Urban Forum Guide to Community Resilience

Transcription

URBAN
FORUM
URBAN FORUM
GUIDE TO
COMMUNITY
RESILIENCE
Edited by Tony Hillman and Toby Blume
URBAN
FORUM
Thanks to
John Laing
Charitable Trust for
their generous
support of the
Guide.
And to all the
organisations that
contributed their
expertise on
particular resilience
approaches (full
listings page 54).
THE URBAN
FORUM
HANDY GUIDE
TO
COMMUNITY
RESILIENCE
Edited by Tony Hillman and
Toby Blume
First edition 2011
Published by Urban Forum
33 Corsham Street, London
N1 6DR
First published March 2011.
© Urban Forum 2011
ISBN 978-0-9551421-9-2
Funded by
Designed by Tony Hillman
and printed in England by
Eyemedia
[email protected]
Contents
Community Action
Local Food Schemes 6
Timebanking 8
Asset Mapping 10
Local Exchange Trading Scheme (LETS) 12
Co-operatives 14
Community Resilience Task Force 16
Community Led Planning 18
Buildings And Land
Renewable Energy 22
Community Asset Transfer 24
Community Land Banks 26
Community Land Trusts 28
Meanwhile Projects - Use of Assets 30
Finance and Money
Local Currencies 34
Local Enterprise 36
Community Development Finance 38
Credit Unions 40
Crowdfunding Social Ventures 42
Social Impact Bonds 44
Charitable Bonds - Blended Value Investment 46
Local Multiplier3 (LM3) 48
Community Shares 50
Glossary 52
URBAN FORUM HANDY GUIDE TO COMMUNITY RESILIENCE
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
Welcome
I
n such fast changing and challenging times communities can find
themselves buffeted by actions and pressures far outside their
communities (and control). The global financial crisis,
environmental disasters, war and natural disasters all ultimately
impact on communities across the UK. Energy prices, the cost of
food and transport, access to affordable credit and public spending cuts
are all affected by global events.
At times like this, community resilience – the ability of a community to
withstand shocks and to bounce back from them – will be critical. But
we mean resilience to be far more than just surviving . . . we think
resilience is also about achieving ambition and meeting future need.
A resilient community will have the skills, energy, resources and
ambition to do better for all its citizens. And it is our ambition to support
local people and groups to take control of their communities, to
determine what happens and how and to build strong, healthy and
vibrant areas where people are proud to live.
Toby Blume & Tony Hillman
URBAN
FORUM
About the guide
There are a great number of things that groups can do to make their
community more resilient – countless tried and and tested approaches –
but communities and people differ greatly, and so do their needs and
resources. What’s right for one community will not be right for another.
To develop and build community-led resilience it is important to look at
specific needs and circumstances and ask ‘what’s right for us?’. We
want people to look at the range of possible activities they might
undertake before determining what the appropriate blend will be for their
particular needs. We cannot look at each approach in isolation – we
must take a holistic view of things . . . that is the basis for this guide.
We have asked many of the experts on each of these approaches to
share their insight and knowledge and brought them all together in a
single place. We’ve tried to ensure the information is consistent,
practical and accessible. It is not intended to be comprehensive, but will
give you an idea of what each approach is about and where you can go
to find out more.
We would welcome your feedback – no doubt there are other
approaches we should include? Or perhaps you’d like to share your
experience of a particular approach? Do tell us what you think. And in
the meantime good luck and we hope this guide helps you to make your
community stronger, vibrant and more resilient.
Community Action
6
Local Food Schemes
8
Timebanking
10
Asset Mapping
12
Local Exchange Trading Scheme (LETS)
14
Co-Operatives
16
Community Resilience Task Force
18
Community Led Planning
LOCAL FOOD SCHEMES
What is the approach?
The approach is simple – to help you take
control of where your food comes from. This
may seem like a daunting proposition, but
there are many ways of doing it. From
attending farmers’ markets, to taking part in a
community buying group, taking ownership of
where the food you eat comes from is easier
than it seems.
Making Local Food Work aims to reconnect
land and people through food. It is a partnership
of seven expert organisations, offering
comprehensive support for support for different
sorts of community food enterprise, including
people wishing to become involved with:
S Farmers’ Markets
S Community Supported Agriculture
S Country Markets
S Community-owned shops and rural shops
S Food Co-operatives and Buying Groups
S Local food hubs
How does it work?
The beauty of community food enterprises lies in
their adaptable nature; there is no fixed way of
6
What’s right for your community will depend on
what already exists, the local choices/providers
you have and the level of interest within the
community. You can start off by finding out
what already exists in your area, asking people
how things could be improved, and building
from there.
running a community food enterprise, so it can
work on an individual basis. For example, a
community supported agriculture project might
involve a group of people approaching a local
farmer to establish a contract where the farmer
agrees to grow or raise a certain amount or type
of food for the community each month,
providing them with a sustainable and reliable
income and giving the community access to
fresh, local food with clear, traceable origins.
When is it suitable to use?
There are lots of different things you can do to
establish a local food scheme – so there will
always be something that’s suitable for you!
What are the benefits for the community?
Getting involved with a community food
enterprise has many benefits and is a
community response to some of the wider
issues we face as a global society. Our current
climate is one of economic uncertainty,
environmental concerns and energy insecurity.
But an increasing number of people are turning
to community food enterprises as a very real
solution to these problems.
Making Local Food Work helps communities
gain access to affordable, fresh, seasonal
produce from a known source, reconnecting
them to the land, and providing the opportunity
to learn new skills.
In return, producers gain a stable market and
secure income, get to know their customers and
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often have access to a pool of enthusiastic
volunteer workers.
The rising levels of obesity in the western
world and sense of powerlessness over what
actually goes into the food we eat means more
and more people are turning to alternatives to
the supermarket shop.
According to research carried out by Making
Local Food Work, two thirds of consumers are
increasingly concerned about how food is
produced and paying more attention to food
sourcing. Two thirds of consumers also say they
would be keen to take a more active role in how
their food is produced in the future. This is the
driving force behind the success of the local
food movement.
What resources do you need to do it?
Getting involved with a community food
enterprise is easy. Making Local Food Work
ensures anyone interested has access to
practical advice, from putting you in touch with
an already-established group or producer to
helping you start a community food enterprise
of your own.
Who can offer help?
The Making Local Food Work programme is
delivered by the Plunkett Foundation which
would be your first port of call for any question
relating to local food in your area. They can be
contacted on 01993 810730 or by emailing
[email protected].
The partner organisations are The Soil
Association, Co-operativesUK, FARMA,
Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE),
Country Markets and Sustain.
Whose experience can we learn from?
Among those embracing a more sustainable
way of living are Tom and Caz Ingall. Wanting
better access to locally-grown food, Making
Local Food Work and the Soil Association
helped them establish Canalside Community
Food, based on Leasowe Farm near
Leamington Spa.
Members pay £2 per month for membership
plus £58.50 or £39 per month for a share of
the organic produce each week (depending on
the size of the box required), or for those on
low income there is the option to work three or
Getting Started
1. Do some research in your community –
are there any community food projects
already established? If not, are there other
people interested in starting one with you?
2. Work out which approach is likely to
best meet your needs - growing your own
food, working with local producers or
setting up a buying group for example.
3. Call Making Local Food Work to see
what support is available to help you.
four hours instead.
They produce fresh, organically-certified
vegetables for 125 families on seven acres of
land all year round, utilizing the skills of the
community to grow, manage and run the project.
By collecting the produce direct, the farm doesn’t
pay expensive distribution fees, and members
can see exactly how their food is grown.
Community supported agriculture is an ideal
way for communities to achieve a a healthier
lifestyle, safe in the knowledge they are
contributing to the local economy and
environment, whilst taking responsibility for
where their food comes from.
7
TIMEBANKING
Timebanking is all about local people helping
each other and getting something in return.
Timebanking in its basic form rewards local
people for helping others. For every hour a
person spends helping someone, they get an
hour of time in return in the form of a ‘time
credit’. They can ‘spend’ this time credit
asking for help themselves: ironing, gardening,
dog walking, washing a car, shopping, DIY –
the list is endless.
The time bank can involve all members of the
community, regardless of age, gender, religion,
mental or physical disabilities.
How does it work?
Time banks measure and value all the
different kinds of help and skills we can offer
each other. In a time bank, everyone becomes
both a giver and a receiver.
Everyone’s time is valued equally : One hour
= 1 time credit Participants can spend their
time credits on the skills and support of other
participants when they need a helping hand.
People help each other out with everything
from making phone calls to sharing meals and
8
giving lifts to the shops – anything that brings
them together.
Every community in every town, city and
village can benefit from a time bank!
Sometimes people decide they need one
because there is a lack of community spirit
where they live, local people dont know each
other, or there are social and economic issues
to be addressed.
Because a time bank is based on what
people can offer and what they need, it will
reflect different local circumstances. So it can
be used in pretty much any situation!
What are the benefits for the
community?
S Generating community spirit
S Offering practical support to residents
S Promoting healthy lifestyles
S Reducing anti social behaviour
S Increasing the skills and confidence of local
people by promoting self worth
S Offering support to local community and
voluntary groups
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S
Improving intergenerational relationships
What resources and techniques/tools
are required to do it?
To run a successful time bank you will need a
base, a core group of people, some basic
resources (phone, computer, stationery) and
the enthusiasm to get people involved.
Timebanking UK provides all training that is
necessary to run a time bank, policies,
procedures, risk assessments, CRB checks and
ongoing support and assistance.
Good partnership working is also critical to a
time bank's success. For example,
working with local schools, community groups,
the police, primary care trusts, housing
associations, the council and other
organisations.
Who can offer help?
Time Banking UK helps individuals, organisations
and communities to set up and run their own
time banks and provides support through:
S A time banking handbook, information pack,
e-bulletin and website on all aspects of time
banking.
S Regional introductory courses on time
banking and how to use the Time Online
software
S Advice and support to individuals and
groups who want to set up a time bank
S Information-sharing discussion groups
S Development of partnerships within the
voluntary, statutory and corporate sector to
extend time banking practice
S Promotion of best practice and quality
standards including health & safety guidelines
S Awareness raising of time banking through
press and publicity
S Campaigning at policy level on issues that
affect time banks, such as implications for
welfare benefits entitlement
Whose experiences can we learn
from?
There are almost 300 time banks in the UK.
Learn from your local time bank. Go and visit it
and link up with those closest to you.
We all want the same things and time credits
are portable which means you can earn them
with one time bank and spend them in another.
Getting Started
1. Ensure you have a small group of
people to help you get things started (the
support of an organisation too can really
help).
2. Make a plan and make sure you have
attended one of Timebanking UK
information days and are clear about how
timebanking works, how you can use time
credits and what rules or policies you
need to have in place.
3. Ensure you have a base from which to
run your time bank, with a phone and
computer. Go out into the community and
get your time bank members to join up!
Set up the exchanges and away you go!
There are dozens of reports full of case
studies which show how timebanking can
improve community health and wellbeing and
some great video clips at
www.youtube.com/user/timebankingUK
9
ASSET MAPPING
As well as larger assets such as parks or
hospitals, an asset-based approach to
community work considers under-used,
overlooked and sometimes discarded assets
that normally require some special effort to
reveal or utilise. These assets include people’s
ideas, skills, time and energy, and empty
spaces both indoor and outdoor. The asset
based approach developed by Social Spaces
required in-depth understanding and
knowledge of a community and a facilitative
process of connecting and reconfiguring
resources to create new, useful and ingenious
projects for, and with, the community.
Social Spaces believes that community
projects based on learning, sharing and
making, create bridging social capital and have
a direct effect on connectedness, belonging
and wellbeing. Projects that are designed to
‘capture the imagination’ have the potential to
engage people in new and useful ways. Using
existing community resources to design these
projects is not only highly practical and
sustainable, but the process involved in
10
gathering the information on these assets is an
integral part of the process of connecting and
including community members.
The Travelling Pantry community workshop
project was designed by Social Spaces to
reveal community ideas and assets through a
number of interactive activities. One of these is
the Collaborative Asset Mapping activity as
described in more detail below.
How does it work?
Knowledge about the assets of the community
is distributed widely within the community.
How do you start to collect that knowledge and
get people thinking about the hidden or dormant
community wealth? Bringing people together in
a room to create a three-dimensional asset map
is a good way to start the process.
S A range of materials and small objects is
made available for the task – including large
sheets of paper.
S Participants are asked to start making a
map, using the three-dimensional objects
available, using pens as little as possible.
S The initial focus is on describing places,
groups, organisations, schools etc
S The second focus is on examining underused assets, revealing any ideas, skills, spaces
and connections that could be pulled together
to form a project.
The activity normally has a few effects.
Firstly it introduces strategic thinking at very
local level. Developing a visual map of the
community from a birds-eye view is both
informative and exciting. Participants start to
appreciate that the knowledge about the
community really is spread across community
members – showing that the more people in
the room the richer the information. The most
common expression heard during map making
is ‘I didn’t know that ‘. In the best map making
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sessions important insights can emerge about
assets that can be put together for local
projects. A secondary stage of transposing the
information onto a one-dimensional wall map
can be introduced later if required.
The activity works best in a local community at
a micro level. However it can also be used very
effectively to shift thinking away from needsbased or problem-solving approaches towards
asset-based thinking at a more strategic level.
The activity is very good at creating informal
relationships in a workshop setting. It is
normally lighthearted and enthusiastic and
provides very little room for negativity. It
doesn’t require good drawing skills so everyone
feels able to participate.
Many approaches that design projects based on
needs and problem-solving result in looking for
grants and other funding, which can drag on
indefinitely and drain energy. Asset-based
approaches often create an immediate sense of
possibility and agency because community
members can get started developing a project
the next day using what they have already.
After taking part in this activity participants have
often reported that they can’t walk past a pile of
gravel or an unharvested fruit tree without
thinking how they could make new and
interesting use of them.
Social Spaces has developed a set of materials
for professional use in workshops. These are
designed to be hard wearing and are thus fairly
expensive to buy. Communities wishing to create
one-off or occasional asset maps can assemble
their own set of materials using toys, bottle tops,
acorns, jelly beans… in fact anything they have
that can be used to differentiate between types
of assets. Essential materials would include large
pieces of paper from flip charts, different shaped
or coloured stickers, pens, tape, post-it notes,
scissors. Real Ordinance Survey maps can also
be used, but are not essential.
Who can help?
Social Spaces can help with this activity as
part of larger workshop to kick-start project
Getting Started
1. Do some internet research on the
approach and look up images of
collaborative mapping on the Social
Spaces website.
2. Gather suitable materials, find a group
of people that would like to start a
positive project in their community, and
invite them to map the assets in your
community.
3. The book Hand Made has lots of cool
project ideas and is available online for
free. Unleash your imagination and design
your own project!
development using an asset-based approach. A
lot of work around asset-based approaches has
come from the Asset Based Community
Development (ABCD) Institute in Chicago
www.abcdinstitute.org/ as well as more
context specific approaches such as Positive
Deviance (PD) www.positivedeviance.org/
The book Hand Made includes projects that use
an asset mapping approach, including harvesting
unpicked local fruit - and PieLab - a unique
combination of a design studio and pie shop!
11
LOCAL EXCHANGE TRADING SCHEME (LETS)
How does it work?
A membership list and directory of Offers &
Wants is available to the members, so they
can trade with each other directly.
It is usually an unincorporated association,
with a constitution and members’ agreement.
The management group divides up the tasks of
running the scheme, or appoint a core group to
take on particular roles.
Payments for work done can be made by
means of vouchers or nowadays through a
dedicated online system.
The core-group facilitates trading in various
ways, eg by organising socials, and arranging
for vulnerable members to be assisted with
organising their trading. Mature networks will
have funds for particular projects, and will be
well connected locally.
This is essentially a grass-roots, voluntary
initiative, and the organisers will need to have
the necessary skills and ability to work together.
However, any organisation, or network of existing
organisations can work as a LETS by identifying
12
resources they can share and customise the
system to suit their own circumstances.
community?
People who may not know about each other
can be connected through a LETS network, and
become aware of talents or needs that would
otherwise remain hidden. New projects can
be created to provide support where needed in
the community and resources can be allocated
to them, using a virtual currency, which
becomes more meaningful and valuable the
more it is used.
There’s more to running a LETS than perhaps
meets the eye. Local groups need to have a
professional level of oganisational ability, with
expertise in administration and community
networking, and must be motivated to support
the community rather than using the LETS as a
business opportunity. They will need energy
and imagination, as well as a determination to
succeed. They will need to be able to call in a
range of supporting skills, such as graphic
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design, administrative ability, editing and event
organising. But don't be put off by the skills you
will need, there's support available and there
may well be others with skills to contribute in
the community.
Who can offer help?
LETSlink UK connects up groups all over the UK
and has software, so that the LETS can be run
via an online system.
We can also offer help to put you in touch
with nearby sources of support.
Getting Started
from?
A variety of software is available and is listed
on www.cxss.info. The package called Local
Exchange works well and groups using this are
are linked at www.localexchange.org.uk. These
and other groups are all members of LETSlink
UK which enables existing groups to share
experiences to support new start-ups.
1. Form a small core-group, say, between
3 and 6 people who are prepared to work
together to set up a LETS, familiarise
yourself with information about LETS and
meet up several times to establish the
resources within the group which could
include skills, or facilities, eg meeting
rooms, useful connections, etc.
2. Together try to work out the basis of
the LETS, for example would it be
geographically based, would its purpose
be to support a particular project or small
group, a wider community of interest, an
existing organisation or network, and
what sources you could use for start-up
funding, either available funds, or grantfunding.
3. Get in touch with LETSlink UK, to join
the network, and discuss where you've
got to so far.
13
CO-OPERATIVES
What is the approach/technique?
Co-ops may look like any ordinary business but
they are far from ordinary. They are businesses
owned and operated by a group of individuals for
mutual benefit. They are a way for people to
collectively ‘do things for themselves’ – whether
that’s responding to a market opportunity, or
meeting an identified need.
The co-op movement is steeped in a history
of strong social purpose of caring for others
and this has been shaped over the years into a
series of guiding principles under which they
should operate.
S Voluntary and open membership.
S Democratic member control.
S Member economic participation.
S Autonomy and independence.
S Education, training and information.
S Co-operation among co-operatives.
S Concern for community.
How does it work?
There are several types of recognised models
for a co-operative:
Consumer co-ops: owned and controlled by
14
customers (from minimum control such as
purchasing goods through to supplying or
selling goods).
Worker co-ops: owned and controlled by
employees – some are managed on a
collective basis; others are managed through a
small committee or board of directors.
Community co-ops: enterprises owned and
controlled by people within a community
(either geographical or community of interest).
Co-op consortia: co-ops formed and owned by
a number of independent businesses,
organisations or individuals.
Multi-stakeholder co-ops: enterprises owned
by a wide variety of members, maybe drawn
from local residents or partnership organistions.
Secondary co-ops: enterprises whose
members are other co-ops.
There are over 4,800 co-operative businesses
in the UK from engineering, manufacturing,
consultancy, housing, football clubs, credit
unions, shops, pubs, public relations to
education and web design.
One of the best examples is the ‘Baywind
Energy Co-op’ formed in 1996 – a communityowned wind farm which has since expanded its
services UK-wide.
The ‘Unicorn Grocery’ was established by four
people in Manchester in 1996 and has grown
to be one of the most successful wholefood
shops in the UK. It has a flat management
structure and operates an equal pay policy.
There are numerous types of worker co-ops
and multi-stakeholder co-ops with parents and
professionals in child-care or elderly care
services as well as GP consortia models. There
are over 400 agricultural co-ops in the UK with
a collective turnover of £4.6billion. And in arts
and crafts there are many co-op models,
usually pooling resources.
community?
Co-ops keep the business, wealth creation and
supply chain development within the local
community; they are often much more
sustainable than other forms of small business
and therefore their survival rates are higher,
which has a knock-on effect of increased job
Getting Started
creation, and finally they encourage
entrepreneurial and business skills.
They can also be an effective way for a
community to collectively address a particular
need, such as housing or food supply.
Apart from the commitment and energy
needed the only other thing needed is a
recognised legal structure and currently in UK
there is no such structure dedicated to co-ops
alone. Most co-ops are usually advised to
incorporate to limit the liability of members,
though some choose not to. Whatever is
decided a written constitution is still required.
The various legal forms which are usually
adopted are:
Industrial and provident society (IPS) –
which has been accepted over the years as one
of the most stable structures for a co-op. The
IPS works on one-member, one-vote, so it
enhances democracy and protects members'
rights. IPSs can issue shares to the public.
Private company limited by
guarantee/shares – this form is probably the
best known of all legal structures and is used
frequently for co-ops. The main feature is that
it is flexible and can be set up quickly and fairly
easily. However, these structures prohibit
offering shares to the public.
Community interest company (CIC) limited
by guarantee/shares – CIC is a limited
company unable to issue shares or pay
dividends but used for companies wishing to
conduct business for community benefit. The
distinguishing feature is an ‘asset lock’ which is
useful for organisations who apply for funding
as not-for-profit without the regulations of the
Charity Commission.
Who can offer help?’
Co-operatives UK can offer a range of support,
including their ‘Starting a Co-operative Guide’.
You might also be able to get support from a
local co-operative development organisation.
Information can be found at www.uk.coop
Radical Routes www.radicalroutes.org.uk and
Catalyst Collective
www.catalystcollective.co.uk offer help to set
up and register new co-operatives.
The co-op should be set up like any other
business. The first three essential steps
are:
1. A feasibility plan – what are the
objectives of the business, discuss this
with the other members of the group.
2. A Legal structure – decide who the
members are? Are they the staff, the
consumers, the community or other small
businesses? What will the benefits be to
members? This is a good time to get
assistance from a local co-operative
development body or Co-operatives UK.
3. Business strategy development – pull
everything together by setting out your
objectives, market, staffing needs, how
the business will function, finance plan
(projections, raising finance and
marketing), governance structure (legal
form) and finally seek out start up finance.
There are hundreds of different sized cooperatives with experience to draw on. See
case studies on the Cooperative Enterprise Hub
www.co-operative.coop/enterprisehub/case-studies/
15
COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TASK FORCE
Severe weather events such as flooding and
prolonged cold snaps have demonstrated the
sometimes limited capacity that local
authorities and front line services have to keep
local streets and minor roads clear of snow
and clear up minor flood damage.
Some degree of climate change now seems
inevitable. There will be a need to adapt to this
and to the measures that will need to be taken
in order to meet national targets for carbon
emissions reductions. Engaged communities
that understand the role that they can play in
that change will be essential.
Environmental charity, BTCV is establishing a
programme of Community Resilience
Workshops and projects to support
communities to become more resilient, play an
active role in local adaptation to climate
change, complement the work of frontline
providers and undertake practical
environmental work.
How does it work?
BTCV offers different ways for communities to
become involved in the programme.
16
Community Resilience Workshops provide the
opportunity to understand the implications of
climate change for their community, learn
about the key agencies and structures in place
to support their community in the event of an
emergency, and develop strategies to become
adaptive and resilient communities.
Communities may then choose to establish a
Community Resilience Task Force (CRTF).
Existing environmental groups can also convert
into a CRTF.
Community Resilience Task Forces:
S provide an action task force to help
emergency planners address extreme weather
events and civil emergencies in communities.
S undertake adaptation and mitigation tasks to
minimise the impacts of climate change.
S work with community groups, societies and
local councils to produce information to
respond to the challenges posed by climate
change.
S promote the adoption of pro-environmental
behaviours in the community.
BTCV has extensive skills in developing self
sustaining community environmental
groups. They work with communities for up to
two years, building skills and capacity. During
this period Community Resilience Task Forces
develop their own action plan for local
adaptation work, in association with local
partner organisations such as councils."
Setting up a CRTF can work for:
S Existing community groups or volunteers
involved in environmental volunteering.
S Communities interested in participating in
the community resilience agenda.
S Local authorities and other agencies wishing
to develop the resilience and adaptive capacity
of communities
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community?
Positive gains for communities include:
S being equipped to take practical action to
deal with a range of situations, from floods to
iced up roads.
S an understanding of the potential impact of
climate change on their area.
S identifying local priorities for adaptive action.
S producing or contributing to community
resilience plans and local climate impacts
profiles.
S building community resilience leadership
skills and capacity.
S developing a local resource bank of skills
and tools to adapt to a changing climate and
building an on-line map and directory of these
resources.
S understanding the Civil Contingency Act, the
emergency planning hierarchy and the role of
local authority emergency planning officers.
S developing increased resilience, community
adaptive action and community resilience teams.
Getting Started
S A small additional stock of tools and
protective equipment.
S Additional training to provide an
understanding of the emergency planning
system, details of other partners and resources
available. The role of community resilience
teams and how and when they will be deployed.
Who can offer help?
In addition to support available from BTCV,
other partners might include local authority
emergency planners, climate change officers
and parish / community councils.
S BTCV’s experience in piloting CRTFs
S Existing civil society members of regional /
local resilience forums such as The Red Cross,
Association of Lowland Search and Rescue and
WRVS
S Local authority emergency planners
S Parish Councils (who are responsible for
producing Parish Emergency Plans)
S The Environment Agency flooding specialists
S Local highways authorities.
1. If your group is currently a member of a
community conservation group contact
your local Emergency Planning Officer and
Parish Council to discuss the sort of help
that you could provide.
2. If you are new to caring for your local
environment and would like to know how
to get started, join BTCV’s Community
Network and receive support from the
UK’s practical environmental charity.
Support includes: training, advice, grants,
website templates, tools purchase and
handbooks.
3. Ensure practical environmental events
in your community help combat the
impacts of climate change. Further details
of the type of practical climate change
adaptation and mitigation activities that
your group can take can be found on
BTCV’s website under 'Carbon Army’ at
www.btcv.org.uk
17
COMMUNITY LED PLANNING
Community Led Planning (CLP) is a step-bystep process that takes place within a local
neighbourhood or parish and is led by local
people. It helps the community to decide on
local social, economic, environmental and
cultural priorities and take responsibility for
making things happen locally, rather than
others doing these things for them.
This approach to community empowerment
has been developed and implemented in rural
areas over many years, largely as a response
to the gradual withdrawal of public sector
services and the increasing self-reliance of
communities in looking after their own affairs.
How does it work?
A steering group, set up by the community,
oversees and coordinates the development of
the plan, which includes four main stages
which can be summarised as LEAD:
S Launching the plan process within the
community
S Evidencing local need and aspirations
S Agreeing and prioritising actions
S Delivering and monitoring the action plan.
18
Community Led Plans rely on extensive
deliberation between individuals and local
groups, with input from external organisations
and service providers, to help identify and
debate issues of local importance. The
evidence gathered is used by the community
to produce and agree a comprehensive vision
for the future of the area. Potential solutions,
developed during the process and form the
basis of a formal action plan, which sets out
how this vision is to be achieved.
Although most CLP has tended to take place in
rural communities, recent work has begun to
adapt the model to urban neighbourhoods. CLP
tends to work best in well defined, discrete
areas with a common identity.
CLP can be used as a process to accompany a
process of new neighbourhood plans – with
local people establishing local governance (a
community forum or neighbourhood council) and
using CLP as the basis for planning and action.
However it is important to recognise the
differences between rural and urban areas in
using CLP – and the rural model cannot be
transplanted into urban areas without some
adaptation.
community?
CLP can support the development of
community-led initiatives and provision of more
cost-effective services within communities. It
provides an evidence base for the local
authority and other public sector agencies to
work with and clearly defines the actions and
responsibilities that people want to see for
their community.
Action plans resulting from Community Led
Planning can include a wide range of locally-led
projects such as setting up a youth club or a
community-owned shop, mounting a
community-based emergency plan or improving
community owned space and facilities. Many
of these actions are driven by volunteers that
come forward as interest in the plan’s
development increases. For example, during
seven years in the East of England region, 231
communities created plans that contained over
9,000 individual actions to improve their local
area. 47% of these actions were able to be
Getting Started
taken on by the community themselves
without external support.
The main costs associated with CLP are the
external facilitation of the process – to help
communities to develop and deliver the local
plan and to work with the local authority (or
Parish or neighbourhood council, if one exists).
You will need to understand the CLP process
in more detai. And of course it takes passion
and commitment to make it happen and a
willingness to work to involve the whole
community in the process.
Who can offer help?
There is a wealth of experience and support
available to draw on. Action with Communities in
Rural England (ACRE) and Action for Market
Towns (AMT) have considerable resources and
support for groups that are interested in embarking
on a CLP exercise, as well as plenty of case
studies and other information. See:
www.acre.org.uk/our-work/community-ledplanning and http://towns.org.uk/knowledgehub/policy-into-practice-2/community-led-planning/
Member organisations within ACRE’s Rural
Community Action Network (RCAN) provide
hands-on local facilitation for communities to
be able to undertake CLP. RCAN members have
a wide range of resources to help communities
through the process of producing high quality
plans for their area. The CLP toolkit, other
resources and facilitation support that are
made available to the community have been
developed and refined over many years.
Because CLP generally takes place at a Parish
or neighbourhood level, local councils are often
also part of the process. The National
Association of Local Councils (NALC)
www.nalc.gov.uk offers information and
support to existing neighbourhood councils and
to citizens that want to establish new ones.
Over 4,000 plans exist throughout England;
most have been completed in communities
with populations varying between a few
hundred and 20,000 residents. The vast
majority of these are small rural communities
where retail and public services lack viability
and houses are unaffordable for the significant
1. Begin by talking to people to test the
appetite for exploring the possibility of
carrying out a CLP process and start to
recruit volunteers to get involved.
2. Talk to the local authority and other
local public sector agencies about your
ideas and whether they might support it.
3. Learn about CLP by learning from the
experience of others and how the process
works and talk to one of the organisations
that can offer support and advice.
proportion of the rural population on low
incomes. However there are now over 80
urban Community Led Plans of some kind that
have been reported as either underway or
complete across the country. Urban Forum,
working in partnership with ACRE, AMT, NALC
and Community Matters, recently conducted
research for the National Empowerment
Partnership to test and develop the CLP model
in urban neighbourhoods.
19
Buildings & Land
22
Renewable Energy
24
Community Asset Transfer
26
Community Land Banks
28
Community Land Trusts
30
Meanwhile Projects - Use of Assets
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Community-owned renewable energy presents
a huge opportunity for communities to
generate substantial incomes and tackle
climate change, particularly now with the
introduction of new financial incentives,
principally Feed-In Tariff and the Renewable
Heat Incentive. Feed-In Tariffs (also known as
FITs) are the electricity part of Clean Energy
Cashback, a scheme that pays people to
create their own “green electricity”. The
second part of the scheme is the Renewable
Heat Incentive, a similar measure for heat.
Community Renewable Energy (CoRE)
provides a mechanism to enable communities
to work together, replicate ideas and develop
shared expertise. CoRE works as a partner to
develop renewable energy systems. These
systems generate income for communities and
CoRE, which CoRE then uses to support and
work other communities.
How does it work?
Developing a renewable energy system that
will have a significant impact and generate
sizeable profits requires a considerable amount
22
of time and expertise. For example, to put up
an 800 kW wind turbine will cost about
£120,000 to produce all the report and studies
necessary to get planning permission and
develop the scheme to a point where by a
bank or other finance organisation will invest
money in it. It will then cost about £1.1 million
to install. To achieve this requires finance,
credibility (a wind turbine manufacturer needs
to take you seriously), knowledge of the
electrical supply industry for grid connection as
well as the expertise to obtain planning
permission and develop financial models.
Organisations like CoRE have been set up to
enable communities to overcome these sorts
of issues. CoRE operates like a commercial
franchise but has a cooperative structure with
a social purpose, and is socially owned by the
communities it works with. The Centre for
Sustainable Energy also provides bespoke
advice but have practical DIY community
energy resources such as the ‘PlanLoCal’
toolkit.
CoRE operates across the North of England
and has obtained planning permissions for
an 800 kW wind turbine in Berwick,
Two anaerobic digesters that generate heat
and electricity from agricultural materials like
slurry and grass silage in Cumbria of 500 and
1000kW.
CoRE is installing photovoltaic panels that
generate electricity from sunlight on 50 houses
in Berwick and has set up a diesel generator
producing heat and electricity running on used
vegetable oil.
S
S
When is it suitable to be used?
Most forms of renewable energy can be
developed, but there are schemes which are
obviously more suited to certain areas and
community-based projects and in general
should be large enough to generate sufficient
profits to repay their development costs, thus
most schemes will be 50 kW or above and are
typically about 1000 kW. These schemes are
often smaller than a commercial developer
would consider, but are still substantial. A 1000
kW anaerobic digester will produce enough
electricity to supply 1700 households and
enough heat for 400 households for example.
SUBMISSION BY COMMUNITY
RENEWABLE ENERGY
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The income form renewable energy schemes
can be substantial. An 800 kW wind turbine
could generate up to £4m for community use
over 25 years. They can also help a community
become carbon neutral, and more resilient,
environmentally and economically. For
example, CoRE’s second Anerobic Digestion
plant in Cumbria will supply heat for the village
and businesses. The availability of renewable
energy at a relatively low stable price can
strengthen local businesses and organisations.
Furthermore, community renewable energy
projects can also provide a catalyst for more
community resilience work.
Organisations like CoRE make available
resources and expertise to local communities
that help develop renewable energy schemes.
This rangs from financial models that are
acceptable to banks and finance organisations,
models for raising finance from local people,
planning expertise and so on. Toolkits such as
‘PlanLocal’ and Community Renewable Energy
Toolkit
(www.communityenergyscotland.org.uk/comm
unity-renewable-energy-toolkit.asp) provide
similar information.
Often community energy organisations like
CoRE don’t charge communities they work with
but will need to work with them to raise finance
to develop a renewable energy scheme. They
expect communities to be committed and there
must be a realistic chance of developing a viable
and profitable scheme.
In addition to the Centre for Sustainable
Energy’s ‘PlanLoCal’ online support
www.planlocal.org.uk, the Department of
Energy and Climate Change has a website on
community renewables http://ceo.decc.gov.uk/
and a group of social entrepreneurs have set
up www.saveandgenerate.com.
CoRE provides information on the schemes
they have developed on www.core.coop and
has produced a number of case studies. It has
also set up the ‘CoRE Network’ which is free to
join and organises regular meetings for people
to find out about what they do and to share
knowledge and expertise amongst members.
Getting Started
1. Clarify your community aims in
developing a renewable energy scheme –
job creation, generation of money,
reduction in fuel poverty and so on. The
Centre for Sustainable Energy’s
‘PlanLoCal’ pack offers help for
communities to determine what these
priorities might be.
2. Identify what renewable energy
resources a community has such as being
in a windy area, having a lot of wood
available locally and so on. Secondly
identify the skills necessary to develop a
renewable energy system. If there are
skills gaps, then contact organisations like
CoRE or Water Enterprises. The website
www.saveandgenerate.com contains
tools to help you in this process.
3. Assess the viability of the schemes you
wish to develop and the resources that
will be needed to get them to the point of
being finance ready.
23
COMMUNITY ASSET TRANSFER
Community ownership of assets is not new.
Indeed, it has a well documented history going
back hundreds of years. In more recent times,
community ownership and management of
land and property has been given fresh
momentum as a result of influential reports,
government policy and the work of community
based organisations.
How does it work?
At its simplest level, Community Asset Transfer
is a shift in management and / or ownership of
land or buildings, from the public sector (most
commonly local authorities) to communities.
Transferring control can:
S empower communities to shape the places
in which they live and work;
S involve communities in co-designing,
transforming and delivering the services from
which they benefit;
S help to develop a robust community
enterprise sector;
S enable local government and other public
bodies to achieve their aims;
24
S deliver long-term social, economic and
environmental benefits.
Local authorities are able to transfer their
land and buildings to community organisations
at ‘less than best consideration, i.e. below
market value. Transfer options range widely,
from short term leasehold to freehold.
There is no correct time when transfer is
suitable. However, opportunities to progress
one are best undertaken when:
S there is community appetite to do so;
S statutory bodies engage and involve
communities in design and delivery of services;
S facilities / services are threatened with closure
(without an alternative being contemplated),
S when the terms of a transaction between
partners are mutually beneficial.
community?
The benefits of transfer are substantial,
depending on the extent the asset can be
exploited for community benefit. The asset
itself is a means to an end, with the end being
community determination and sustainability.
From the perspective of community resilience,
a local asset base can be the catalyst for longterm local economic prosperity. Direct and
indirect outcomes include:
S attracting new investment into an area;
S assistance with skills development,
volunteering opportunities, job creation,
business development;
S co-produced service design and delivery;
S promotion of ‘wealth anchoring’ in deprived
neighbourhoods through the provision of space,
opportunities for locally situated businesses
and enterprise activity;
S an impetus for wider regeneration activities;
S increases in the value of nearby housing;
S improved sense of place and maintaining
the quality of a place where it might otherwise
depreciate in the face of spending constraints.
Transferring and developing an asset represents
a major undertaking. Pursuing it means
committing substantial time, energy, skills and
often, financial resources. Timescales will be
SUBMISSION BY THE ASSET TRANSFER UNIT
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dependant upon many factors, some more
subject to community control than others.
Site selection and appraisal, options for
alternative uses and funding deadlines may all
impact on the ‘window of opportunity’ afforded
communities. But community groups should not
allow external pressures to force them into
agreeing to something if they are not convinced.
Capital developments draw on the full range
of skills, expertise and experience. Before
moving forward it may be useful to carry out
an internal capacity and skills audit, to
understand if gaps exist, and how relevant
skills and experience can be developed.
Who can offer help?
Involving your community will provide great
benefits, but to develop a land and building
project successfully, community groups may
need to look for support from other
stakeholders, such as the local authority or the
local Council for Voluntary Services. Support
from specialist umbrella bodies such as Locality
and Community Matters is also available.
The Asset Transfer Unit has an extensive
catalogue of practical case studies, which
provide both inspiration and information:
Hebden Bridge Town Hall – Following the loss
of other public buildings in the town, the
Hebden Bridge Community Association led a
campaign in 2006 to revive the previously
underutilised and poorly maintained Town Hall.
The transfer of this landmark 18th century
Grade II listed building, from Calderdale Council
to the Association in April 2010 on a 40 year
lease, marked it as one of the first
communities in Britain to take direct control of
its Town Hall. The Council has become the
anchor tenant and continues to use the building
to deliver services.
St. Werburghs Community Centre - the oldest
Community Centre in Bristol. St Werburghs
Community Association (SWCA) took over the
management of the building in 1999. The
building desperately needed renovating and
was too small for the needs of users. The new
eco-friendly building was transferred to SWCA
by the Council on a 35 year lease, boasting
Getting Started
1. Building local support – whatever the
initial trigger for a potential transfer, it is far
more likely to be successful where there is
buy-in and support from a good crosssection of the community and key
stakeholders;
2. Feasibility – community groups should
takes steps to consider carefully any risks
and liabilities to understand if their project
is feasible;
3. Business Planning – the business plan
should be succinct and focused on securing
support for the project, to help check
progress against the plan and to
communicate with the community and
stakeholders.
cutting-edge sustainability features, such as a
green roof system and photovoltaic panels to
produce electricity. The Centre has a range of
offices for rent, shared workspace, meeting
rooms, kitchen, internet café and cinema club.
25
COMMUNITY LAND BANKS
What is the approach/technique?
This is a new idea to provide brokerage and
“moral” support to community groups seeking
to occupy unused land for food growing,
therapeutic purposes, education or creating
wildlife havens. This will be done by providing
re-assurance through case-studies, legal
templates, and simple guidance to both parties
in the transaction.
We would aim to make this a much more
common transaction thereby providing the
opportunity for mainstreaming such temporary
or “meanwhile” use of land - people and
groups want land for food growing projects –
allotments are often full with long waiting
lists. The Community Land Bank concept is to
“make the obvious easy”.
How does it work?
It is still at a research phase but it is clear from
discussions with many land owners and
community groups that a demonstration
project will gain much support.
Through advice of a land agent – a
Community Land Advisory Service – it is
26
hoped that the land bank operating at a
national level will help to facilitate brokerage
deals at a local and sub-regional level.
S Acting as a brokerage for land access
S Offering security to both landowners and
tenants on terms and length of leases
S Reducing tenure costs and charges and cut
delays in securing land access
S Offering good practice precedents to
landowners
S Holding land in trust where appropriate.
We envisage this as being used when
community groups (rather than individuals)
want to negotiate access to land with
institutional land managers (as opposed to
private individual landowners).
Concerns voiced by land managers are:
S Risk of planning and development delays.
S Scepticism about the accountability and
capability of community gardening groups.
S Fears of project failure and bad publicity.
SUBMISSION BY FEDERATION OF CITY FARMS
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community?
Reassurance, security, help in complicated
legal negotiations
S Community buy-in and volunteers
S Training and support – to address skill gaps
S Infrastructure – compost, fencing, water
S Best practice examples – opportunities to
share learning
S Creation of a social-economic model – new
social enterprise methods.
At the moment we envisage recommending
that the CLB is not a single entity
‘No single entity – the need for two-tier
system’
S Community Land Partnership – a national
brokerage body
S Local Land Partnerships – for developing
work in pilot areas
S National Demonstration Project and
Challenge Fund
Who can offer help?
The Advisory body at present includes
S Federation of City Farms and Community
Gardens (CLB proposer and lead body)
S Development Trusts Association
S LandShare
S The Land Trust (formerly The Land
Restoration Trust)
S Transition Network
S The National Trust
Consultations have been conducted in a
number of pilot areas and the idea is now
being developed through a national
demonstration project.
Getting Started
1. Form a community group - seek advice
on setting up a new group and recognised
good practice (eg FCFCG’s starter packs,
good governance guidance etc).
2. Identify what it is you want to do (eg
local food growing) and establish contact
with the local authority.
3. Negotiate on the land on which to
do it.
The emerging development and research
findings, including case studies are available on
FCFCG's website.
27
COMMUNITY LAND TRUSTS
If your local area suffers from a shortage of
affordable housing and people are having to
move away to access housing a Community
Land Trust (CLT) could be an answer.
CLTs are non-for-profit, community-based
organisations that own and manage homes
and other community facilities to meet local
housing need and benefit the local community.
Where a CLT retains an equity share in each
property, they ensure that the housing remains
affordable for generations to come.
CLTs can take a variety of forms. They may be
urban or rural, they may consist of only a handful
of properties or a large estate development and
they may develop only social rented homes or a
variety of tenures to meet local need. And doing
a CLT doesn’t always involve a community group
going it alone. Some of the most successful CLT
developments have benefitted from Housing
Association support to develop and manage the
new homes.
The Community Land Trust Network, a
national umbrella body for CLTs in England, has
been formed to help the CLT sector grow and
28
flourish. There is increasing cross-party political
support and interest in CLTs and the Coalition
government has made a commitment to create
new trusts making it simpler to provide homes
for local people.
How does it work?
The Community Land Trust network has
produced a step-by-step Guide to forming a
CLT. The guide takes you through the process
of creating and developing a CLT, from the
initial stages of forming a CLT to developing the
homes and managing the properties.
The relevant regional support organisation or
umbrella CLT for your area can provide more in-
depth support, if one exists.
If there is no existing regional support body in
your area, contact the National Community
Land Trust Network.
The CLT Fund, which provides funding and
expert support to fledgling Community Land
Trusts from initial feasibility – where
communities are identifying a need and
thinking about a solution – through to the
construction of affordable homes. Please visit
their website at www.cltfund.org.uk
CLTs can be used in a variety of contexts, but
generally arise where a need for a certain type
of housing has been identified and where there
is a local ambition to do something about it.
CLTs are likely to be most successful where
some of the costs of the CLT can be reduced,
most notably the cost of the land.
community?
The main benefit of a CLT is that it provides
homes and other community facilities that meet
local needs. In some cases, this may enable local
SUBMISSION BY COMMUNITY LAND TRUSTS NETWORK
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people to stay in their community, supporting its
sustainability, especially where members of the
households are employed locally.
Where CLTs provide local workspaces, this
also supports local businesses and enterprises.
CLTs build on and strengthen social networks
and empower local communities, giving them
the confidence in having achieved something of
significant value and benefit to their local area.
The most significant resources required are:
S Committed local people who support the
CLT and are willing to put in the time and effort
to take it forward;
S Technical and legal advice on creating and
developing a CLT, from initial feasibility to
constructing the new homes;
S Project funding, including feasibility funding,
pre-development funding and development
finance.
Who can offer help?
The Community Land Trusts Network, the
national umbrella body for CLTs in England, can
help by signposting you to the relevant
resources or your regional support organisation
or umbrella CLT, who can take you through the
steps of setting up a CLT.
Help with funding and technical advice can
also be found by contacting the CLT Fund. They
provide funding and expert support from initial
feasibility through to the construction of
affordable homes. Please visit their website at
www.cltfund.org.uk You may also wish to join
the Community Land Trust Discussion Forum at
http://communitylandtrusts.ning.com/ to learn
from the experiences of other CLT practitioners.
A National Community Land Trust
demonstration project was conducted in 2006
to 2008 to provide support and advice to 20
rural and urban CLT projects across the country.
A report on the CLT website assesses the
success of the project and the lessons to be
learned from the programme. More up to date
case studies can also be found there.
The United States CLT movement is well
established and is a good source of
information. See the United States National
CLT Network at www.cltnetwork.org
Getting Started
1. Establish that you want to set up a CLT
to address a local housing and community
need and galvanise sufficient support
within your community;
2. Take a look at the Community Land
Trust website
www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk to get
an idea of what is involved;
3. Contact the National Community Land
Trust Network or the regional support
body or umbrella CLT in your area for
support and advice.
29
MEANWHILE PROJECTS - USE OF ASSETS
Meanwhile projects give a resource back to
the community. While a space – be it an office
building, shop or building site – is waiting to
fulfil its optimum use, a meanwhile project will
seek to find an interim use that provides
opportunities for local people.
The approach is to make use of what is
there, with minimal investment in the space, in
relation to the expected duration of the project.
The projects are not obstacles to the ultimate
preferred use for the space. Indeed
participants typically work with public or
private owners of the space to accelerate their
return to commercial use, the pay-off is access
30
to that space immediately, regardless of its
state, to add to the diversity of community
resources at a local level and reduce blight by
animating empty spaces. There is no guideline
on what those spaces should become.
The technique is simple: achieving mutual
gain. It must work for the owner of that space,
to expedite its return to commercial (or public)
use, to reduce costs or to seek and create an
alternative, long-term viable use. In turn local
people are given an opportunity to use a
resource that would otherwise have been costprohibitive.
How does it work?
Making meanwhile projects work requires
curiosity, drive and imagination; inspired by a
frustration with wasted space, a ‘we can do
better’ attitude.
More specifically it requires the ability to ‘sell’
a proposal to the owner of the space that a
meanwhile project is a better proposition than
doing nothing. An understanding of the
mechanics of local authorities, their often
contradicting departmental priorities and how
to make them collaborate or bring them into
productive conflict. And finally the skills of a
circus ringmaster to herd the different
interested parties in using the space to bring it
up to useable standard.
Seeking a meanwhile use is appropriate when
there is an empty space that can be used for
an alternative use while that space awaits its
long term future to be realised. Typically a
space might be relevant for meanwhile use if:
S It is no longer fit for purpose, or optimum
commercial use.
S There has been a change in the local
economy that means the main users of the
space have moved or cannot afford the facility.
S A wider, strategic change is taking place in
that community and interventions are making
spaces temporarily redundant.
community?
The community benefits are:
Reducing blight – at a simple level, empty and
unused spaces are just not good or
representative of a healthy, vibrant community.
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Using wasting assets – a lot of energy has
gone into the creation of spaces, to let them
go unused is a waste.
Positive action and identity – meanwhile use is
about doing something now, immediately.
Innovation – meanwhile use allows people to
experiment and fulfil curiosity. Access to lowcost space allows enterprise to flourish and
ideas to take shape.
Meanwhilers need to:
S Access the space – getting around
gatekeepers, negotiating terms of usage.
S Sell their idea.
S Navigate bureaucracy – get buy-in from the
relevant parts of the local authority. Then work
on the politicians!
S Arrange the legals.
S Find the money.
S Prepare the space – gardeners, painters,
electricians, plumbers.
S Find the time – the more a space is open,
the more of a success it is likely to be.
S Manage expectations – a lot of different
people make projects happen, they all need
satisfying, and the space needs to be managed
to fulfil the public-facing obligations too.
S Pack up and evaluate – a better space than
on arrival builds good reputation and knowing
what did and didn’t work will make for better
future projects.
The Empty Shops Handbook provides a walkthrough of getting projects up and running. The
Intermediary Handbook helps prepare legal and
management arrangements. The No Time to
Waste report provides evidence on what does
and doesn’t work, the barriers and
opportunities and case studies.
The Meanwhile Lease is an industry standard
legal document to satisfy landlord requirements
and support meanwhile projects.
The SQW Meanwhile Evaluation investigates
the business case for meanwhile use nationally
Who can offer help?
Meanwhile Project – supporting and
showcasing meanwhile projects across the
country.
Getting Started
1. Create a long list of potential spaces
that work for your project (walk around at
street level looking for empty spaces),
then convert to a short list by collating
contact details for the space, prioritised
by ease of access to the owner. Do not
get fixated on one space.
2. Prepare a concise proposal for the
space, outlining why it will benefit the key
stakeholders (owner being a priority, you
need to convince them), who will hold the
legal obligations and insurances etc. (to
map out the risk) and how the project will
be financed.
3. Line up your local authority support in
different departments and articulate your
case to them individually and collectively.
Please visit the Showcase entries on the
Meanwhile Project website. A collection of
meanwhile projects that answers questions
such as how much the project cost, the best
outcome, the worst barrier to overcome.
31
Finance & Money
34
Local Currency
36
Local Enterprise
38
Community Development Finance
40
Credit Unions
42
Crowdfunding Social Ventures
44
Social Impact Bonds
46
Charitable Bonds - Blended Value Investment
48
Local Multiplier3 (LM3)
50
Community Shares
LOCAL CURRENCY
An alternative or complementary currency uses
a locally created currency to be traded in the
area. Although it is not legal tender, it can be
used to buy things from local businesses and
supports the local economy. To engage Small
and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) within a
defined geographical area and “sell” the
concept of a local currency that will provide
additional footfall, positive publicity, local
business networking and buying opportunities
at nil cost to them.
Local currencies date back to the 1800s and
there are around 2,500 different local
currencies across the world. In the UK the
Transition Towns movement has used local
currencies as a way of supporting local
economies in response to climate change.
How does it work?
The Brixton £ is a secure local currency which
is accepted by nearly 200 SME businesses in
and around Brixton in South London. Each
Brixton£ is backed by a £sterling held on
deposit and the Brixton£s are available to
purchase at all participating outlets as well as
34
through the Transition Town Brixton
organisation. Brixton £s are exchanged by
participating businesses when buying locally
sourced goods and services and have also
become souvenier items for visitors.
When is it suitable to be used?
In any location that has a good SME presence
and which has an established business base
for secondary and non mainstream retail and
leisure businesses. An organisation, ideally
independent of the local authority, is needed to
promote, run and manage a local currency
scheme.
community?
Increased business community cohesion,
increased business networking and supply
chain formation. A new sense of business
community pride, enthusiasm and positive
image change for the area.
The most important factor is an organisation with
the vision and drive to push forward a local
currency scheme. Setting up a local currency is a
SUBMISSION BY BRIXTON pOUND
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major undertaking and is likely to require paid
staff. In Brixton two full time staff worked on
setting up the scheme, with one full time
employee continue to work on ongoing
development and support. In real terms use
volunteers, as many as can be brought on board!
Several key resources are needed:
S The help and support of the local authority
and particularly those responsible for local
economic development.
S Seed funding to design and print the currency.
Print costs were around £6k for the Brixton £.
S The organisation behind the currency needs
to be formally constituted as a Social
Enterprise or similar.
S An understanding of commercial pressures
affecting SMEs is important.
Who can offer help?
S The local authority may be able to help by
providing seed funding, advice, support for the
launch in terms of premises and publicity.
S Local, national and international press.
S Organisations whose ethos is in line with
that of the local currency scheme, and who
can also help promote.
S Important also to involve business
representatives in the running of the scheme;
these can provide knowledge about local
issues and priorities.
The B£ has two local businesses on the
management board, and also works closely
with the market traders federation. The latter is
extremely helpful in disseminating news and
developments within the traders and in helping
us galvanise their support.
The Transition network also provide advice
and support from projects and initiatives such
as local currencies.
The E.F. Schumacher Society also provides a
range of interesting reports and information
from around the world.
Apart from the Brixton Pound, other existing UK
local currency schemes are: Totnes Pound,
Lewes Pound, the Stroud Pound. All provide
useful insight and sharing of best practice.
In the United States, the Berkshares scheme
in Massachussettes has been very successful,
and in Germany the Regiogeld (regional money)
scheme.
Getting Started
1. A dynamic and committed group of
people to make things happen
2. Good relationships with local
stakeholders: local businesses and the
local authority, as well as the media.
3. Allow plenty of time to engage a
number of business supporters before
launching, this work took the B£ business
engagement team six months before the
launch. Also important is to ensure that a
variety of businesses are engaged from
the start: while having cafes and
restaurant on board will appeal to
consumers, and is great for visibility,
having businesses on board who
themselves supply businesses will also
ensure that more money can be re-spent
locally from the onset.
35
LOCAL ENTERPRISE
Resilient communities must maximise local
control over economic activities and resources
and that local economic control is best
exercised through various forms of mutual and
community enterprise. The approach of
Development Trusts throughout the UK to
community resilience can therefore be
described as an investment strategy aimed at
stimulating and supporting community
enterprise, initiative and self-help. Such an
approach knits together economic, social and
environmental goals in order to increase the
‘common wealth’ of the community.
How does it work?
There are many examples of multi-purpose
development trusts that were set up because
local people organised around a shared vision o
improve the quality of life within their
communities. In particular they focused on
developing community owned assets and
enterprises to resource their activities –
generating profits that could be reinvested in the
community as well as strengthening the local
36
economy: more money spent and re-spent
within the community means more businesses,
more people employed, more choices and more
opportunities.
Community resilience depends on local people
believing that they can make a difference.
Community ownership and enterprise is part of
a tradition that goes back hundreds of years.
However, the opportunities have never been
greater to mainstream community ownership of
land and buildings, to develop community
enterprises to deliver local services, and to
promote community self-help initiatives.
Across the country, community organisations
are taking over former town halls, community
centres, libraries, leisure facilities, empty shops
and much, much more – and the floodgates are
opening.
community?
Community ownership and management of
assets and enterprises by independent, multipurpose development trusts can:
S Build community confidence and encourage
involvement by all sections of the community in
local decision-making.
S Generate sustainable trading income to
reinvest back into local communities to meet
local needs.
S Create new jobs, develop new skills and
encourage social entrepreneurship.
S Open doors to new sources of finance such
as community shares and social enterprise
venture capital.
S Develop new and better partnerships with
the private and public sectors.
S Stimulate self-help, innovation and new
approaches to public service delivery.
Developing a community enterprise – whether
it is land, buildings or businesses - is a process
whose effectiveness depends on a set of
capacities in the community. It involves a
progression through “stage gates” - simply put,
moving from idea to business plan to launch to
scaling up - with the feasibility, sustainability,
and potential impact assessed at each stage.
It can be a complex process that requires time,
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knowledge, skills, and investment – like any
other business.
However, there are thousands of successful
examples from across the country – from
village shops to wind farms, from childcare
nurseries to garden centres, from post offices
to nature reserves, from restaurants to
business units. A motivated community,
unswerving determination, stamina and a
refusal to take “no” for an answer are the
fundamental requirements.
Who can offer help?
In most communities, support for setting up
community enterprises or taking on a former
local authority asset is a hit-or-miss
proposition. This uncertainty also prevails
when it comes to importing enterprise activity
into the community. Importing is the way most
community enterprise occurs - communities
latch onto ideas that have been tested or
launched in other places and decide to
implement them. They do this much more
often than they help to grow ideas “at home.”
But the key to successful importing is to find
and compare community enterprises, select
the best options, and then redesign them to fit
the community’s context. There are many
interesting ideas “out there” but few of them
are “ready made” that can just be dropped into
a different community; they have to be adapted
because every community is different.
There are a range of toolkits and business
planning guides that can help although the best
option is peer-to-peer learning – talk to a
development trust or related organisation that
successfully developed a similar business.
Alternatively, contact a specialist support body
like Locality, CooperativesUK, the Plunkett
Foundation (for rural communities) or a regional
social enterprise network which will be able to
provide advice and information and, potentially,
1-2-1 business support.
Specialist community enterprise support
agencies like Locality and the Plunkett
Foundation publish case studies of best
practice. Locality also has a Knowledge and
Skills Exchange programme to facilitate peerto-peer learning: within our membership we
have an extraordinary reservoir of talent and
Getting Started
1. Get the vision right: be clear about why
you want to do something and then focus
on the what, how, where and when. The
vision is the flag around which to
mobilise.
2. Get the support of your community: any
enterprise idea has to meet a need and it
has to matter to people.
3. Get the business plan right: get expert
advice if necessary because land,
buildings or businesses that aren’t
financially viable are liabilities not assets.
experience in creating wealth in communities
and keeping it there. Through Locality, this
unique knowledge base can be shared across
the movement, disseminating learning from
each new success and each new achievement,
and encouraging communities to take
responsibility for their own futures.
37
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCE
Community development finance institutions
(CDFIs) are a financial tool for social, economic
and physical renewal in under-invested
communities. They lend and invest in deprived
areas and underserved markets that cannot
access mainstream finance. They provide
financial services with two aims: to generate
social and financial returns.
Although only some CDFIs are charities, they
achieve charitable objectives by helping those
living in neighbourhoods and areas which have
been affected by a lack of quality employment
opportunities and under-investment. They are
not conventional sources of finance like banks.
How does it work?
Different CDFIs serve different types of
customer, but the main markets they serve are:
S Micro businesses
S Small and medium businesses
S Social enterprises, community organisations
S Individuals – for personal use.
CDFIs can serve one or several markets –
although most CDFIs specialise in one market.
Similarly, CDFIs can vary in the financial
38
services they offer. Although most deal in debt
finance, some offer equity investment and a
small number provide grant funding alongside
loans. Some CDFIs offer budgeting advice and
business mentoring, while others operate
purely as finance providers.
CDFIs are said to take a more ‘traditional’
approach to finance than high street lenders:
they work with each client to develop a
package of support tailored to their needs.
They do not lend money to those who cannot
pay it back. They ensure that once clients have
an appropriate track record and credit history,
those clients will be able to access finance
through mainstream sources.
Community development finance can be used
in different ways to create prosperity in
disadvantaged neighbourhoods, depending on
the market the CDFI wishes to serve.
Enterprise specialists can help first-time
entrepreneurs to create new businesses, or
provide existing businesses with the finance
they need to survive and prosper, thereby
safeguarding and creating jobs.
Social enterprise lenders can finance projects
that are in various stages of development, from
feasibility studies to purchasing premises.
Personal lending CDFIs help people on low
incomes who are struggling to meet their
financial commitments – they may need cash
to pay for essential goods such as school
uniforms or household appliances, or to pay off
spiralling debts from doorstep lenders.
community?
CDFIs put people before profit and use income
from their lending to generate more loans –
ensuring that finance is recycled into
communities. They have local volunteers with
SUBMISSION BY COMMUNITY DEVELOpMENT
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Getting Started
1. Research and identify the local need for
finance.
business expertise on their lending panels.
They can also provide finance and support to
people and projects that might otherwise
struggle to access mainstream finance.
If you are thinking of setting up a CDFI, the first
thing you will need to do is establish the need
for finance in the market you wish to serve.
Carry out some research to gauge the level of
demand and the extent of market failure by
high street lenders.
You will need knowledge and experience of
the lending process. The UK trade body for the
CDFI sector, the Community Development
Finance Association (cdfa), offers training
courses on topics such as loan management
and ‘delinquency’ (late repayment).
You will need to develop a mission, and to
recruit a small but dynamic board of trustees or
executive committee able to help you deliver it.
You will need a sustainability plan, setting out
how much you can afford to lose through
defaults and a timeframe for becoming
operationally sustainable.
And you will need a capital base. Although
public funding is increasingly difficult to come
by, there may be small pots of money available
from central government or local authorities.
Some CDFIs receive assistance from
corporate social responsibility programmes.
There may be grants available from charitable
foundations and trusts, particularly if your CDFI
has a close fit with their objectives (for
example, a grant programme for energy
conservation may fund a loan scheme helping
people to pay for adaptations to their home).
Who can offer help?
The cdfa offers courses, consultancy and
advice. To get in touch with other CDFIs, you
may wish to consult cdfa’s online search
directory at www.findingfinance.org.uk, which
includes a map of CDFIs around the UK.
Scotcash is a CDFI based in Glasgow. The
organisation aims to help reduce financial
exclusion by increasing access to affordable
loans, basic bank accounts, savings accounts
and high quality financial advice. Clients are
mainly single parents, who have either little or
2. Develop a mission – what do you want
to do? – and recruit the people you think
you will need to help you deliver it.
3. Contact the cdfa for advice, support and
networking and talk to other CDFIs nearby
to learn more about how they work.
no experience of banks or bank accounts.
Scotcash started in January 2007. The
process was driven by a steering group of
Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Housing
Association and Communities Scotland.
Scotcash invited high street banks to tender
for their business. RBS offered the best
package in terms of knowledge of the sector
and willingness to participate in a meaningful
partnership with Scotcash and other partners.
Although Scotcash is still considered to be in
its infancy compared to other CDFIs, it is
already a success.
39
CREDIT UNIONS
A credit union is a cooperative savings and
loans institution which aims to:
S Encourage members to save regularly.
S Provide loans to members at a fair and
reasonable rate of interest.
S Provide members with help and support on
managing their financial affairs.
Credit unions differ from banks and other
financial institutions in that the members who
have accounts in the credit union own the
credit union and manage it through electing
their own board of directors.
How does it work?
Each credit union has a ‘common bond’ which
determines who can join, for example, people
living in the same area, work colleagues or
people who belong to the same association,
such as a faith group or trade union.
The members of a credit union make regular
savings, as little or as much as they wish.
These savings then form a common pool of
money from which loans are made to
members. Members get no interest on savings
but any surplus made, after running costs have
40
been taken out, is paid out to members in the
form of a dividend.
When members have been saving for a
certain period of time they can apply for a loan
from the pool. The amount they will be able to
borrow will depend on how much they have
saved, how much they need, what they can
afford to repay, and the credit union’s policies.
Interest on the loan is charged at a reasonable
rate.
All credit union members are insured against
fraud and theft. They get life and loan
protection insurance or are members of a
Death Benefit Trust. There is no direct cost to
members for these services and members are
able to nominate a beneficiary. The loan
protection insurance is intended to cover the
amount outstanding on any loans
Credit unions are registered under the
Industrial & Provident Societies Act and are
regulated in the same way as banks (though in
proportion to their size). Like banks they are
covered by the Financial Services
Compensation Scheme which guarantees
savers’ deposits.
Credit unions are particularly valuable in areas
of high financial exclusion where people have
limited access to bank accounts and there is a
large amount of personal debt due to hire
purchase agreements and the operations of
loan companies charging high interest rates.
They are also an alternative investment vehicle
for people who wish to support the local
economy and who are worried about the ethics
of savings and loans in traditional banks.
Getting Started
community?
Credit unions offer a range of benefits for
individuals and the community as a whole. For
individual members they provide an easy and
convenient way to save, low cost loans,
insurance and life insurance. Members can
also have their salaries, wages or benefits paid
in to the credit union which can, in turn, make
sure that their rent, loans or creditors get paid.
Credit unions can provide a locally controlled
alternative to the potential insecurities of the
global banking system. They can help to keep
money flowing in the community rather than
being drained out of it and provide a potential
source of income for local shops and
businesses. They can also become a focal
point for bringing people together, to develop
new skills and community projects.
The membership elects a Management
Committee to make policy (e.g. on interest
rates) and manage the credit union. The
committee is made up of volunteers, drawn
from the membership. Some credit unions
have a small team of paid staff but many don’t.
Finance for running costs is usually raised
through a mixture of membership fees, interest
charged on loans, issuing shares to members
and fundraising activities and events.
Who can offer help?
There are a number of trade associations for
credit unions in the UK offering advice and
information.
They include: ABCUL – www.abcul.org
ACE Credit Union Services – www.acecus.org
and
UKCreditUnions Ltd (UKCU) – www.ukcu.co.uk
They will also be able to tell you whether there
is a credit union in your area.
There are 40,258 credit unions in 79 countries
around the world, with a many in the UK, so
there is a huge pool of experience to draw
from. Find a credit union near to you and ask
them about their experience!
Before thinking of setting up a credit
union, it’s worth finding out whether there
is already one in your area that would be
willing to expand its Common Bond to
your neighbourhood or place of
employment. If there isn’t one:
1. Decide on your common bond (e.g.
geographical area you intend to cover)
and carry out a pledge drive to find out
how much demand there is for a credit
union
2. Do a skills audit to find out whether you
have the necessary skills and experience
to develop a successful credit union.
3. Do the paperwork. Write up your
business plan, policies and procedures
and discuss them with the regulator to
ensure they meet the required standards.
41
CROWDFUNDING SOCIAL VENTURES
Crowdfunding is a new fundraising technique
which uses the power of the internet to
aggregate a “crowd” of supporters to help
make something happen. Supporters usually
give quite small amounts and may get
something back in return. They are encouraged
to feel that they are “investors” in the venture
and to get further involved – by giving more
and more regularly, and by contributing their
time, their contacts (to identify and sign up
further supporters), their ideas and their time.
Crowdfunding started with musicians seeking
supporters to help get their albums published
(in return for a finished CD, free downloads,
public acknowledgement, and even the
musician coming along to sing at your party.)
Websites such as SellaBand (sadly now
bankrupt) and Slice the Pie were created for
this purpose. Another area is film which uses
websites such as IndiGoGo. The global
warming film “The Age of Stupid” was
produced entirely using crowdfunding; you can
find out more about how they did this at
www.spannerfilms.net/how_to_crowd_fund_your_film
42
Kiva uses crowdfunding to support microentrepreneurs in the developing world. In
Autumn 2010, a new website was launched in
the UK called Buzzbnk, specifically to
crowdfund social enterprises and the work of
social entrepreneurs.
How does it work?
Usually a target is set for the amount needed
and the timeframe in which it has to be raised.
The money is only paid over once the target (or
some lower threshold sum) has been reached
which provides enough money to ensure that
the project will proceed. If this money is not
raised, all contributions are returned.
Supporters are offered a range of benefits
which depend on the level of the support they
give. For example, the author of a book on how
to change the world is offering a copy of the
book, plus e-copies to be sent to friends plus a
share of the revenue form the book in return for
£10. Those giving £100 will be invited to a
special pedal-powered film screening; and
those giving £500 will get a tandem bike tour
visiting social enterprises in London with the
author. Wherever possible, the benefits should
have some value, they should be fun and they
might be made a little bit personal by involving
the promoter of the venture.
Crowdfunding creates two benefits for those
who use the technique:
S The money to make something happen, and
S A crowd of people who support the venture,
whose creativity, energy and contacts can be
drawn on for the benefit of the venture.
Crowdfunding is particularly suited to
organisations who have access to a crowd of
people who could be interested in giving their
support – such as members of the organisation,
the local community, and the social networks of
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those who are promoting the venture.
Crowdfunding is also well suited to ventures which
are either much needed or which seem particularly
exciting. For example, supporting a community
shop, where the benefits could include discounts
on shopping or a local green energy project.
Kickstarter in the USA had a great success with
mobilising support to create a vuvuzela band to
play noisily outside BP’s corporate HQ highlighting
the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The benefits of crowdfunding to the local
community are:
S Opening up new sources of money. Because
the sums are quite small, almost anyone can
contribute. Because something is offered in
return, it is not a donation but has aspects of
being an investment.
S Helping create new and wanted community
projects, where members of the community
can also contribute their ideas and even their
time and skills for the benefit of the venture.
Crowdfunding websites provide the platform
for promoting the venture, processing the
money, ensuring that payments are held
securely and used for the purposes for which
they were given, and that the benefits are
provided to supporters as advertised.
Who can offer help?
Buzzbnk has been set up to raise money
specifically for social ventures which are creating
some sort of community or public benefit.
There are more and more crowdfunding
websites coming on stream for all sorts of
causes, from supporting investigative
journalism to creating new fashion collections
or even running a football club.
The main point that needs to be clearly
understood is that websites do not raise
money by themselves. What raises money is
people asking. Wherever possible, the asking
should be done in person rather than just
sending out emails. You need to understand
this and to be prepared to put in the time and
effort needed. In the long run, you will build a
stronger and more successful organisation.
Getting Started
1. Decide that crowdfunding is for you.
Identify a suitable project, which will
enthuse people enough to want to give.
2. Set out a range of benefits for each
level of giving (at Buzzbank, most ventures
have five or six levels starting at £5 or
£10). Start asking… and don’t give up. You
and your colleagues need to be committed
to achieving your target (and if you are
starting out with crowdfunding, it may be
best to set relatively modest targets and a
longer timeframe).
3. Generate as much publicity as possible
– for the venture, for the people promoting
it and for what is being offered to
supporters.
43
SOCIAL IMPACT BONDS
Social impact bonds are a new form of
financing being developed in the UK to link
investment with social outcomes. Developed
by the Young Foundation and Social Finance,
social impact bonds are a way of encouraging
investment into preventative programmes, by
providing an outcomes-based repayment
process to investors which is based on positive
change for a social group and the public
savings achieved.
How does it work?
According to the Young Foundation, there are a
number of approaches which can broadly be
described as social impact bonds, but what
they all have in common is that they link
repayment of loans with achieving positive
social change for a particular group. Public
sector social impact bonds are where a local
council or other public sector commissioner
borrows money commercially to invest in a
social programme, and receives payments
from central government when certain targets
or outcomes are met. Other models are similar,
but may involve raising funds from
44
philanthropic rather than market sources, and
different ways of sharing the risks between
investors and providers.
It has long been recognised that investment
into early intervention and preventative
services – such as in healthcare, criminal
justice and child protection – saves public
money later on, but it is often hugely difficult
for local authorities and service providers to
find the money and incentives to do so. The
incentives for social investment are not always
apparent, and often the bodies that are
responsible for creating positive change for
certain groups do not reap the financial
benefits of this.
For example, local authorities responsible for
delivering services to vulnerable people do not
necessarily see a direct financial benefit of less
benefit claimants or prison numbers. Social
impact bonds are therefore not suitable for all
types of service, but can be used as a way of
investing in services which can produce a
measurable framework to quantify the value of
intervention.
community?
Social impact bonds benefit local communities
by focusing attention and investment on
services that aim specifically at long-term costsavings, such as preventative care and early
intervention. Singling out vulnerable groups
(such as young people at risk of becoming
excluded from school or of offending) and
investing in the services to better their life
chances, has positive consequences for
communities.
First of all, social impact bonds can only be
used for certain types of services, so you
would need to be delivering a service where
early intervention can produce measurable
positive outcomes, such as health, criminal
justice or children’s services. The resources
most useful for pursuing social impact bonds
are the particular financial expertise and/or
advice and support which would make the
investment possible.
Who can offer help?
Social Finance has produced different materials
and information about how social impact bonds
work. They run events and conferences to
bring together service providers and potential
investors to facilitate the establishment of
social impact bonds more widely.
from?
The first social impact bond, One* SIB, was
launched by the Secretary of State for
Justice, Kenneth Clarke, in September 2010 as
a pilot study to prevent reoffending by 3,000
Peterborough Prison inmates. Investors put £5
million into rehabilitation work with the
prisoners, and if the scheme sees a reduction
in reoffending, investors could see up to a
7.5% return on investment.
Getting Started
1. First, making an assessment as to
whether or not the service being provided
is suitable for a social impact bond (i.e.
whether or not positive measurable
outcomes can be proven through
intervention work).
2. Second, discussions must be had with
service providers, commissioners or the
public body who would see the direct
value of the intervention.
3. Finally, discuss the financing with
potential investors.
45
CHARITABLE BONDS -
BLENDED VALUE
INVESTMENT
Allia’s charitable bonds provide an innovative
way for charities and voluntary and community
organisations to raise additional funds. It's a
way to make money go further by using
investments to provide grants. Charitable
bonds act as a bridge between a loan finance
and a grant-making approach to supporting
social action.
How does it work?
It works like this – Investors who want to
support you put their money in a charitable
bond issued by Allia and choose the rate of
return they want. Allia gives some of the
money straight to you, takes a fraction to cover
its costs and lends the rest to a safe, AA rated
non-profit social housing provider.
After five years, the social housing provider
repays the loan with tax-free interest. This
works out at exactly the right amount to give
the investors back their money at the rate they
selected.
46
To benefit from charitable bonds, you need to
show how the funds you raise would be used
for social benefit. You need to be incorporated
as a not-for-profit organisation.
As a fundraising tool, the charitable bond is
suitable for causes that need to raise grant
funds (rather than direct loans or equity
investments) but want to raise more than they
could just through donations.
It suits supporters – whether individual or
corporate – who have money on deposit which
they’d like to use for social benefit but don’t
want to give away. They are willing to take a
below market return, or even invest at zerointerest, in order to support their chosen cause
but don’t want to take a risk with their money.
community?
A charitable bond can help groups raise extra
funds for projects that will benefit their
community. It allows people to support their
chosen cause through an investment route as
well as through donations but with minimal risk
to the investor and no financial liability for the
SUBMISSION BY ALLIA SOCIAL pROFIT SOCIETY
FIND OUT MORE AT
WWW.ALLIA.ORG.UK
charity or social enterprise.
Furthermore, the funding from the bond is
released as a tax-free, unrestricted grant on
day one of the bond term.
Another benefit to communities is that
investing in charitable bonds can help build
relationships within the local area.
What resources you need to do do it?
Each cause that wants to fundraise through a
charitable bond issued by Allia needs to
become a member by investing in
withdrawable membership shares and paying a
small annual registration fee.
Who can help us? How do they
provide this help?
Allia can provide the investment management,
the online fundraising service and marketing
templates to help organisations to raise funds
through its charitable bonds. For specific
fundraising advice on attracting either bond
investments or donations you could talk to your
local funding advisor, Council for Voluntary
Service (CVS) or social enterprise support
provider.
Before creating this new service, Citylife (the
former name for Allia) led a series of bond
campaigns, raising funds to tackle
disadvantage in a number of specific
geographical locations.
Getting Started
1. Find out more about how charitable
bonds work on Allia's website
www.allia.org.uk
2. Have a clear case for what you’re
trying to achieve and why people should
support you.
3. Recruit some well-known local
ambassadors whose support will give you
credibility and who can open their address
books for you.
47
LOCAL MULTIPLIER3 (LM3)
Local Multiplier3 (LM3) was initially developed
by the new economics foundation (nef) as a
way of understanding the local economic
impact of procurement contracts and
regeneration schemes. The Centre for Local
Economic Strategies (CLES) has extended the
model in recent years to explore the circulation
of the totality of a local authority’s
procurement spend within a local economy and
as a mechanism for understanding the added
value of the supply chain.
The phrase ‘local’ is the geography at which
you want to understand the impact of
spending, so it could be within a
neighbourhood, within a local authority
boundary, or within a sub-region.
How does it work?
The basic principle of LM3 is that it assesses
the circulation of money within a local
economy over three rounds of spending.
S Round 1 is the total spend of the
contract/department/organisation/ scheme.
S Round 2 explores the spend of the
contract/department/organisation/scheme
48
upon suppliers and particularly the amount
spent with local suppliers. It also explores the
spending on employees and the amount spent
with local employees.
S Round 3 explores the extent to which
suppliers of the contract / department /
organisation / scheme re-spend their incomes
in the local economy upon suppliers and
employees of their own; and it explores the
extent to which employees to the contract /
department / organisation / scheme re-spend
their incomes in the local economy in shops
and upon services.
The economic multiplier or LM3 ratio is
derived through the following calculation:
Round 1 (total spend) + Round 2 (spend
upon local suppliers and local employees) +
Round 3 (spend of suppliers and employees in
the local economy).
This will tell you the extent to which the
initial investment is spent and re-spent within
a local economy.
LM3 can be used by a range of stakeholders in a
range of ways. It can be used by local authority
procurement departments to assess the local
impact of spending. It can be used to frame the
objectives of a sustainable procurement
strategy; and by social enterprises and voluntary
and community sector organisations to
understand the local economic footprint of their
spending. It can be used by suppliers as the
basis of their recruitment, supply and
environmental choices; and as a way of
measuring the local economic effectiveness of
regeneration programmes and projects.
community?
For voluntary and community sector groups,
LM3 can provide a firm quantitative assessment
of their economic impact in a specific
neighbourhood or local authority area. LM3 can
provide the basis for improving how a local
area can use public money more effectively to
support the local economy. It helps you to
measure the added value of procurement
decisions on the local economy - creating jobs,
supporting local enterprise and retaining wealth
within an area.
The core benefit of local authorities undertaking
SUBMISSION BY CLES
FIND OUT MORE AT WWW.CLES.ORG.UK OR
WWW.LM3ONLINE.ORG/CONTACT.ASpX
LM3 analysis is that it gives them an
understanding of the scale of their spending in the
local economy and importantly the extent to
which procurement spend can have an impact
upon issues relating to deprivation, worklessness,
business sustainability and the environment.
Recent work undertaken by CLES in
Manchester explored not only the extent to
which procurement spending flowed into the
city’s deprived wards but also the ethos of
suppliers based in these wards when it comes
to recruitment and their own supply chain.
LM3 requires a range of data; and research and
mathematical expertise. To start LM3 the
following is required:
S A contract/department/organisation or
regeneration scheme to focus upon;
S A list of all postcodes for the geography of
focus (whether this be all postcodes within a
local authority boundary or a neighbourhood);
S A figure for total spend for a financial year;
S A list of all suppliers broken down by name;
postcode; and total amount spent with;
S A list of all employee home postcodes;
S A figure for total spend upon all employees
in net terms (after tax and national insurance);
In order to undertake the Round 3 analysis a
survey asking about re-spend in the community
is needed to be sent to all suppliers and
undertaken with a cross-section of employees.
Who can offer help?
CLES provides a host of services in relation to
LM3, including training courses for local
authorities and voluntary and community sector
organisations on how to use LM3.
The new economics foundation also provides
similar activities through their valuing what
matters programme which also provides training
on the use of Social Return on Investment.
CLES has undertaken LM3 analysis with a
number of local authorities and voluntary and
community sector organisations including:
Swindon Commercial Services; West Lothian
Operational Services; and social enterprises
operating in the StepClever area of North
Liverpool and South Sefton.
Our most recent experience is with
Getting Started
1. Decide what focus you would like to
use LM3 for – whether it's a specific
contract, an organisation or a particular
programme.
2. Decide upon what you would like to use
LM3 for whether it be demonstrating
impact; as a mechanism for strategy; or
for understanding your supply chain.
3. Gather the required postcodes and data
for rounds 1 and 2. Robust data is crucial
to the process.
Manchester City Council where we have
explored the local economic, social and
environmental benefits of spend upon the
Council’s top 1000 suppliers. In this we have
identified where spend is going geographically,
the extent to which suppliers are re-spending
within the Manchester boundary; and the ethos
of suppliers when it comes to their own
spending activities.
The research has opened up a dialogue
between the Council and suppliers and has
ensured that the Council is more proactive
cross-departmentally in ensuring procurement
reaps maximum community benefit.
49
COMMUNITY SHARES
The Industrial and Provident Society for the
Benefit of the Community (IPS) is an
organisational form which dates back to the
early days of the Cooperative movement but
has recently seen an impressive revival with up
to 50 new registrations in 2010. The value of
this organisational form is that it has an
established exemption from the Financial
Markets Services Act which allows it to offer
shares to the general public at low cost. Share
capital is extremely valuable in that it provides
organisations with long term risk capital where
returns (the cost of investment finance) are
tied to the underlying performance of the
organisation.
How does it work?
IPSs must register their ‘rules’ with the
Financial Services Authority: these equate to
the governing operational documents for other
company forms. Several ‘model rules’ are
available. These rules allow for the issue of
withdrawable shares—that is a commitment
by the organisation to buy back shares from
their investors providing a clear exit route for
50
relation to interest receivable and, ultimately,
capital invested.
investors. IPSs follow a one member, one vote
principle so cannot be dominated by large
shareholders and as a result their shares are
not subject to speculation.
Where there is an underlying business model
to which investors are committed long term
and are more motivated by the services which
the IPS will deliver than by the prospect of
substantial financial return. People are often
prepared to invest more money in services of
social value than they can afford to donate.
Investors should, however, understand that all
investments carry a degree of risk both in
community?
It gives a local community an opportunity to
take ownership or develop a new venture like
renewable energy which will deliver relevant
and valuable local services. It is being used to
sustain local shops and pubs, to support
football teams owned by their supporters, to
bring broadband to isolated communities and
indeed any venture of collective benefit where
neither the public nor private sectors are able
or willing to deliver. The democratic structure
provides for the widest possible involvement.
There is good evidence that an engaged
investor base leads to an engaged business
model where individuals may be investors,
service users, provide expertise for governance
and contribute as volunteers. These business
models are proving to have a resilience in areas
of public and private sector failure to provide.
Exciting examples of the power of community
shares are to be found all over the country but
60% of the Western Isles of Scotland are now
SUBMISSION BY COMMUNITY SHARES
FIND OUT MORE AT
WWW.COMMUNITYSHARES.ORG.UK
in community ownership, often based on
community share issues which have led to a
renaissance of enterprising activities in
communities long blighted by absentee
landlords.
Community shops and pubs are proving to be
resilient in face of mass market retreat and
there is growing interest in the community
ownership model for larger regeneration
projects such as Dover Docks, Hastings Pier
and Brixton Green.
Many people are beginning to consider
community shares as an option for part of their
savings aligned with their ethical concerns
over, for instance, climate chaos or at the
volatility of the conventional financial markets.
While raising equity finance is extremely
valuable to organisations, there are clearly
responsibilities to the investing public.
A Community Shares Practitioners Guide to
Governance and Offer documents is available
from www.communityshares.org.uk. In the
same place a plain English guide for Investors
Investing in Community Shares can be found.
Who can offer help/
The Development Trusts Association (now
Locality) and Cooperatives UK, supported by
Baker Brown Associates, are leading an action
learning programme to develop the wider use
of Community Shares. Around this programme
there a number of specialist support agencies:
The Plunkett Foundation has taken a lead in
respect of community-owned shops,
Energy4All leads the field in wind energy,
H2ope provides a similar service in relation to
hydro schemes, Pub is the Hub is for
community-owned pubs and Supporters Direct
is for football clubs
Wessex Community Assets and Community
Mutual Solutions have specialised in business
development support for Industrial and
Provident Societies.
Key Fund and Cooperative and Community
Finance are amongst the leading social finance
providers supporting community share issues.
Getting Started
1. Form a Steering Group with clear
shared objectives
2. Read up and visit existing schemes
in your chosen field.
3. Access technical information and
further support via
www.communityshares.org.uk
A range of case studies are available from
www.communityshares.uk and on the same
site it is possible to register to receive a
newsletter containing latest market information
and developments
www.communityshares.org.uk/category/newsl
etter/community-shares-newsletter
51
GLOSSARY
Local Food Schemes
Making Local Food Work - www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk
Local Food - www.localfoodgrants.org
Local Exchange Trading Scheme (LETS)
LETS Link UK - www.letslinkuk.net
Local Exchange - www.localexchange.org.uk
Timebanking
Timebanking UK – www.timebanking.org
Timebank - http://timebank.org.uk
Asset Mapping
Social Spaces/Travelling Pantry - www.socialspaces.org
Asset Based Community Development Institute (Chicago) www.abcdinstitute.org
Co-Operatives
Radical Routes - www.radicalroutes.org.uk
Catalyst Collective: 01600 775414 www.catalystcollective.co.uk
Co-operatives UK
List of co-operative development organisations www.uk.coop/directory/filter/cdb/member
Co-operatives UK ‘how to set up a co-operative’ guide www.uk.coop/economy/start-a-co-operative
Public Services Coops - www.publicservices.uk.coop
Community Resilience Task Force
BTCV - www.btcv.org.uk
Cabinet Office (Civil Contingency planning) www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ukresilience
52
Community Led Planning
Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) www.acre.org.uk/our-work/community-led-planning
Action for Market Towns - http://towns.org.uk/knowledge-hub/policyinto-practice-2/community-led-planning
Renewable Energy
Community Renewable Energy (CoRE) - www.corecoop.net
Centre for Sustainable Energy - www.cse.org.uk
Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) website on
community renewables http://ceo.decc.gov.uk
Energy Saving Trust (Green Communities) www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/cafe
Community Asset Transfer
Asset Transfer Unit - http://atu.org.uk
The Placestation - www.theplacestation.org.uk
Community Land Banks
Research findings and case studies, reports etc www.farmgarden.org.uk/home/local-food-project/growingtrends/community-land-bank
Community Land Trusts
National Community Land Trust Network www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk
CLT Fund - www.cltfund.org.uk
Meanwhile Projects - Use of Assets
Meanwhile project - www.meanwhile.org.uk
Empty Homes Agency - www.emptyhomes.com
SUBMISSION BY COMMUNITY LAND TRUSTS
FIND OUT MORE AT
WWW.COMMUNITYLANDTRUSTS.CO.UK
Local Currency
Brixton Pound - http://brixtonpound.org
Transition Towns Network - www.transitionnetwork.org/
E.F. Schumacher Society www.smallisbeautiful.org/local_currencies.html
Local Enterprise
Locality – www.locality.org.uk
Social Enterprise Coalition - www.socialenterprise.org.uk
Community Development Finance
Community Development Finance Association - www.cdfa.org.uk
Fair Finance - www.fairfinance.org.uk
Credit Unions
UKCreditUnions Ltd (UKCU) - www.ukcu.co.uk
Telephone / Fax - (01706) 215 082
The Association of British Credit Unions Ltd (ABCUL) - www.abcul.org
0161 832 3694
ACE Credit Union Services - www.acecus.org
Tel: 0191 276 3737
Crowdfunding Social Ventures
Buzzbnk - www.buzzbnk.org/
Centre for Innovation in Voluntary Action - www.civa.org.uk
Social Impact Bonds
Social Finance - www.socialfinance.org.uk/work/sibs
Young Foundation - www.youngfoundation.org/socialinnovation/tips/social-impact-bonds-and-social-value
Getting
Social Investment Business - www.thesocialinvestmentbusiness.org/ourservices/social-impact-bonds
Charitable Bonds - Blended Value Investment
Allia - www.allia.org.uk
Local Multiplier3 (LM3)
CLES - www.cles.org.uk/tools/local-multiplier-3-lm3
LM3 Online - www.lm3online.org
new economics foundation www.proveandimprove.org/new/tools/localmultiplier3.php
Community Shares
Community Shares - www.communityshares.org.uk
Other Useful Sources of Information
new economics foundation – connected economies www.neweconomics.org/programmes/connected-economies
Young Foundation – Wellbeing And Resilience Measure www.youngfoundation.org/our-work/advising-public-serviceinnovation/warm/wellbeing-and-resilience-measure-warm
Transition Network - www.transitionnetwork.org
National Energy Foundation – Local United www.nef.org.uk/communities/local-united.html
Centre for Local Economic Strategies – place resilience www.cles.org.uk/research/resillience
53
THANKS TO
Thanks to John Laing Charitable Trust for its generous support of the Guide.
To all the organisations that contributed their expertise on particular resilience approaches;
Social Spaces, Timebanking UK , Plunkett Foundation, LETS Link UK, BTCV, ACRE, CoRE, FCFCG,
CLT Network, Locality, Brixton £, CDFA, Buzzbnk, Allia, CLES, Community Shares.
Particular thanks to Nick Bird, Sarah Bird, Eddie Bridgeman, Tessy Britton, Sylvia Brown, Eleanor Carter, Steve Clare,
Phil Caroe, Katherine Darling, Annalisa Dorigo, Joe Dumont, Mary Fee, Catherine Harrington, Kate Hathway,
Jeremy Iles, Mathew Jackson, Peter Lipman, Sophia Looney, Neil McInroy, Caitlin McMullin, Michael Norton,
Keith Richardson, Hugh Rolo, Stephen Rolph, Jess Steele, Charles Woodd and Steve Wyler for contributions,
advice and support.
Finally, apologies to anyone we have inadvertently miissed in our thanks. With so many people contributing, we are
ever so sorry if we have accidently missed you out!
54
URBAN
FORUM
URBAN FORUM
33 CORSHAM STREET, LONDON N1 6DR
E [email protected]
T 020 7253 4816
Urban Forum is the operating name of Diverse Cities. Company limited by guarantee. reg. No. 3418682
England registered as above. Charity Reg. No. 1096131
www.urbanforum.org.uk

Urban Forum Guide to Community Resilience

Transcription

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