The term ‘125 Year Lease’ is thrown around like confetti at a wedding so allow me put 125 years into context.
125 years ago, in 1887, when Queen Victoria celebrated her Golden Jubilee, County Councils had yet to be established (Local Government Act 1888) and Local Education Authorities would not be created for another 14 years. (Education Act 1902)
125 years ago there were no LEAs and most of us couldn’t vote – no woman could anyway.
There were no cars as we would know them, few bicycles, no planes, gas and electricity were novelties few enjoyed.
No radio or television, telephones had existed for around a decade – few had them, and you had to pay to see the Doctor…
I could go on but the point I’m trying to make is that 125 years is a long, long, long time.
A lot will change over such a period.
The world will be a different place by the 2130s and 2140s.
It is very unlikely that anybody signing a 125 year lease will be around at its surrender yet public property is being ceded on these terms. The community that a school serves may no longer exist in 125 years time – the lease may well still have force of law.
So next time the phrase ‘125 Year Lease’ is glibly trotted out, perhaps bear in mind what I have set out here.
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