations, volunteers and community enterprises - to help them to function, grow and thrive.
Supports Glasgow's third sector organisations with social enterprise development, accessing funding and support for community ownership.
Scottish Community Development Centre
Provides training and consultancy support in all aspects of community development. Provides support to all organisations and partnerships that work in and with communities.
Other
Supports local groups by sharing the stories and experience of community groups and organisations in their efforts to improve their communities, and by highlighting resources that can help groups in their work.
Provides practical help for communities on green energy development and energy conservation.
Community Land Advisory Service Scotland
The Community Land Advisory Service aims to help community groups, landowners and other interested people to find information on making more land available for community use.
Works to represent the Scottish community landowning movement in different arenas of associated activity.
Community Woodlands Association
Helps community woodland groups across the country achieve their aspirations and potential, providing advice, assistance and information, facilitating networking and training, and representing and promoting community woodlands to the wider world.
Co-operative Development Scotland
An arm of Scottish Enterprise working in partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise that supports company growth through collaborative and employee ownership business models.
Responsible for managing the National Forest Estate for the benefit of communities, visitors, businesses and wildlife.
Provides free advertising of your volunteering opportunities including any Board/Committee/Trustee vacancies; advice and training on involving more supporters, identifying pro-bono specialist volunteers and designing roles.
