Asset Transfer New Proposal Document July 2023
WORKING GROUP SUMMER SUMMARY 2022
See latest news here: Working Group Summer Summary 2022
Beer Parish Council has been negotiating with EDDC throughout the last 5 years for the transfer of key community assets.
Asset transfer update
The Parish Council would like to provide some additional information about the planned Parish Meeting and the potential Parish Poll regarding the Asset Transfer.
The Parish Council understands that there is some community interest in a referendum for the electorate to decide whether the asset transfer goes ahead in Beer.
The Parish Council and EDDC are in agreement that that there are no legislative provisions allowing for a binding referendum to be called to determine this matter.
The Parish Council and EDDC are in agreement that a Parish Meeting should be held to enable further explanation and debate about the asset transfer proposals.
A Parish Poll may be called before the conclusion of the Parish Meeting which will enable all members of the electorate to vote on whether they think the asset transfer should go ahead. The wording of the question for the Poll must be decided at the Parish Meeting and must involve a Yes/No response.
The Poll will be organised by the EDDC Returning Officer, no earlier than 14 days after the Parish Meeting and will include voting in person at the Mariners’ Hall. All local government electors for the parish can vote in the Poll, whether they attended the Parish Meeting or not. The Parish Council will meet the cost of the Poll – we are advised this will be approx. £500.
The outcome of the Poll is no more and no less than an expression of the views of the electorate of the parish who have voted in the Poll. It is not legally binding although the outcome of the Poll will help to inform the Parish Council’s final decision as to whether or not to formally approve the Heads of Terms and associated documents and proceed with the asset transfer.
The timing of the Parish Meeting is important and it has been agreed that it will not take place until the Heads of Terms and associated documents have been made available to the public. The Parish Council regrets to advise that due to the proposed viability report and the requirement for further scrutiny through EDDC committee process, the Parish Meeting cannot take place until August/September 2022.
WHY HOLD AN ADDITIONAL PARISH MEETING
The Parish Council has decided to organise an additional Parish Meeting this year to enable further debate and discussion regarding the asset transfer proposals. Although the meeting will be chaired by the Chairman of the Council, it is not an ordinary Parish Council meeting and all of the local government electors for the parish are invited to attend and have their say. At the Parish Meeting the Parish Council will provide an overview of asset transfer negotiations to date and also present the revised draft Heads of Terms document. EDDC officers and the EDDC Portfolio Holder for Assets will also be in attendance to provide further explanation as necessary and to answer questions. The local group, the “Friends of Beer” has also been invited to make a presentation at the meeting. After the presentations, the Parish Meeting will include an open forum to enable ALL members of the electorate to ask questions and express their views regarding the asset transfer. Although the Parish Council carried out a public consultation exercise in January 2021, the Parish Meeting will provide a further indicator of the level of public support for the asset transfer proposals.
The public notice and the agenda for the Parish Meeting will be published on the Parish Council’s noticeboard, Facebook page and website 7 clear days in advance of the meeting.
Further Information and Financials
The DRAFT Heads of Terms Version 12 for the asset transfer is available via the link.
An Asset Transfer Report was presented to the Parish Council meeting on 11 May 2022
A presentation was given at the Parish Council meeting on 12 January 2022 and is available via this link Asset Transfer Presentation. The presentation is a draft of the one that will be given at the proposed Parish Meeting.
Public consultation
In December 2020, the Parish Council commenced a period of public consultation to provide local people with an opportunity to share their views and suggestions regarding the asset transfer proposals. Details of the consultation process and results are presented below:
Please click on this link to access the full Consultation Document which provides background to the proposals and financial information.
The Draft Consultation Report was presented to the Parish Council meeting on 2 February 2021 and is available via the link.
The Executive Summary of the Consultation Report was presented to the Parish Council meeting on 2 March 2021 including recommendations for approval and is available via the link.