The support on offer to Ripple Effect Saltcoats from TACT and their dedicated CAT Development Officer has been excellent. They helped us to understand the CAT process and guided us through each phase of the process, ensuring we were equipped to make informed decisions.
However, Part 5 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act (2015) – henceforth CEA (2015) – introduced a right for community bodies in Scotland to submit asset transfer requests to a wide range of public bodies. Some examples of those designated public bodies under the CEA (2015) are local authorities, National Heath Service (NHS), Scottish Police Authority (SPA) and Scottish Fire and Rescue Services, to name a few.
In order to qualify for a CAT, your organisation must be a community-controlled body. For full guidance on eligibility, see Section 5 of the Scottish Government’s Guidance for Community Transfer Bodies. You can also check out our quick guide, detailing the key requirements that must be present in any community body’s governing documents, i.e. constitution, articles of association or written rules
Our designated CAT Development Officer has been successfully supporting community bodies to take control and ownership of assets in North Ayrshire since 2022.
If you are interested in or want to know more information about CAT, please don’t hesitate to contact John at JohnB@tact.scot
A community body can utilise the CAT process to take over publicly owned land or buildings in a way that recognises the public benefits that the community use will bring. The transfer can either be outright ownership, a long-term lease or management rights. This can also be done at a discounted price to reflect the social benefits of the work our community bodies do.
