Community Ownership Support Service

DTAS delivers our Community Ownership Support Service, known as COSS. Funded by the Scottish Government, we support community groups, local authorities and other public bodies in the sustainable transfer of assets into community ownership.

COSS is an advisor-led service which covers the whole of Scotland. We provide a range of services for communities from one-to-one advice at every stage of the asset transfer process, access to expert help, network and training opportunities, and comprehensive online resources.

You do not need to be a member of DTAS to access the Community Ownership Support Service.

We also provide support to public bodies by providing information feedback on asset transfer processes, facilitating cross departmental meetings and providing ongoing CPD workshops on community ownership.

With the enactment of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 and the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016, community ownership is increasingly being recognised as a powerful tool in developing strong, independent and resilient communities.  This was particularly true during COVID, where asset owning community anchor organisations were seen to have played a key role in the resilience of their communities throughout the pandemic.

With tightening public spending the opportunities to take on publicly and privately owned assets have never been greater. Community ownership and management of assets is not however without its challenges. We support community groups through the asset transfer/ acquisition process from forming appropriate governance structures, building their capacity and crucially developing sustainable operating models that will support their facilities into the future.