Issue - meetings

RECOMMENDED:  That  the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk policy and statutory process for Assets of Community Value, as attached be agreed and recommended to Council for approval.

Reason for Decision

To approve the revised policy on Assets of Community Value in order that is easier to read and implement.

Cabinet considered a report which explained that the Council had had a policy in place to deal the Assets of Community Value since the Localism Act introduced the concept in 2011. The Assets of Community Value process allowed interested community groups to bid for assets of community value, whereby they can ‘pause’ the sale process, giving them six months to prepare a bid to buy the Asset before it can be sold.

The policy had been updated to make it clearer and easier to read and annexed standard letters and acknowledgements to save time. There were 2 main changes to the way that applications would be dealt with:

·        Social wellbeing

One of the criteria for selection as a community asset was that it furthered the social wellbeing or social interest of the local community. This was currently not defined in the policy so it was proposed that the Council used the Collins English Dictionary to define its ordinary meaning as follows:

‘social’ - relating to or having the purpose of promoting companionship, communal activities

‘wellbeing’ - the condition of being contented, healthy, or successful; welfare

·        Unsuccessful nominations

The policy had been amended to take a more robust approach to repeated attempts to list an Asset of Community Value, where these had previously been unsuccessful.

RECOMMENDED:      That the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk policy and statutory process for Assets of Community Value, as attached to the report be agreed and recommended to Council for approval.

Reason for Decision

To approve the revised policy on Assets of Community Value in order that is easier to read and implement.