Web Content Display
Asset Transfer / Community & Mutual Ownership
The Department for Communities and Local Government and the Community Development Foundation hosted a seminar on Asset Transfer / Community & Mutual Ownership on Tuesday, 20 July 2010.
In April 2009, SQW Consulting was appointed by the Development Trusts Association (DTA), to evaluate the work and impact of the Asset Transfer Unit (ATU) over their first two years of operation. The ATU is operated by the DTA in partnership with Communities and Local Government and other stakeholders, and aims to promote the transfer of land and buildings from the public sector to community ownership and management. The evaluation involved a national baseline survey of local authorities across England, case studies, action learning, regular reports and capacity building of the ATU team. Luke Delahunty and Tim Thorlby from SQW Consulting presented on the key findings from the first year of the national evaluation.
This was followed by a presentation from Tom Woodin (Institute of Education) on the findings of the newly published report for Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) which explores the history of ‘community and mutual ownership’ in the UK as part of the JRF’s community assets programme. The work provides an overview of changing forms of ownership in general and pays specific attention to community and mutual forms. It identifies five key time periods: early societies, feudalism, early modern period, industrial capitalism and post 1945. Each of these phases gave rise to a distinctive array of communal forms of ownership. Five models are identified: common and customary, community, charitable, co-operative and mutual, and municipal and state ownership. Each of these was explored considering their legacy and achievements, role and significance in the light of current policy interest in community ownership as a route to empowerment. The work highlights policy implications for the growth of the sector and associated risks.
This seminar was chaired by Charles Woodd, Community Development Team Leader, Community Action Division, CLG, and included an interactive Q&A session.
More information on this seminar and the CLG-CDF Empowerment Seminar series