Issue - meetings

Community Asset Transfer Policy

Meeting: 06/09/2022 - Executive (Item 85)

85 Proposed adoption of Community Asset Transfer policy pdf icon PDF 437 KB

To consider the report of the Programme Manager Communities.

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

Agreed:

 

RECOMMENDED that Council adopt the Community Asset Transfer Policy.

 

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

 

 

Minutes:

The Executive received the report which provided Members with an overview of the proposed purpose, procedure and resource implications of adopting the Community Asset Transfer policy. An eight-week consultation with stakeholders was undertaken in June 2021, as well as two workshops held in July 2021. The feedback from the consultation had fed into the final policy proposal, to help ensure that it was fit for purpose, clear and delivered benefits to the communities of Exeter.

 

The report provided a definition of Community Asset Transfer (CAT), and details of the rationale behind Exeter City Council creating a transparent and consistent policy for organisations wanting to progress an application.

 

Particular reference was made to the existing practice for long leases and asset transfers which were already implemented by the Council, with a notable example being the transfer of the Valley Parks to Devon Wildlife Trust. There was clear value in developing partnerships with community groups and organisations as this helped to increase the resources that could be made available to residents in the city

 

Councillor D. Moore, as an opposition group leader, spoke on this item. She welcomed the policy and responses from the community sector and proposed a technical amendment to the Policy for the Portfolio Holder to consider:-

 

·        Section 8.2 of the policy did not include Community Benefit Societies, which were created alongside the formal legal structures of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, and suggested that they also be included in this section.

 

Councillor D. Moore also commented that she hoped that the building transfers would include environmental improvements and that there would be flexibility from the Council in offering leases ahead of any investment made.

 

The Chair welcomed the amendment but advised that amendments could only be made by a member of the Executive committee. Given that there were technical details to be addressed, he advised that the Portfolio Holder for Communities & Homelessness Prevention would address the technical detail outside of the meeting and make the amendment as part of the recommendations to Council on 18 October.

 

Councillor Jobson, as an opposition group leader, spoke on this item. She welcomed the report and highlighted that the Exeter St James Community Association referred to in the report, needed to be changed to the Exeter and St James Community Trust Ltd as they were a corporate body to enable the transfer.

 

The Chair advised that the Portfolio Holder for Communities & Homelessness Prevention would address the detail outside of the meeting and make the amendment as part of the recommendations to Council on 18 October.

 

The Director of Culture, Leisure and Tourism in response to the suggestions stated, that there were no issues of including the Community Benefit Societies in the section 8.2, which listed various organisations and wasn’t specifically including or excluding organisations. In regards to the title to Exeter and St James Community Trust Ltd, it was important that this was correct.

 

The Director of Culture, Leisure and Tourism and the Programme Manager - Communities, in responding  ...  view the full minutes text for item 85