Development Trusts Association Scotland often referred to as DTAS is a charitable organisation that represents the interests of development trust

Development trust

Development Trusts are organisations which operate in the United Kingdom that are:*community based, owned and led*engaged in the economic, environmental and social regeneration of a defined area or community...

s. Founded in 2003 and based in Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

, by 2011 the membership was over 170.

Development trusts

Development trusts are organisations that are:

• owned and managed by the local community
• involved in the sustainable regeneration of a community
• independent and not for private profit, but seek to work in partnership with other private, voluntary and public sector organisations
• aim to reduce dependency on grant support by generating income through enterprise and the ownership of assets.

The development trust movement began in England in the 1990s where the activities are run by "Locality" and DTAS has the other sister organisations of DTA Wales and DTA Northern Ireland.

Activities

DTAS runs a Community Ownership Support Service that seeks to "advance effective transfer of local authority assets to community ownership" and operates a consultancy service called "The Pool" and is represented on the Rural Development Council

Rural Development Council

The Rural Development Council is an advisory body to the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead MSP...

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DTAS is part of the Scottish Community Alliance

Local People Leading

Local People Leading is an alliance of national networks and community groups in Scotland that has been created to campaign for a strong and independent community sector....

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