Culture, Education, Leisure

A new 'Meanwhile Licence for Land' is being developed which will help provide access to land on a temporary basis for community groups, for such things as local food growing schemes, parks and other green spaces.

This was announced for the government by Communities Secretary John Denham recently, with the licence being created by the Meanwhile Project, led by the Development Trusts Association. This builds on the experience of the recently developed Meanwhile Lease for Shops.

Volunteering England has issued a policy briefing on 'Volunteering and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games'. It gives brief notes for volunteering organisations on the state-of-play in the development of national-level strategies, programmes and activities for volunteering at and around the 2012 Games. In pdf, 51KB.

An independent inquiry into sport and recreation facilities in the UK aims to come up with a range of recommendations to improve provision and access. Its definition of such facilities ranges from state-of-the-art lottery-funded facilities to canal towpaths and local bowls clubs.

The new Financial Reporting Standard 30: Heritage Assets comes into effect for accounting periods beginning on or after 1st April 2010. Heritage assets are "those tangible assets with historical, artistic, scientific, technological, geophysical or environmental qualities that are held and maintained principally for their contribution to knowledge and culture".

Published by the Kindle partnership, 'Commissioning and the Community Sector' is an introduction to commissioning for small and medium-sized community organisations working with children and young people. (Kindle brings together 6 national umbrella organisations work to influencing this area of policy and practice.)

SkillsActive, the skills council for the play sector, has a consultation on its Playwork Learning and Skills Strategy 2011-2016, which runs to 9th April, http://www.skillsactive.com/resources/consultations-have-your-say/playwork-strategy/

The Third Sector National Learning Alliance, the voice for third sector learning and skills providers, is now accepting membership applications, see http://www.tsnla.org.uk/content/become-member.

Community Matters has published 'A Partnership Routemap' for the Asset Transfer Unit, as a guide to making the most of partnership in the community asset transfer process.