Could you take on Glasgow Autonomous Space?
The following message is from Glasgow Autonomous Space:
As you can imagine we have been having some big conversations about GAS and its future in light of everything thats been going on.
GAS opened in 2014 and we took out a 7 year lease. The lease is under an individuals name, and GAS has not got a legal structure that can take on a lease. The individuals that are legally bound to GAS (through insurance, bank account etc) would like to step down after being involved for a long time. There isnt a collective really any more, energy is looow.
We are hopeful that maybe there are some people who would like to continue GAS and all we have built. We would like to hear from groups of people who would work independently of us and:
Could take on a lease, insurance and bank account as either an individual or a company / charity / social enterprise
Would like to take on full working of the social centre (bins,bills, rent etc)
Would be comfortable leading this process of transition and taking GAS on as their own
Share the values of GAS and would continue to run the space collectively
We have a timescale of 6 months to make this transition. We appreciate that there will be loads of you who have the skills and enthusiasm to support GAS going forward, but at the moment we are only looking to hear from people who are willing and able to take on the lease and all legal and logistical responsibilities of the space, with immediate effect.
If we can’t find anyone to take it over then we will separate the space from the ‘spirit’ of GAS (the online presence, values etc) and close the space, with potential for people to take GAS into a new space if they like.
Our income is being covered by people making small regular donations, and this has been a lifeline in the last 8 months. We want to be transparent about where we are at in terms of the future of GAS. If you are making a regular donation at the moment, thankyou so much. If you continue to make donations it will support us in our transition. If GAS closes with donations to spare, we will give this money to the Edge fund, who funded our initial set up and invest in radical projects throughout the UK.
A massive thank you to everyone who has supported us, hung out in GAS, made it what it is. We realise that people may be concerned if you use the space, have stuff there etc. It may be worth starting to consider contingency plans if you rely on GAS. But we will be taking things step by step and keeping everyone updated as much as possible.
If you are willing and able to take on the lease and all legal responsibilities of the space, then please get in touch via glasgowautonomous@gmail.com