Community Assets programme: initial assessment of applications completed
The Big Lottery Fund has completed the initial assessment of applications
to the £30 million Community Assets fund.
The £30 million Community Assets programme aims to empower communities by
encouraging the transfer of underused local authority buildings to local
organisations.
The Big Lottery Fund, which is delivering Community Assets on behalf of the
Office of the Third Sector, has carried out an initial assessment of all
applications to the programme.
In total 220 applications were submitted, seeking grant funding to a total
of just over £155 million, of which 164, totalling nearly £119 million,
were complete and eligible.
Applications came from across England with a good spread of applications
across regions. The Big Lottery Fund has used an initial assessment to
identify the strongest applications; as a result 128 applications will go
to full assessment. Successful applicants will be notified in spring 2008.
Community Assets is just one element of an ongoing programme of support for
a thriving third sector, one that is confident and capable of taking on
public assets. This support includes the Advancing Assets for Communities
programme, funded by Communities and Local Government. The Office of the
Third Sector is committed to providing a further £10 million for community
anchors; Communities and Local Government recently consulted on their new
approach to community anchors.
