About the SATC
About the SATC
The Scout Association Trust Corporation (SATC) acts as a custodian trustee holding property on behalf of UK Scout Units (Groups, Districts and Counties). It is a separate charitable company to the Scout Association and has its own Board of Trustees.
A custodian trustee is a special type of trustee company that acts as a bare trustee and agent for local managing trustees of Scout Units. This arrangement is used instead of local managing trustees holding property themselves on behalf of Scout Units. When using a custodian trustee, no action can be taken without the local trustee’s express instructions.
The SATC charges fees for all services as outlined in the Fee Schedule. This is to cover the legal and administrative work the SATC completes for each matter. Before contacting the SATC to progress your matter please review the relevant section and the fee that applies to your matter type.
The SATC is supported by the Scout Association Legal Team. The Legal Team have professional obligations as in-house solicitors for the Scout Association and their role representing the SATC. Because of this, the Legal Team cannot provide legal advice or represent any Scout Unit in their legal matters. While they can offer general guidance to Scout Units where appropriate, all Scout Units involved in legal matters including those with the SATC are strongly encouraged to (or in some cases required to) seek legal advice or representation from a local solicitor.
Benefits of using the SATC
Each Scout Unit is their own separate charity. They are classed as an unincorporated charitable association. Some are registered with the Charity Commission if they meet the criteria.
Due to a Scout Unit being a charity, but not a corporate entity, it is unable to hold legal title to land. Instead, it can nominate or appoint trustees to hold legal title on the Scout Unit’s behalf. Under POR these can be locally appointed holding trustees or SATC.
If local trustees hold legal title to land or are the listed tenant on behalf of a Scout Unit, then they will be required to sign formal property documents and may have their names recorded on the land register or lease. Documents and registers may need to be updated whenever a trustee changes. If the SATC holds the land or a lease on behalf of a Scout Unit then these updates should not be required which helps to reduce costs and administration.
When the SATC acts on behalf of Scout Units, it can securely store all important physical deeds and documents (such as title deeds or conveyances) in a secure facility located at the Scout Association headquarters. This reduces the risk of documents from being lost.
Scout Units do not currently pay ongoing storage fees for this service; they only pay a fee for the initial appointment or other matters listed on the Fee Schedule.
Scout Units may need to close or relocate. If the SATC holds land or a lease and a Scout Unit closes, then the property will usually transfer up the chain of management on a Scout Unit’s closure (Group, District, County, then the Scout Association). If the SATC holds land or a lease and a Scout Unit relocates, then it is easier to transfer a Scout hut or site to another Scout Unit by transferring the 'beneficial interest' (see further details at Closing, merging, moving or changing a Scout Unit).
History of the SATC
The SATC was created in 1935 as a company limited by guarantee and authorised to hold title to land on behalf of the Scout Association’s Scout Units.
The SATC was created by the Scout Association to assist with charity law compliance and administration for local Scout Units’ property ownership. Despite the SATC being supported by the Scout Association, it is not owned by the Scout Association and has its own separate Board of Trustees.
The SATC’s name changed from the 'The Boy Scouts Association Trust Corporation' to the 'The Scout Association Trust Corporation' on 17 August 1967.
The SATC holds title to freehold and leasehold interests in land as Custodian Trustee on behalf of Scout Units, which means that it has an important but also limited role as it cannot, by law, have any responsibility for the managing the Scout Unit or it's land. This remains the responsibility of the Unit’s Trustee Board.