negotiating an academy's lease for land
the challenge:
An academy intended to lease land from a local authority at a
peppercorn rent for 25 years. The land was owned by the local
authority, partly outright and partly as trustees for a charitable
trust. The charity’s governance document did not permit an outright
lease of the land and using the land as an academy site didn’t
comply with its charitable objects;
our approach:
Following discussions with the local authority
we proposed several ways forward and advised on the Charity
Commission's likely response to each option and the publicity.
After a proposal was chosen all the relevant documents and
arguments were prepared and negotiations conducted with the Charity
Commission to reach a resolution acceptable to all parties.
the results:
The academy will open in September 2010,
working with local people and the community to provide the best
possible education for young people in the region and support the
local authority in delivering the ‘Every Child Matters’ agenda.