New Independent Voice for Community Land Trusts
The Community Land Trust movement across England gets a huge boost today with the unveiling of a new National Community Land Trust Network to provide support and services to communities wanting to deliver new affordable homes.
The National Housing Federation will be named at the National CLT Conference on the 29th June as having been chosen to host and manage services to the new independent Network. The move comes as the partnership agreement commits the new coalition Government to creating “new trusts that will make it simpler for communities to provide homes for local people”.
The Network, partly funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), will provide high quality legal, financial and development advice to Community Land Trusts (CLTs). Key to its work will be to ensure experience and good practice is shared to assist communities deliver more affordable housing, workspaces and community facilities using the CLT model.
The need for a coordinating organisation for CLTs was identified by Community Finance Solutions, the independent research and development unit within Salford University. Their work was supported by the Carnegie UK Trust, whose Chief Executive, Martyn Evans, says the CLT sector offers real hope for rural England:
“The lack of housing that is affordable is possibly the single most pressing problem for rural England. Over the past four years we have witnessed a surge of interest in Community Land Trusts with local people taking action to make their communities a thriving sustainable place to live for all ages. Now this growing number of CLTs has an independent national organisation to act for them and to ensure each has access to the very best technical advice.”
Project Director and visiting Social Enterprise Fellow with Community Finance Solutions at Salford University, Dr Bob Paterson, says the Community Land Trust movement can achieve real change by working as one:
“This is not a new concept – but it is one that works. There are, for instance, hundreds of Land Trusts across the USA. While every Trust has to be designed for its own community, they have in common that each provides benefit to its local community, with any profits reinvested and decisions about assets and developments taken by the whole community. By supporting Trusts to work together and to learn from the experience of others, the new Network can be the catalyst for many more communities to look at adopting this model to find new homes for local people.”
The National Housing Federation was selected following a tendering and assessment process to run the two year project to bring together stakeholders involved in developing the sector: existing CLTs, housing associations, development trusts, lenders, local authorities and government agencies.
David Orr, the Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, says his organisation is pleased to have been given the opportunity to host the new Network:
“The National Community Land Trust Network is a huge step forward that will allow communities setting up CLTs to learn from existing Trusts and pilot projects. We have an important job ahead of us to help it build its network and make sure the different players can work together to support new and existing schemes. Our role will be to make sure the best practical advice – and training – is available to the Network, every step of the way. And, as important as the nuts and bolts, we will also be about telling everyone we can about Community Land Trusts so every community that is interested can see whether it is right for them.”
Notes to Editors
For more information or to speak to one of the organisations involved contact John Macgill at the Carnegie UK Trust on 0131 556 0050 (including out of hours).
A Community Land Trust is a corporate body that:
1. is established for the express purpose of furthering the social, economic and environmental interests of a local community by acquiring and managing land and other assets in order -
- to provide a benefit to the local community;
- to ensure that the assets are not sold or developed except in a manner which the trust's members think benefits the local community.
2. is established under arrangements which are expressly designed to ensure that:
- assets are not sold or developed except in a manner which the trust's members think benefits the local community;
- individuals who live or work in the specified area have the opportunity to become members of the trust;
- the members of a trust control it.
to find our more visit: www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk
The National Community Land Trust Network is tasked with:
- Building strong partnerships with supporting and financing bodies and raising the profile of the CLT model;
- Providing a National Forum for CLTs, supporting links with local Trusts and coordinating working groups on key policy issues, working with the Government to inform policy;
- Working with the Homes and Communities Agency to ensure that community-based housing providers have a clear route to funding and assistance from the HCA;
- Providing policy, legal and technical information to allow groups to meet the criteria and requirements for CLT status;
- Providing information databases and training and supporting conferences;
- Establishing a strong and distinctive brand for the National CLT Network and managing an effective communication programme;
- Ensuring that services are provided for network members.
The Carnegie UK Trust works to develop evidence-based policy to support beneficial change for people living in the UK and Ireland. The Trust is one of over twenty foundations worldwide endowed by Scots American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Our current core workstreams are around:
- democracy and giving new hope to people who feel powerless about policy;
- examining the role of not-for-profit “civil society” and whether its time for the voice of the grass roots to be heard in political and business decisions; and
- supporting people in rural communities to take charge of shaping their futures.
The National Housing Federation represents 1,200 independent, not-for-profit housing associations in England and is the voice of affordable housing. Our members provide two and a half million affordable homes for more than five million people. The Federation supports and promotes the work of housing associations and campaigns for better homes and neighbourhoods.
