Self-Management
Government RTM (right to manage) legislation encourages Councils to assist residents in undertaking the self-management of either their entire estate or some of the services provided.
The options range from Local Management Agreements (LMAs) to RMOs (Right to Manage Organisations) all the way to stock transfer agreements, under which the residents acquire the freehold to their estate.
The Councils have a duty of care to ensure that there are enough people with the right skills amongst the community that decides to go one of these routes, after all, they are entrusting what is public property into the hands of a small community. Full details and information on these options can be found on the sites listed below.
After looking at the RMO option, NERA decided to concentrate on one LMA first (gardening), then to look at some others and sometime in the future, when the LMAs run smoothly and the skills-base on Ethelburga has expanded, to go for the stock transfer option. The literature actually makes it clear that the LMA route is the simpler and more fast-track approach for residents wishing to assume responsibility for selective areas of Council services.
In all instances the Council requires that the promoters of these initiatives demonstrate that they carry strong backing for their plans from within the entire community. Only when this support has been evidenced will the Council commence negotiations; before final agreement, the Council will approach all residents again to make certain that they really, really want to proceed.
As at May-2011, we require indications of strong support for an LMA to take over gardening. If you are a resident or leaseholder and you have not yet provided this support, please urgently do so via the form below.
The other area we require your support in is in the formation of a charity for the benefit of all residents on Ethelburga. The main purpose of this charity is to run the Ethelburga Community Centre, raise funds for community projects and act as legal body signing the contracts with the Council for the LMAs and any other residents’ initiative, like the GYO Food Initiative of the Gardening Club.
THE URGENT ACTION REQUIRED BY YOU IS TO USE THE FORM BELOW AND CONFIRM VIA TWO COMMUNICATIONS THAT –
No-1. YOU ARE IN FAVOUR OF US TAKING OVER THE CARE FOR THE GARDENS ON ETHELBURGA (WE WILL HIRE A GARDENER WITH THE MONEY THE COUNCIL WILL BE GIVING US), AND
No-2. THAT YOU ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH THE FORMATION OF A CHARITY AND ANY STRUCTURE THAT MAKES THE MANAGEMENT OF COMMUNITY PROJECTS EASIER AND MORE EFFECTIVE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
If you would like to gain a better understanding of anything about this, please let us know via the message form below or call on 07024 029591, and we shall gladly explain more fully. Given enough interest we can also arrange a residents’ meeting.
The best information on the proposed legal structure is contained in material provided by Westminster Council, which have become national guidelines and are extensively referred to by Wandsworth too –
http://www.takingcharge.org.uk/
Wandsworth information –
http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/info/200027/council_housing/246/get_involved/9/
This is a real life example from Lambeth –
http://www.southwark.gov.uk/downloads/download/2282/local_management_agreement
