ATU Welcomes Audit Commission Report

 

A study by the Audit Commission into how well local government manages its extensive property portfolio, finds that effective partnership working with key representative bodies such as Local Strategic Partnerships, is not high on their agenda. The commission’s report, Room for Improvement, Strategic Asset Management in Local Government, also highlights that the third sector is not being given nearly enough prominence in councils’ plans for exploring alternative models of ownership and management of public assets, which is a key indicator of high performance under the spending watchdog’s own Use of Resources assessment of councils.

Despite subsequent guidance from Communities and Local Government in 2008 on managing risks in asset transfer, the authors state that risk aversion, and concerns about the capability of the third sector, may prevent councils from transferring buildings, even if doing so would fit with their vision for community development or empowerment.

Hugh Rolo, Head of Assets and Investments at the DTA, said: Not only are opportunities for efficiency gains being missed at a time when public finances are at full stretch, but the infinite potential of communities is being sidelined by some council’s insistence on controlling public assets. We recognise the competing demands made of local government and the exceptional financial volatility which militates against exploring long term creative change, but community asset transfer can be a part of the solution; and we welcome the Audit Commission’s recommendations for local government to collaborate with local partners on asset management decisions, for details of public sector properties to be published in local areas, and inviting proposals for alternative uses for them.

Considering property more strategically, as part of service delivery, as a way to increase efficiency and to achieve the aspirations of communities, will require all councils to reach the level of the best. The Asset Transfer Unit was launched in April this year as a centre of expertise in asset transfer, which will, amongst other things, seek to increase the impact of the Quirk review and build capacity amongst the voluntary and community sector, as well as councils. The ATU has already supported 50 council areas in England and more than 150 third sector community partners to develop joint plans for asset transfer through the CLG funded Advancing Assets for Communities programme. And, this year, a further 22 areas will be receiving support from the ATU to develop their own joint plans for community asset transfer.