Head of Assets, Locality, Development Trust Association.

Locality is the leading nationwide network of settlements, development trusts, social action centres and community enterprises. We believe that every community is a place of possibility. Locality was formed through the merger of bassac and the Development Trusts Association, two leading networks of community owned and led organisations. Our mission is to create the UK’s leading network for community-led organisations, building on the strengths of our most ambitious and effective members. Through our network we will strengthen aspiring and current members to promote community enterprise, self reliance and social justice within their communities. Our members are: Independent; Led by local people; Driving social change; Trading for community benefit; Developing community assets and ownership.

Since 2008, Annemarie has worked to establish a government funded Asset Transfer Unit (ATU) - working with 30+ partners at national level to promote and support the community asset transfer agenda throughout England in the wake of ‘Making Assets Work: The Quirk Review of Community Management and Ownership of Public Assets’ [2007]. She oversaw delivery of the Advancing Assets for Communities demonstration programme, working with >100 top tier local authorities in England to support local authority strategy development and the transfer of circa 200 publicly owned assets to the third sector. She also managed Locality’s support contract with the BIG Lottery Fund for the £30m Community Assets Programme. Today, she leads Locality’s cutting-edge multiple asset transfer, community managed libraries and digital assets for communities programmes.

In the past, Annemarie worked for the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) to support social inclusion policy development and related programme delivery – latterly, managing EEDA’s Building Communities Fund, which supported asset based development across the region to promote social enterprise. Annemarie’s policy expertise includes spatial and economic regeneration as well as socio-economic inclusion traversing the public, private and third sectors. Looking ahead, she is set to explore community asset innovation underpinned by technological advancements, as well as the potential for environmental retrofit of community owned assets with key national partners.