“To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange, and the best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service”
When faced with the reality of huge cuts in public services and a retrenchment of the state from some of the services that are core to a community’s and individual’s wellbeing, here we find ourselves in 2015, searching once again for those solutions.
A key message from the recent report from the Warwick Commission “Enriching Britain: culture, creativity and growth” was “that the government
and the Cultural and Creative Industries need to take a united and coherent approach that guarantees equal access for everyone to a rich cultural
education and the opportunity to live a creative life. There are barriers and inequalities in Britain today that prevent this from being a universal human
right. This is bad for business and bad for society.”
Despite us knowing the importance of these services, facts posted on the Public Libraries News website indicates that since 1st April 2015: 9 libraries have been confirmed closed, 3 mobile libraries have been confirmed closed, 8 libraries have been passed to community groups and 47 static and 16 mobile libraries have been put under threat. This summer Historic England announced the listing of 8 libraries in a conscious effort to preserve the built environment of libraries. Meanwhile, some libraries have been asking for donations of books. These concurrent news items not only highlight the drive to protect our libraries, but also the ongoing challenges faced by those delivering the services.
We are presently working with a number of local authorities to help them arrive at innovative solutions for their library and cultural services. Our aim is to help them ensure that these vital services are not forever lost.
In doing so, we are able to provide advice in relation to:
We also work closely with Locality and have provided input into some of their recent reports on libraries, their asset transfer toolkit and produced a webinar on Legal Considerations for Library Transfers which can be accessed here.
If you would be interested in benefiting from our experience and arranging a workshop for your local authority to assess all of the above and other key issues relating to your leisure, library or cultural services please do not hesitate to contact Mark Cook, David Alcock or Tracy Giles.
We have submitted our response to the White Paper Consultation based on the discussion held at the “Planning for the Future - what does this mean for affordable housing” webinar we held on Fri 9 Oct
Anthony Collins Solicitors is pleased to have been ranked as a Band 1 firm once again.
Since March 2020, commercial property owners and occupiers across many sectors, whether housing associations, charities, care providers or local authorities, have been impacted by the rules regulating how they deal with their tenants and their landlords. It seems each week there is a change in policy, regulation or legislation, governing how they must respond.
A key element of the Bill is the establishment of a duty holder regime and requirement to maintain the ‘golden thread of information’ throughout the life cycle of high-risk residential buildings
We have been working with care homes to update their contracts and advise on the risks of charging the resident a regular “top-up” or additional fee where a resident is funded through NHS CHC
The parliamentary processes are complete and the Restriction of Public Exit Payments Regulations 2020 (“the Regulations”) which cap exit payments in the public sector at £95,000 will be in force from 4 November.
As the UK’s social housing sector recovers from the initial Covid-19 outbreak and lockdown, now is the time to focus on the challenges that may emerge next.
There is no universal approach to regenerating town centres. However, housing must be considered a key part of any regeneration project – providing well-needed new homes and economic growth.
Friday 16 October marks the 6th annual Wear Red Day in England, Wales and Scotland. Wear Red Day is the brainchild of the charity; Show Racism the Red Card (SRTRC). SRTRC aims to educate young people so they are equipped to recognise and challenge stereotypes, misconceptions and negative attitudes towards race.
Alongside the Building Safety Bill published in July 2020, the Fire Safety Bill is a key step in the Government’s strategy to improve building and fire safety in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy
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