Welcome to Our Goal
The interactive guide to take you on a journey through asset transfer. Asset transfer can be a complex process and can mean a huge learning curve for everyone involved – as well as an increase in responsibilities for an organisation taking on the asset. The following pages will help you make a decision about whether asset transfer is right for you.
What Is Asset Transfer?
If a local council or other Public Sector Organisation sells, leases or gifts a piece of land or a building to a community organisation, that is asset transfer. It is the process whereby ownership or management (or both) is transferred in some way from the public sector into the voluntary or community sector.
The ‘asset’ in question might be a disused or underused piece of land, a community centre or village hall, or it might already have been developed for sport – eg a swimming pool, sports hall, football pitch or maybe even a fully outfitted sports centre.
There is already a history of local authorities transferring existing sports and leisure facilities to the independent sector through the establishment of Leisure Trusts and similar organisations. However, the new emphasis on community asset transfer which this resource focuses on is aimed at smaller scale developments where existing voluntary or community groups are supported to take on the management and/or ownership of buildings or land for community sports use.
The government is encouraging Public Sector Organisations to be more proactive about asset transfer as a way of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of local services. Asset transfer can also be used to support the development of local voluntary and community organisations.
Sport England – the government agency which is responsible for promoting community sport – has commissioned this resource so that organisations with an interest in developing local sport facilities can think about the opportunities offered by asset transfer.
What Sort Of Organisations Can Be Involved?
Any Public Sector Organisation might have a piece of land or a building which would be better off in the voluntary or community sector. This might include the council, a local school, the primary care trust – any organisation which is part of local or central government.
The sort of organisation which might want to take on that building or piece of land can be equally wide-ranging – from an existing charity used to taking on responsibilities like this to a group of people who have no prior experience and are getting together solely to take over the building.
What we all have in common is the goal of enhancing sports provision in the community.
The Process
For Public Sector Organisations this resource will give you a brief guide to asset transfer as a way of delivering your objectives for community sport.
For voluntary sector organisations this resource will give you an introduction to the asset transfer process - including planning what you ideally want, finding the owners, planning how you would manage the facility in the future, and making a case for transfer. Just click on each of the links on the navigation bar on the left to go through the process – or click on one of the boxes below to start your journey through asset transfer.
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