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Community Asset Transfer - An Introduction

More and more local authorities and their community based partners are discovering that community asset transfer can help deliver a variety of mutual benefits. It is considered as a key way in which local authorities can support the development of a strong and vibrant civil society.

At its simplest level, asset transfer is a shift in management and / or ownership of land or buildings, from public bodies, (most commonly local authorities), to communities, (community and voluntary sector groups, community enterprises, social enterprises, etc).

Community ownership and management of assets is not new. Indeed, it has a well documented history going back hundreds of years through our society, where land and buildings have been seen to promise, amongst other things, security, wealth creation and independence. However,it is arguably only in recent years that the momentum behind community asset transfer has gathered pace.

The previous Government moved the latent agenda ‘up a gear’ in 2007 with the publication of the Quirk Review and then launching a number of further reports and initiatives, including the ATU itself in April 2009. Since the General Election in May 2010, the policy context has changed significantly, with the agenda for asset transfer, and a more active civil society more generally, arguably accelerating under the direction of the current Government.