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Brief No. 13, 25 March 2026. Marie-Avril Berthet, Paul Chatterton, Pete Tatham, Rebecca Brunk. 

Photo credit: Northern Roots

This policy report outlines routes to adopt a Public-Civic-Partnership (PCP) model of asset management in Leeds. In the PCP model, local councils collaborate with community organisations to co-manage public land and assets. The report sets out how PCPs could enhance the existing Community Asset Transfer model, the advantages of adopting a PCP model, case studies of other successful PCPs, and recommendations for how to develop PCPs in Leeds. 

Overview 

Public-Civic Partnerships (PCP) are a viable route for the local state and civil society to co-create, co-manage and co-own public resources and/or assets together. By fostering equal partnerships between Leeds City Council (LCC) and community organisations, PCPs can assist in maintaining and developing public assets in ways that align with local needs and long-term civic priorities. 

The key benefits of PCPs to LCC are: 

• Enhanced financial sustainability: PCPs help councils manage financial pressures by leveraging civic resources, reducing maintenance costs and reinvesting revenue into community projects.  
• Long-term asset preservation: In contrast to selling public assets for shorter-term gains, PCPs create a sustainable model in which assets remain in public stewardship while being effectively deployed by community actors, who can unlock different sources of funding. PCPs assist in alleviating financial pressures on LCC, whilst maintaining assets in public hands. 
• Support LCC in delivering ‘Leeds Ambitions’:  Through working with community partners to deploy and deliver services and assets that respond to new challenges with climate, environmental, wellbeing and inclusive growth outcomes. This can strengthen civic infrastructure and enhance local resilience by utilising local expertise. 
• Support the Team Leeds approach: In particular, the ambition to ‘empower people to generate the positive changes they want to see, enabling communities to thrive and tackle systemic inequalities.’ PCPs would also enhance the building of community capacity and improve working with the voluntary and community sector in the city. 
• Position LCC as a national exemplar in both asset management and empowering communities. 

Recommendations 

We make four key recommendations aimed at different parts of LCC, all of which can support the development of the PCP model and realise these benefits in Leeds: 

• City Development creates an approach for meanwhile or temporary partnerships for the use of disused land or buildings listed for disposal.  
• Asset Management streamlines its community partnership process by standardising leases and licenses. 
• LCC undertakes a consultation to assess the use and viability of longer-term PCPs.  
• The PCP model is trialled as part of the Team Leeds approach. 

About the authors 

is a teaching assistant and research fellow at the Sustainability Research Institute at the 映客直播. Email Marie-Avril Berthet: M.BerthetMeylan@leeds.ac.uk

is a professor of urban futures within the School of Geography at the 映客直播. Email Paul Chatterton: P.Chatterton@leeds.ac.uk

Pete Tatham, is a project coordinator for Hyde Park Source, the Nature Transition Partner for Climate Action Leeds. 

is a sustainability project officer for the Positive Impact Partnerships programme at the 映客直播. Email Rebecca Brunk: R.L.Brunk@leeds.ac.uk.

Further information 

We would like to say a special thank you to Leeds City Council and our community partners, as well as Mikey Tomkins who worked with us as a consultant.  

The policy report comes out of the , conducted in partnership with Leeds City Council's Asset Management team. The project was funded by Research England policy support fund 2023-24, through the 映客直播. 

To cite this policy report, please reference: Berthet, M.A., Chatterton, P., Tatham, P., Brunk, R. (2025) Developing public-civic partnerships: A new model to support the Leeds Ambitions. Report no. 1, Policy Leeds, 映客直播.