Transfer of community assets

Our values state that ‘we work together with our communities and our partners to make things happen’. These feed into the principle of local communities having control over appropriate assets and working organisations to ensure services and benefits are not lost.

Community Asset Transfer can: 

• protect local services
• allow delivery of social and economic benefits that otherwise might not be available through other means 
• provide local people with a meaningful stake in the development of their community 

To be eligible for an asset transfer you must be one of the following: 

• a town or parish council
• a voluntary and community sector organisation 
• a charity  

These organisations must be: 

• legal entities 
• non-profit making   
• have community and/or social objectives 
• be located within the boundaries of Dorset Council area or can demonstrate that they provide services within the area to residents 

The asset must remain open to the wider public. Dorset Council will not consider applications from:

• organisations which are political or with political affiliations
• organisations engaged in supporting candidates for political office
• individuals or businesses who intend to primarily run the service or use the asset for commercial gain

For more information please see the Community Asset Transfer Policy.

The application process

The application process is made up of two stages: 

Stage 1: Expression of interest application form 

Stage 2: Business case (for applicants who pass stage 1) 

Please note: 

• you may be charged for the business case stage of the application and legal fees if you are successful
• you are responsible for your own legal fees 

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria areas: 

• community benefit 
• local control 
• sustainability 
• governance
• financial standing 
• ability to maintain and manage the asset 
• commitment  

When we transfer an asset: 

• we will transfer it in its current condition 
• the transfer will use our standard heads of terms 
• you will take on all responsibility for the asset from the date of transfer 
• we will not provide any ongoing monetary or service support 

We may limit how many applications we process at one time. This is to allow for proper investigation and consideration. We will keep you notified if this is the case. 

How to apply

Before you start

You will need the following to use this service:

• a plan (see gov.uk guide for help)
• an email address for us to contact if we need more information about your application
• the Land Registry Title Reference Number(s). This should start DT. (You can get this from the Land Registry if you don't know it)

Apply now

Contact us

For further information please contact us: