The announcement was made today (July 5th) at the Local Government Association Conference by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears.

The Council is currently considering the potential for transfer of community centres to community groups and voluntary sector based enterprises as a means to encourage these groups to become more active in delivering services within their own communities e.g. community groups running centres to provide community activities and enterprises running skills and training sessions from a community base.

The national 'Advancing Assets' demonstration programme, run by the Development Trusts Association, will provide 20 local authorities with expert advice and support to both the Council and the prospective community groups wishing to take over community centres.

This will identify best practice nationally and further develop specialist skills in the local authorities and the community to consider further proposals for community facility transfer in the future.

Ashfield District Council will be using the Acacia Avenue Community Centre in Annesley Woodhouse and Teversal Manor Rooms as the pilot demonstration projects.

Cllr. Jason Zadrozny, Leader of the Council said he was delighted Ashfield District Council had been chosen.

"I’m particularly pleased at being selected from strong competition as one of 20 national asset transfer pilot projects. Working with local communities to help them develop their own solutions to meet local needs is a key objective of the Council and the transfer of selected community centres to strong community groups can help achieve this,” he said.

“This initiative provides a further opportunity for the Council to provide strong support and leadership within the local community and through the lessons it learns in the pilot project can be a leading innovator nationally in this area of work."

Elizabeth Ball of Development Trusts Association: East Midlands said,

"We welcome the opportunity to work with Ashfield District Council. It is an exciting time to be at the centre of thinking on how to support local communities to find ways to make the things happen on their agendas. Development Trusts, and other community-led organisations, can make the things happen that the public and private sector struggle with, provided they have resources. Investing assets in local community ownership and management is one way to resource community-led organisations to do the community bits that others can not do or can not do well."