Community Wealth Building Update
North Lanarkshire Council · 12 May 2023
Back to Enterprise and Fair Work Committee — 12 May 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Enterprise and Fair Work Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref Date 12/05/23 Community Wealth Building Update From Pamela Humphries, Chief Officer (Place) E-mail weiry@northlan.gov.uk pollockle@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Yvonne Weir/Leanne Pollock 07508001238/ 07814916564 Executive Summary The report outlines the background to Community Wealth Building as an approach to economic development, improving outcomes for and empowering communities. The report outlines opportunities and the proposed approach to Community Wealth Building that can be applied in North Lanarkshire through the establishment of a Community Wealth Building Commitment Statement in support of a number of key programme of work areas and workstreams thereby ensuring that the council embeds the Community Wealth Building model of economic development into its relevant plans and wider strategies. Recommendations It is recommended that the Enterprise and Fair Work Committee: (1) Note the content and background to the Report; and (2) Endorse the proposed approach to Community Wealth Building in North Lanarkshire, the establishment of a Commitment Statement, and associated development and implementation actions. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement (5) Grow and improve the sustainability and diversity of North Lanarkshire's economy
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1. Background 1.1 Community Wealth Building (CWB) is an internationally recognised approach to economic development designed to tackle long-standing economic challenges. It seeks to transform local and regional economies by considering the ways in which the public sector, in partnership with the private, third and community sectors, can ensure more wealth is generated, circulated and retained in communities and localities. The approach is focussed on growing the influence communities have on the economy and ensuring communities receive more of the benefits from the wealth they help to generate. 1.2 The CWB approach is focussed on five pillars of activity which play a complementary role in the retention of wealth in local places and regions for the benefits of communities. All of the pillars play a complementary role in the retention of wealth in local places and regions for the benefit of communities. Increased spend with local businesses and higher levels of inclusive or community forms of ownership means that more money stays in the communities that create the wealth through higher incomes, fairer employment opportunities and a greater say over the use of local and regional assets. The five pillars of CWB are as follows: 1.2.1 Spending Pillar definition: Maximising community and business benefits through procurement and commissioning, developing good enterprises, Fair Work and shorter supply chains. Overview of activity: This includes a focus on ways to achieve greater economic, social and environmental benefits such as growing investment in local businesses, supplier development and innovation, and ensuring the delivery of tangible community benefits. What this will achieve: Higher levels of spend with Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs), micro-businesses and inclusive business models resulting in business growth and improved, resilient local and regional economies. 1.2.2 Workforce Pillar definition: Increasing Fair Work and developing local labour markets that support the prosperity and wellbeing of communities. Overview of activity: Ensuring public sector anchor organisations and other employers embed Fair Work principles, promoting the payment of the real Living Wage; recruiting locally, from groups who face inequalities and are furthest from the labour market; and promoting work that is secure, provides flexible working and training opportunities and supports the workforce to have an effective voice. What this will achieve: Access to local and fair employment opportunities, fairer wages, skills development opportunities and improved wellbeing of employees. 1.2.3 Land and Property Pillar definition: Growing social, ecological, financial and economic value that local communities gain from land and property assets.
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Overview of activity: Productive use of anchor organisation land and property, for example through diversified ownership models including community ownership, and tackling vacant and derelict land and buildings. What this will achieve: Land and property are used for the common good and benefit communities, SMEs and micro-businesses and the environment. 1.2.4 Inclusive Ownership Pillar definition: Developing more local and inclusive enterprises which generate community wealth, including social enterprises, employee-owned firms and co- operatives. Overview of activity: Promoting greater diversity in the business base by encouraging formation and development of inclusive business models which support the local retention of wealth. What this will achieve: More inclusive and democratically owned enterprises and assets which means the wealth created locally and by local people stays in those communities in the form of incomes and profits rather than being extracted out. 1.2.5 Finance Pillar definition: Ensuring that flows of investment and financial institutions work for local people, communities and businesses. Overview of activity: Increasing investment and re-circulating wealth within local economies including through access to affordable credit and business finance. What this will achieve: Money and investment stays in a local area and is available to support communities and businesses. 1.3 CWB seeks to use the economic levers available to “anchor organisations” to support their local and regional economies. Anchor organisations are typically large employers with a strong local presence in an area. Examples of anchor organisations are local authorities, health and social care bodies, housing associations, further and higher education institutions, enterprise agencies and large private sector employers. It is recognised that anchor organisations can exert influence through the commissioning and purchasing of goods and services, through their workforce and employment capacity and by use of their facilities and land assets to affect social, economic and environmental change. 1.4 In addition, it is recognised that third sector organisations, community organisations, development trusts and micro-businesses can also play a key role in driving forward CWB and have a range of levers through their spend, employment, assets and local relationships. 1.5 The Scottish Government has adopted the internationally recognised Community Wealth Building (CWB) approach to economic development as a key practical means by which progress can be made towards realising our wellbeing economy vision outlined in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET). 1.6 The Programme for Government 2022-23 committed to the facilitation of a consultation on Community Wealth Building legislation to invite the views of a wide range stakeholders on the changes that are required to grow local wealth and give
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communities a greater stake in the economy. The consultation took place between 31st January and 25th April 2023. The consultation is exploring which new powers, abilities and duties will enable local authorities, public bodies, wider community planning partners and Regional Economic Partnerships to have more individual and collective influence in taking action to support CWB in their local area or region. 1.7 The Scottish Government has also been working with local authorities and other partners to build capacity to help drive forward the implementation of CWB at the local and regional level, including supporting five CWB pilot areas: Clackmannanshire, Fife, Glasgow City Region, South of Scotland and the Western Isles, and investment in CWB in Ayrshire through the Ayrshire Growth Deal which builds on the CWB work of North Ayrshire Council. Notable wider examples of CWB which are regularly cited are Cleveland, Ohio and Preston, England. 1.8 As reported to the Communities Committee in October 2022, and endorsed at the Community Empowerment Committee in January 2022, the council has agreed the need for: • a shared understanding and definition for community wealth building; • mapping to understand the breadth of work that contributes to wealth building and any further opportunities to enhance • development of a corporate community wealth building statement to be embedded across several policy and strategy areas; and • potential to consider regular reporting to committee on a range of wealth building activity. 1.9 The report outlines opportunities and a proposed approach to CWB that can be applied in North Lanarkshire in support of a number of key programme of work areas and workstreams thereby ensuring that the council embeds the CWB model of economic development into its relevant plans and wider strategies. 2. Report North Lanarkshire Council Current Approach to Community Wealth Building 2.1 Whilst the council has not produced a formal CWB strategy or action plan, across the 5 pillars of CWB the council has already adopted and embedded CWB principles across a range of strategies, plans, programme of work areas and workstreams. 2.2 Appendix 1 of this report highlights a selection of the key areas where CWB principles are already embedded or being delivered through council led activities and programmes of work. This has been listed under the 5 Pillars. Further mapping is underway to capture additional areas of activity. Partnership Approach to Community Wealth Building in North Lanarkshire 2.3 Similar to the position within the Council there has been much discussion at various levels across the Community Planning Partnership around the best approach to CWB in North Lanarkshire. Community Wealth Building is referenced and approaches are evident across a number of partnership priorities and delivery mechanisms. There is a desire to ensure that any approaches developed internally within individual public
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sector agencies reflect, support and operate within a wider partnership framework that is codesigned not only across agencies but at a grass roots level through involvement of local third sector organisations. 2.4 In addition to being threaded throughout specific thematic partnership priorities such as tackling poverty and Climate Change, CWB is prominent in targeted work to strengthen the partnership and empower local communities through for example: • The 9 Community Boards as a vehicle for local people to come together in partnership with public sector, third sector organisations and elected members to drive delivery of the LOIP’s and ensure local people have a voice. • Creation of 9 Local Outcome Improvement Plans (LOIP’s) articulating local priorities and ensuring partnership resources are targeted to working with communities around these priorities. Thematic approaches are emerging in each locality unlocking opportunities to look at maximising delivery through existing shared resource, attraction of additional external funding or income generating opportunities. A management, monitoring and partnership delivery framework has been established. • CommUnity Agreement using asset based and Appreciative Inquiry approaches to codesign an agreement, based on a core set of values and principles between the Third Sector, public sector agencies for working together to improve outcomes for local people. • Fair Funding Charter: Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire (VANL) is currently consulting on the development of a charter that builds on CWB approaches to funding the third sector in a way that is sustainable and asset based. • North Lanarkshire Social Enterprise Framework and Action Plan: aims to support the social enterprise sector to become more enterprising, more connected and more sustainable to provide support and opportunities to those in the greatest need and facilitate the wider social and environmental changes to improve our communities. • North Lanarkshire Volunteering Strategy: was developed by the North Lanarkshire Volunteering Partnership during 2022 to strengthen volunteering across North Lanarkshire for the benefit of volunteers; residents and communities supported by volunteers; and volunteer-involving organisations. North Lanarkshire Volunteering Partnership includes representatives from North Lanarkshire community planning partnership partner agencies. • Participatory Budgeting and local project delivery: There are many local examples of how resources from across the partnership are used to lever in additional resources to deliver key projects and initiatives with and for local communities. For example: joint funded participatory budgeting exercises, working with local groups to jointly fund play provision and supporting groups to take on assets for delivery of key services to meet shared outcomes.
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Proposed North Lanarkshire Council Approach to Community Wealth Building 2.5 The proposed North Lanarkshire Council approach to ensuring that Community Wealth Building principles and approaches are embedded across the priorities for North Lanarkshire is the adoption of a Community Wealth Building Commitment Statement whereby any relevant projects, Programmes of Work, Strategies and action plans must demonstrate how CWB principles and approaches are applied. 2.6 Rather than a separate strategy with accompanying separate performance, governance and reporting, it is suggested that a commitment statement could have more impact as it can be applied across a number of relevant agendas and strategies with agreed CWB improvement actions. This would ensure an integrated, corporate approach, avoid duplication and ensure evidence of implementation in the reporting of a number of other key and linked agendas. The statement would need to be built into existing reporting and assessment mechanisms and should be accompanied by an implementation and improvement plan with clearly defined actions and timescales. Partnership and Stakeholder Delivery Approach 2.7 A partnership CWB working group has recently been established to consider Community Wealth Building at a North Lanarkshire Partnership level. The group is made up of representatives from key public sector agencies and the third sector. 2.8 Initial work of the group has included: • Sharing information on internal organisational approaches and opportunities around CWB • Mapping of current individual and partnership activity under the 5 pillars • Responding to and considering the potential impact of the Scottish Government CWB consultation • Scoping out an approach to developing an overarching partnership CWB Framework 2.9 The next steps for the partnership work under development is to continue with mapping of activity and engagement with national dialogue around this agenda while planning stakeholder and community engagement, the outcome of which will inform both the development of a partnership framework and the North Lanarkshire Council statement and delivery plan. Stakeholder and Community engagement is planned for late summer 2023 and needs to be carefully planned and coordinated with other key engagement and consultations for example the CommUnity Agreement and the Open Space Strategy. The timeline below outlines the steps required to move towards this. 2.10 It is anticipated that this partnership approach can strengthen the Council’s internal approach, inform the development of the Council’s statement and provide an opportunity to identify joint actions and make best use of shared resource areas that can be most effectively delivered collaboratively. Members are asked to support the partnership actions and timeline. Glasgow City Region Approach to Community Wealth Building 2.11 Community Wealth Building is recognised as a key enabler of the Glasgow City Region Economic Strategy. By using the assets, power and wealth of anchor organisations across the Region to redress inequality, the approach will support the Region to be more productive, and more sustainable. A key component of the delivery approach of the Strategy will be to use a CWB approach to maximise the local impacts of investment
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in programmes and projects across the Region. Work has already begun on a Regional approach across all 5 Pillars including the establishment of an Anchor Network and the approval of a new Sustainable Procurement and Community Benefit Strategy which included a commitment to introduce a Regional Community Wish List scheme to meet the needs of local communities via suppliers. Timeline and Next Steps 2.12 The following timeline and next steps have been identified to support the development of both a partnership framework and NLC statement: • Partnership planning and development meetings scheduled to progress CWB in North Lanarkshire – 6-weekly from April 2023 to August 2023 • Further mapping of CWB activities in North Lanarkshire – August 2023 • Engagement with Elected Members – August 2023 • Stakeholder engagement session – August 2023 • Survey and community focus groups – October/November 2023 • Draft partnership framework for consultation with stakeholders – December 2023/January 2024 • Adoption by the North Lanarkshire Partnership Strategic Leadership Board - early 2024 • Adoption of partnership framework and draft NLC statement February/March 2024 3. Measures of success 3.1 Adoption of a Community Wealth Building Statement by North Lanarkshire Council. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 No supporting documentation. Pamela Humphries Chief Officer (Place)
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5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Adopting a CWB statement and approach would have a positive impact on the Public Sector Equality Duty and the Fairer Scotland Duty. A full EQIA will be undertaken. If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☒ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts have been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts have been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts have been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐
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5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☒ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? A positive environmental/carbon impact is anticipated through a CWB approach whereby wealth is generated, circulated and retained in communities and localities. 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Positive impact is anticipated. 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services.
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Appendix 1 – Examples of Current Activities undertaken by North Lanarkshire Council The undernoted examples were gathered through an initial mapping exercise to highlight key existing areas of activity aligned to Community Wealth Building. More detailed mapping will take place as part of the next steps up to August 2023. Pillar 1 – Spending Activity includes: NLC Procurement Strategy 2023-2024 – one of the three overarching purposes of the strategy is to t procure the Supplies, Works and Services that we need in a lawful and ethical manner which encourages participation and supports sustainable economic growth for our communities and Scotland as a nation. Supplier Development Programme – the council actively participates in the Programme which provides free support to local businesses to assist them to become tender ready. Delivery of Community Benefits in Procurement – A wide range of community benefits are already achieved through contracts delivered on behalf of the council in areas such as employment opportunities, work experience, apprenticeships, supply chain development and community project contributions. A working group is in place to review the council’s approach to delivering community benefits to maximise opportunities moving forward. Community Wish List – The council is working with Glasgow City Region on the development of the Community Wish List approach. Working with NHS Lanarkshire on the delivery of community benefits through the New Monkland Hospital Delivery of Lanarkshire Meet the Real Buyer events and participation in National Meet the Buyer Events. These events linked to the Supplier Development Programme. They enable local businesses to meet key council buyers to learn more about council procurement opportunities. Exploration of a Social Value Approach to measure the contribution to the local economy of procurement. Increased adoption of Fair Work First Principles within Procurement Pillar 2 – Workforce Activity includes: Real Living Wage – the council is a Real Living Wage Employer Disability Confident Leader – the council is a Disability Confident and is a champion for Disability Confident within the local and business communities. North Lanarkshire Employer Charter – The charter contains key principles, which are aligned to drive positive improvements in outcomes in the North Lanarkshire labour market, and which are reflected in the four pillars of the Charter. Business must meet with at least two Pillars of the scheme to achieve an Award under the Charter: • Fair Pay – increasing our average weekly wage in line with the Fairer Scotland Duty • Employ North Lanarkshire – ensuring that job opportunities go to North Lanarkshire residents • Buy North Lanarkshire – enhancing supply chain / procurement / community benefits • Be the Best – ensuring fair work practices which attract and retain employees Employability Support – delivery of a range of programmes and activities to support North Lanarkshire residents to improve their skills and secure employment. Supported Employment - holistic support tailored to individual needs in order to help people with disabilities and/or multiple barriers to gain and sustain employment.
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Support for Living Wage Accreditation – the council encourage business to become accredited and can provide financial support towards accreditation. Employer Support – Tailored recruitment support for local employers including financial assistance through wage subsidy support. Delivery of the Workforce for the Future Strategy – the strategy is underpinned by six strategic commitments which are intended to leverage the full range of our vocational education offerings, our employability and skills programmes and funding, and our employer and other partnership working capabilities to improve outcomes within our labour market and within key sectors. Delivery of the Tackling Poverty Strategy which seeks to ensure that our residents are offered opportunities, support, advice and information that will address the three main drivers of poverty: increasing income from employment; maximising income via social security benefits; and reducing the cost of living. Developing the Young Workforce Plan – the ambitious plan sets out how the council, along with schools and partners will continue to work together to improve employability experiences and increase the number of young people entering positive and sustained post-school destinations. Pillar 3 – Land and Property Activity includes: Continued support to communities to facilitate and assist Community Asset Transfer to enable local organisations to gain ownership of assets to delivery local services and activities. Support for Community Ownership and Management – this includes community leases and partnerships agreements Delivery and support for schemes to address issues of Vacant and Derelict land to bring land back into productive use, and maximising funding through Vacant and Derelict Land Fund projects Securing funding through the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund which supports locally developed place-based regeneration projects that involve local communities, helping to tackle inequalities and deliver inclusive growth in deprived and disadvantaged communities. Delivery of the Open Market Purchase Scheme to enable the council to buy homes in areas where there is demand for that type and size of property, and to bring empty properties back into use that have been lying empty or derelict for some time to increase the supply of homes The continued delivery of the council’s ambitious New Supply Programme, which aims to provide 5,000 new affordable homes by 2035. Ongoing Town Centre Regeneration activity bringing town centre properties and land back into productive use and the delivery of Town Visions. Ongoing development of property and regeneration projects by Fusion Assets to increase the volume of commercial property and industrial units in the area Development and delivery of Town and Community Hubs to provide services for education and wider sport, leisure, culture and community uses and services. Delivery of the Food Growing Strategy which aims to increase access to affordable, healthy, sustainable food by increasing opportunities for people in North Lanarkshire to ‘grow-your-own’ through allotments and other community growing models.
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Pillar 4 – Inclusive Ownership Activity includes: Development and delivery of the North Lanarkshire Social Enterprise Framework and Action Plan which seeks to grow and strengthen social enterprises in North Lanarkshire. Delivery of support through the Lanarkshire Business Gateway to support businesses to set-up and grow to provide local employment opportunities and to increase local wealth. Delivery of activities to increase levels of entrepreneurialism across North Lanarkshire. This includes the Lanarkshire Women In Business initiative to encourage more women to set-up in business, Dragons’ Lair which seeks to work within schools to highlight the opportunities of setting up businesses and social enterprise to young people and engagement between schools and the Social Enterprise Academy. Provision of grant funding to support businesses to set-up and grow. The council provides a range of financial support to assist businesses to set-up and grow. Pillar 5 – Finance Activity includes: Delivery through the Community Boards and development/creation of 9 Local Outcome Improvement Plans (LOIP’s) articulating local priorities and ensuring partnership resources are targeted to working with communities around these priorities. Thematic approaches are emerging in each locality unlocking opportunities to look at maximising delivery through existing shared resource, attraction of additional external funding or income generating opportunities. Actions within the Tackling Poverty Strategy to widen access to affordable credit within communities and provision of debt and fuel poverty advice. Capacity Building and Third Sector support to assist organisations to access external funding and develop other income streams. Development of the Fair Funding Charter: The NLP Community and Voluntary Sector Partnership Group (CVSPG) is currently consulting on the development of a charter that builds on CWB approaches to funding the CVS in a way that is sustainable and asset based. Ongoing development and delivery of Participatory Budgeting and levering in additional resources to deliver key projects and initiatives with and for local communities. Implementation of the North Lanarkshire Volunteering Strategy Ongoing delivery of Business Support grants and funding to support growth and sustainability of the business sector Ongoing leverage and delivery of external funding to support local economic development and regeneration projects e.g. through Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, Vacant and Derelict Land fund, Levelling up Fund, UK Shared Prosperity Fund to deliver outcomes for local residents, communities, town centres, third sector and businesses. Delivery of Community Grant funding through GAP, Councillor grants, Recover NL Ongoing development and delivery of Commissioning Approaches with the third sector.