Building Change Trust contributes to conversation on asset transfer
Asset transfer and community right to buy provisions were on the agenda at a seminar hosted by The Joseph Rowntree Foundation in association with the Development Trusts (NI) and The Queen’s University of Belfast.
Contemporary issues in Development Trusts and asset management, asset transfer in practice and wider perspectives from the online debate on the issue were all discussed.
Along with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Development Trusts (NI) the the debate was informed by representatives from the Housing Executive, Locality and political blog Slugger O’Toole.
Development Trusts N.I. was granted funding of £20,000 through the Building Change Trust with the aim of raising awareness of asset transfer, encouraging debate and to influence current policy and practice within a Northern Ireland context.
Nigel McKinney, Trust Administrator of the Building Change Trust, said: “We believe the issue of asset transfer and community ownership is a key one in these challenging economic times.
“Going forward, the empowerment of owning assets and managing them for community, not commercial benefit, will be transformative within Northern Irish communities.
“With almost 1000 successful asset transfers from local authorities to community groups in Scotland, England and Wales, we have a huge pool of experience to draw on and these types of seminars and discussions are a great opportunity to do that”.
As well as contributing to the debate, Building Change Trust has shown its commitment to asset transfer by commissioning Belfast film-makers PixelBrix to make a short film on the subject.
Please click here to view the film.