Community Asset Transfer and Support Programme

The Council recognises the significant value that community assets provide in supporting the wellbeing, development, and cohesion of the residents and local communities in the borough.

Our Community Asset Transfer and Support Programme aims to empower local organisations to operate thriving community assets that support the needs of our local community.

A key ambition of this programme is to keep council-owned assets in local control, beyond the life of the Council, which is due to be abolished from April 2027 as part of Local Government Reorganisation and the borough will become part of a larger East Surrey Council.

Three areas of support

The Council is inviting Expressions of Interest from eligible organisations for three areas of support: 

1. Community Asset Transfer

Your organisation is seeking the transfer of an asset currently owned by the Council to deliver community benefits into the future.

Alongside the transfer you may also be seeking additional support from the Council to make necessary capital improvements to the asset you are seeking and/or grant support for the initial running costs of the asset.

2. Asset acquisition followed by Community Asset Transfer

Your organisation would like the Council to acquire an asset it doesn’t currently own so that your organisation can then take over the running of it to deliver community benefit into the future.

Alongside the transfer you may also be seeking additional support from the Council to make necessary capital improvements to the asset you are seeking and/or grant support for the initial running costs of the asset.

3. Grants to improve community assets already owned by an eligible organisation

Your organisation owns an asset (either freehold or on a lease of more than 10 years) and would like to improve that asset to ensure the delivery of community benefits into the future. You are applying for a grant award of between £75,000 - £500,000.

Please complete one Expression of Interest form per asset you are seeking support for.

Proposals will need to demonstrate a group’s ability to manage the asset in a financially sustainable way whilst delivering benefits to the area.

For more information see our Community Asset Transfer Policy, Community Asset Support Scheme, Community Asset Programme Guidance for applicants and Support and information for eligible organisations pages.

Eligible organisations

Organisations submitting an expression of interest must be:

• Registered Charities (Charitable Company; Charitable Incorporated Organisation; Charitable Trust)
• Community Interest Companies (that are limited by guarantee and where they can evidence all profits have been reinvested back into the company and/or for the benefit of the community)
• Town and Parish Councils within Reigate & Banstead
• Other formally constituted non-profit making clubs or groups (i.e. groups that form the VCFS or are a non-profit organisation with a defined governance structure, robust financial systems and an adequate policy framework).

Eligible groups must evidence that:

• they will use the asset to provide community benefits to the residents of Reigate & Banstead
• any asset transferred will enhance the benefits they are able to deliver.

What assets will be considered?

A community asset typically refers to land or buildings that provide a benefit to the local community, and which they value for its social wellbeing or social interest. Examples include community halls, sports pavilions, allotments and open spaces.

• The Council’s asset list can be viewed on the Asset Register dataset webpage.

Eligible organisations can submit expressions of interest for assets on this list in line with the criteria within the Community Asset Transfer policy.

Assets which deliver key council services, produce significant profitable income, or are required for future strategic reasons, will not be suitable for transfer. Examples include the Town Hall, Earlswood Depot, the Harlequin Theatre and our leisure and community centres.

Application process and timelines

For all the support available through the programme there will be a two-stage application process:

1. Expressions of interest

Eligible groups are invited submit an expression of interest online by midnight on 2 December 2025.

Expressions of interest will be assessed in January 2026 and if deemed suitable the group will be invited to move forward to the second stage.

2. Business case

Organisations will be asked to produce a business case in the second stage during January and February 2026.

Decisions will be made in March 2026 and if the bid is successful, the transfer process can begin.

For more information on see our Community Asset Transfer Policy and Community Asset Support Scheme, along with our Community Asset Programme Guidance for applicants.

Background

The scheme was agreed at a meeting of the full Council on Thursday 25 September 2025, following Executive support on 18 September.

For more information, read the Community Assets report, together with the draft Community Asset Transfer Policy and draft Community Asset Support Scheme, considered at the Executive meeting on 18 September - see item 4 (ModernGov).