This snapshot, taken on 08/04/2010, shows web content selected for preservation by The National Archives. External links, forms and search boxes may not work in archived websites.
Last updated: 23 November 2008
The Office of the Third Sector has published a response to its consultation on the Community Assets fund, a programme to enable third sector organisations to have greater control over the assets they use, such as community buildings.
A wide range of local authorities and third sector organisations responded to the consultation. The Office of the Third Sector has summarized the responses and explained how they will influence the final programme.
The aim of the Community Assets programme is to empower communities by offering grants for the refurbishment of underused local authority buildings, ensuring they are appropriate for transfer to the third sector. Taking control of their own building can be an important step for third sector organisations, one which can benefit the group itself, the community it serves, and others in the area.
The Office of the Third Sector launched the consultation in spring 2007. The consultation lasted until 23 June 2007.
Local authorities, agencies and third sector organisations from large national bodies to small community groups responded to the consultation. They expressed a range of opinions on how the fund should work, including views on who it should benefit, how it should be distributed, and which assets should be eligible.
The Community Assets fund was widely welcomed. Most of the respondents called for the fund to be flexibly managed, to make it sensitive to local needs and circumstances. To take this into account the Office of the Third Sector has decided to have a broad grant range. When considering which assets will be eligible for the scheme, the focus will be on the benefit of the transfer to the community.
The consultation responses have been shared with the Big Lottery Fund, who will use them to ensure the successful delivery of the programme.
The Big Lottery Fund is writing to all local authorities to invite them and their third sector partners to apply to Community Assets.
The Big Lottery Fund will run a series of regional events in early September, which local authorities and their partners are invited to attend. Third sector organisations with projects to take forward should talk to their local authority partner about jointly attending a seminar together.