New Dorset Council policy for faster council asset transfers

The new process would create a two-month deadline for the council to respond to requests

It could be easier for community groups in Dorset to take on council-owned assets in a simplified enquiry process.

A new two-stage process would mean those who want to take on a on a building, or parcel of land, initially put in an expression of interest.

Then Dorset Council would judge if the asset is available and can be transferred, before seeking proof the group can maintain and run it.

But councillor Toni Coombs said she was worried there could be hidden costs.

Some assets, including car parks and small areas of land, have already been transferred since Dorset Council came into being almost five years ago.

But the local authority still has 1,500 assets, many of which could be eligible for transfer.

The new process would mean there is a two-month deadline for the council to respond to requests and then a six month deadline for groups to submit a business case.

Ms Coombs said in Verwood, when the youth centre building was taken over by the community after being closed for two years, a full structural survey discovered leaks and a boiler which had been installed in the mid-1980s.

"That puts a lot of onus on a community group, or local council, taking on the building," she said.

"So if we are going to go with a transfer it should come with a full structural survey so that those groups know what they are taking on."

Executive director Jan Britton said that it was normal procedure for those taking on a property to arrange their own survey.

The new policy is expected to come into operation after the May elections.

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