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Slow take off for commonhold ownership
COMMONHOLD, the first new form of property ownership in England and Wales since 1925, is likely to take years to make any real impact on the business or private property market, says ACCA (the Association of Chartered
Certified Accountants).
Since 27 September 2004, commercial and residential occupiers have been able to own and collectively manage their property under new commonhold arrangements. On the evidence of the first few months of operation of the new scheme, the major house builders and developers are treating it with caution and most have no immediate plans to make new developments available on a commonhold basis.
John Davies, Head of Business Law at ACCA, says:- "Commonhold was seen as a major step towards true property ownership as understood in most parts of the world. On the face of it, it represents an attractive option but leaseholders, freeholders and their advisers are adopting a cautious stance to taking it up."
Commonhold prevents homeowners being lumbered with a lease with an ever-shortening term. They, instead, own a freehold unit, could control their costs and make their own decisions on the running of the development. This, in turn, could make the property more marketable when they come to sell. However, changing to commonhold does involve various legal costs.
Legal costs are incurred in the setting up a commonhold association, which must be a company limited by guarantee. And instead of a lease, participants would devise their own commonhold community statement, setting out the rules of the building, on issues such as sub-letting, parking, noise, use of communal areas etc. This would also form the basis on which the insurance and maintenance etc of the building would be decided. A copy of this statement must be registered with the Land Registry Office. Gerry Fox, Chairman of the RICS Commonhold & Leasehold Reform Working Party, agrees that progress towards commonhold will be slow. He said:-
"We believe that developers are best placed to create new commonholds, but are perhaps reluctant to take advantage of the new Act because they need to control the development process, which can be lengthy. They may also not feel sufficiently condiment to embark on such a new product which has some flaws.
To make commonhold more appealing to developers, we would like to see them being allowed to finish a scheme before the commonhold becomes operational. Under the Act at present, developments have to be registered as commonhold schemes prior to any building works commencing, even in a phased development and can not be changed back to leasehold or freeholds with more complex procedures and associated costs."
Salt of the earth - or health risk?
THOSE who enjoy the spices of life may be shocked to learn that salt can cause a myriad of health problems, from high blood pressure and asthma to strokes and stomach cancer.
Last week saw agencies from across Warrington join Trading Standards to issue the message that too much salt - just isn't good for you. Warrington Primary Care Trust (PCT), North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Warrington Borough Council and the Stroke Association ran two workshops aimed at raising salt awareness among older people and people working with elderly people.
A presentation was held about the health risks associated with too much salt in the diet, taste sessions, quizzes and blood pressure testing were just a few of activities the for Salt Awareness Day, Wednesday just gone, organised by Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH).
Salt is a vital ingredient in any healthy diet but many of us are guilty of having more salt than our bodies actually need. Most of our salt intake is hidden in processed foods and accounts for more than ¾ of our intake.
A number of health problems can be linked with the amount of salt in our diets, here are just a few:-
1. Blood pressure - Strokes and heart attacks are the most common cause of death and disability in this country. Evidence has revealed that a high intake of salt is responsible for the rise
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in blood pressure as we get older.
A reduction in salt will have an immediate effect on lowering the blood pressure.
2. Stroke - Salt intake is closely linked with the number of strokes that occur in a community. This is due, in part, to the increase in blood pressure that the high salt intake causes, salt also seems to have a direct effect on strokes away from its effect on blood pressure.
3. Osteoporosis - High salt intake leeches calcium from bones and passes through the urine. This effect leads to thinning
of the bone.
4. Stomach cancer - The World Cancer Research Fund now recommends salt intake be reduced to decrease the risk of developing cancer of the stomach.
5. Asthma - A high intake of salt does not, in itself, cause asthma, but it has been linked with worsening the problem.
6. Kidney disease - increasing evidence shows that a high salt intake may have adverse effects on the kidneys when there is some underlying abnormality.
7. Fluid retention - Lowering your salt intake can cause fluid loss of up to
2 litres (4 pints).
Specialist status for two Warrington high schools
TWO secondary schools have joined Warrington's 'specialist' family of schools, after an announcement by School Standards Minister Stephen Twigg on Wednesday 26 January 2005.
Penketh High School and St Gregory's Catholic High School have been awarded coveted Specialist
status, for Arts and Humanities respectively.
Both schools were awarded the status in recognition of their strengths and expertise in these areas.
Specialist Schools play a key part in the government's radical reform of education and perform a major role in its mission to build diversity in education.
Barry Fishwick, Headteacher of Penketh High School, said:- "We are absolutely delighted that we are to become a specialist school for the Arts, it is a tremendous reward for our commitment to moving the school forward and developing opportunities for the pupils. As a school we believe the Arts are vital to creative learning and this status allows us to continue to develop and embrace one of our key specialisms."
Steve Clarke, Headteacher of St Gregory's Catholic High School, said:-
"The whole school community is delighted to have received this status. This is a landmark development for the school and we are delighted we have been given this opportunity to share our knowledge and expertise with other schools and the wider community."
Cllr Maureen Banner, Executive Board Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, said:-
"This is a tremendous achievement and I would like to congratulate both schools. We have dedicated teams of people throughout our schools seeking to continue to improve and develop the education they provide for our young people. It is thanks to these people that we are constantly achieving outstanding results - both St Gregory's and Penketh High are excellent examples of that."
This week's announcement means that Warrington's nine specialist schools join a total of 2,174 secondary schools nationally who now hold Specialist status. The status enables them to develop centres of excellence and work within a family of named schools to raise standards across the system.
Other specialists schools in Warrington include; Cardinal Newman Catholic High School (Maths and computing), Great Sankey High School (Engineering), Birchwood Community High School (Business and Enterprise), Padgate Community High School (Technology), Lymm High School (Languages), Bridgewater High School (Arts) and William Beamont High School (Sports).
Congratulating the latest schools to join the programme Stephen Twigg MP said:- "I am delighted that over 200 schools have been successful in this round alone and that 69% of all secondary schools in England are now part of this programme for success. It is clear that Specialist status acts as a driver for reform and a lever for raising standards.
The programme is spearheading the movement away from the old 'one size fits all' model to one where education is tailored to individual pupils."
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