A day with a Community Wealth Builder

I have finally got around to posting on a great "fact finding" visit I had recently with Leader of Preston Council, Cllr Matthew Brown, showing me and a Newham Council officer Community Wealth Building (CWB) initiatives in and around his City centre.

Our aim was to learn from lessons from Matthew and the "Preston Model" for Newham. Matthew took us around a number of CWB related developments starting with lunch at a new co-operative cafe opposite the town hall.  Next was a walkabout around the excellent new market that has been rebuilt offering opportunities to new startups and existing stall holders as well as encouraging locals to shop locally. 

A Preston Cooperative Network has been set up proving advice, informaton, consultancy, training, facilities, finance and access to suppliers.

Reduced rent can be provided for by the Council for cooperatives provided staff are paid a living wage and recognise trade unions.

Matthew also took us to visit a housing coop building new homes and also new build student accommodation built with the help of pension fund investment.

We also had a frank discussion with Matthew and a Preston Council regeneration officer about how difficult the CWB journey has been at times. Dealing with public procurement and partnership arrangements with anchor institutions was never going to be easy or straightforward.  Getting support and close collaboration with the University of Central Lancaster, CLES (economic think tank), Mondragon Corporation (Basque federation of worker cooperatives) and the Open society was important but political buy in from Councillors and officers is key.

Matthew was very interested in what we are doing in Newham, in particular our proposed pension fund investment in social housing.

Many thanks to Matthew and Preston officers for taking the time to welcome and inform us. 

Community Wealth Building Seminar for Labour Councillors 21 July 2018

This well attended seminar sponsored by APSE (Association for Public Sector Excellence) of was excellent. Held in the UNISON centre (HQ) in Euston Road, London.

Speakers Paul O’Brien and Mo Baines, APSE; Neil McInroy CLES, Cllr Matthew Brown, Leader of Preston City Council and Cllr Asima Shaikh, Executive Member for Economic and Community Development, Islington Council.

Chair was Mo Baines who works for APSE but is also a UNISON branch President and member nominated representative on the Greater Manchester Local Government Pension Fund.

Paul O'Brien warned us that the "Barnet Map of Doom" could still happen - social care budgets will rise and rise and soak up all Council budgets! London local authorities depends at the moment on Council Tax for 40% of its income. In 2020 that will be 51%! (a huge problem for Councils who have failed to increase Council tax in the past even by inflation and therefore decimated their tax base)

While Neil McInroy reminded that we live a world were 5 super rich men control 50% of its wealth while workers suffer wage contraction, how we must build wealth locally and stop global capitalism from extracting wealth for the super rich.

Cllr Matthew Brown described the "Preston Model" and long, hard, slog to bring about changes following the destruction of traditional local industries and the failure of private led regeneration schemes to develop the city centre.

Cllr Asima Shaikh explained how Islington Council had won court battles over private developers who had overpaid for land and therefore claimed that they could not provide 50% social housing.

A really positive event. At the end I had a number of very constructive conversations with London Councillors about the possible role of local government pensions funds investing in social housing. Watch this space.

(Hat tip pictures Cllr Sakina Sheikh)