Co-operative ownership for affordable, permanent sites for

Gypsies and Travellers

Paul Sander-Jackson

November 2012

What is this addressing

•Long term legal provision of appropriate sites•Control of their site by residents •Low cost provision involving self build•Efficient use of scarce financial resources

The components

•A dedicated Community Land Trust•Groups registered as co-operatives •A revolving loan fund •Lease and site occupancy agreements •Loan agreements

• What is a CLT?

• The full name is ‘Community Land Trust’• Mainly used for affordable housing • There is a legal definition. This says that the CLT must-

Be owned by its community Controlled by its community Not have been set up to profit members Is permanent

Umbrella Community Land Trust

Owns freehold or head lease on land

Site Co-operative A

Holds long lease from CLT

Rents pitches to its members

Site Co-operative B

Holds long lease from CLT

Rents pitches to its members

Co-op

Lender

£CLT

How the money moves each month

CLT

Co-opsite

Co-opsite

Co-opsite

Co-opsite

The CLT will eventually hold more than one site ‘in trust’. The CLT will be a source of stability for Co-ops that will have changing membership. The people running the CLT will be representatives of the Co-ops and others (such as Local Authority representatives) who can help with the larger aims of the Co-ops.

Practical reasons to be a Co-op

• It creates a legal body which can-• Open a bank account• Own assets beyond the timescale of

individual member’s requirements• Employ/hire people• Buy insurance• Enables others to do business with the Co-

op, not one person

Where we are at in pilot project

• Somerset G and T Community Land Trust up and running

• First group registered as a co-op• £100k available from Mendip DC for loan

fund• Details of lease and loan agreements being

finalised • First land purchase hopefully soon