Hedge End

 Hedge End Town Council – Largest Council within Eastleigh Borough Council  Step Change in Policy from 1996  Hedge End Town Council expressed interest  Consultation  Partnership in spirit of Localism  Capacity Building

FACT FILE Population 23,000 Full-Time Staff 12 Precept £666,431 Band D Equivalent £87.66 Total Staff 18 Wards 7

 Ensure terms are laid out  Both parties adequately protecting interests in asset  Freehold with covenants. Check terms? Restrictions?  Pre-emption (buy-back) and overage (claw- back)  Legal expenses  Surveys

 Ensure you have added the new asset to your policy insurance schedule.  Ensure cover is sufficient.  Check adequate sums for buildings and contents.  Ensure sufficient Public Liability Insurance (Usually £10 million)

 Key to successful asset transfer is ‘special expenses’;  Eastleigh Borough Council would cease to charge special expenses;  Discretion of Town Council to raise Council Tax by same charge;  Be clear on commuted sums that may accompany the asset transfer;  Maybe caveats to the developer contributions;  Establish running costs.

 Current and future maintenance costs  Eastleigh Borough Council absorbed fixed overheads  EBC and HETC demonstrated no impact on overall Council Tax charged to residents  TUPE issues  Avoidance of ‘Double Taxation’

 Demonstrate that Town Council can manage and finance the asset  Capacity, skills and knowledge base  Risk management and how the asset will be managed in future  Work schedules, inspection records, risk assessments  Obtain historic files from Borough to build up history.  Long-standing arrangements/History/Precedents

 Members positive and enthused  Officers of Town Council involved with benefits transfers offered  No increase in workforce  Increased range of extended services  Review of effectiveness and efficiency  Confidence on question of land ownership

 Town Council has management of assets and can dictate future direction  Can budget accordingly, responding to local requirements and aspirations  Groundstaff embraced new assets and welcomed the new policy and developed management and maintenance schedules  Consistency and reliability  Community Empowerment