Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Background• Current policy frameworks in each London borough.• The support available in each London Borough to groups
who had premises needs or projects that they wanted to pursue.
• The perspectives of both London Boroughs and umbrella Third Sector organisations on the premises needs of the sector and any barriers or issues that they felt needed to be addressed.
• Current initiatives or projects being pursued by both the Third Sector and local borough councils.
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Online Data Collection: London Boroughs
• Polices related to the use of Council land and buildings that it owns or manages
• Policies set by Borough councils that impact on the cost of premises to Third Sector organisations
• Policies related to funding , support and joint working with the Third Sector where it was relevant to premises.
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Online Data Collection: Councils for Voluntary Service in London
• Training• Advice• Publications• On-line directories or other resources
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Interview survey
– Telephone or form– Boroughs - Officers from property or
voluntary sector– CVS’s - Chief Executives or relevant staff– Responses 25 out of 30 CVS’s and 22
out of 32 Boroughs
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Context• Austerity• Property Market and Publicly owned assets• Localism - community rights and
neighbourhood planning• Community Infrastructure Levy• Tax Increment funding• Business Rate changes• Power of Competence• Big Society
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Policy and Policy Development– NDRR– Asset Management– Asset Transfer– Procurement and CommissioningSupport, Partnership and Projects– Support – demand and access– Partnership and projects – what is happening
where
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Findings: Policy and Policy Development
NDRR– Transparency and access to information
generally poor– Huge variations in policy and amounts
of discretionary rate relief awarded
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Findings: Policy and Policy Development
Asset Management• Policies are very difficult to find and they do not
include all relevant policies • There is a lot of individual project development
going on but again not easy to find• There is limited development of cross sectoral,
cross Borough or inter departmental discussion forums about the use of assets and the Third Sector.
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Findings: Policy and Policy Development
Asset Transfer– Huge flux – partly due to community
rights– No consistent approach in relation to
inclusion in Asset Management Plans nor across policies that exist
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Findings: Policy and Policy Development
Procurement and Commissioning– Approaches to fixed overheads and full
cost recovery not consistently applied– Historic subsidy means some groups are
more competitive than others– Rent subsidy mainly linked to delivery of
council services
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Findings: Support, Partnership and Projects
Demand for Support
– Lots of evidence of demand for support from Compacts, London Wide Property Advice organisations, London Boroughs and Councils for Voluntary Service in London
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Findings: Support, Partnership and Projects
Access to Support– Limited at local level– Specific gaps are training, awareness of
existing sources of support, information on locally available premises and co-location and sharing promotion and advice.
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Findings: Support, Partnership and Projects
Support Needed– Sharing premises – Support on practical premises management issues– Rent levels and lease negotiations– Capital Funds to address the condition of council
buildings occupied by Third Sector organisations– Available suitable premises within Council property
portfolios
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Findings: Support, Partnership and Projects
– Significant partnership project activity on the ground
–Mixed picture on strategic partnership working within local councils, between councils and with the Third Sector overall
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Progress since 2007– A lot more policy exists though is a state of flux
most of the time– All Boroughs who responded were working on
individual projects with specific groups, particularly “hubs”
– Improved baseline data and service provision from Councils for Voluntary Service
– Continued Lack of strategic involvement of the sector on asset planning overall
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Recommendations for London Boroughs and Councils for
Voluntary Service– Principally related to improvements in
transparency of decision making processes and access to information
– Inclusion of Third Sector in strategic planning and policy making
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Recommendations for London Boroughs and Councils for
Voluntary Service
– Better Cross departmental working and officer up-skilling on property issues
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Recommendations for Third Sector Premises Group
– Developing model policies and procedures relevant to Third Sector organisations
–Work with professional institutes on valuation of community buildings
– Borough based work on investment strategies for community buildings portfolio
Premises for the Third Sector in Premises for the Third Sector in LondonLondon
Recommendations for Third Sector Premises Group
– Using strategic planning mechanisms like the Local Development framework to address issues of supply of premises
–Working with funders on new regimes for capital investment in buildings for the Third Sector