Community Wealth Building and Scottish Government Community Wealth Building Consultation (Takki Sulaiman and Morag Goodfellow)
Argyll and Bute Council · 23 March 2023
Back to Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership - Management Committee — 23 March 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Community Wealth Building – progress update 1.0 Purpose The purpose of this report is to provide the CPP Management Committee with an update of some of the work contributing to the development of Community Wealth Building approaches in Argyll and Bute. Some of the recommendations are repeated from the paper tabled in December 2022 with changes noted below. 2.0 Recommendations The CPP Management Committee are asked to: Recognise the role of statutory members of the Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership as Anchor institutions1. Recognise the role of the third sector as anchor institutions as set out in the new EDAS CWB guide2 - NEW To discuss the tabled commitment to CWB from Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership. To agree to set up an Expert Advisory Panel for Argyll and Bute. Proposals tabled for discussion. Note that the TSI board has agreed funds to support the delivery of a report mapping existing strategies, identifying opportunities and modelling a food market hub social enterprise. The Argyll and Bute CWB Learning Action Group, agreed at the last CPP, will oversee the delivery of the report and report back into the CPP. 3.0 Background and context The five principles of Community Wealth Building have been developed by the Centre for Local Economic Strategies3 over a number of decades through work with anchor institutions across the UK and the World. These are:- Plural ownership of the economy. Making financial power work for local places. Fair employment and just labour markets. Progressive procurement of goods and services. Socially productive use of land and property. 1 https://cles.org.uk/what-is-community-wealth-building/what-is-an-anchor-institution/ 2 https://edas.org.uk/community-wealth-building-guide/ 3 https://cles.org.uk/what-is-community-wealth-building/the-principles-of-community-wealth-building/ Management Committee Date: 23 March 2023
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Anchor institutions are identified as statutory and third sector bodies which can influence ‘economic engines’: The term is used to refer to organisations which: Have an important presence in a place, usually through a combination of: being largescale employers, the largest purchasers of goods and services in the locality, controlling large areas of land and/or having relatively fixed assets. Are tied to a particular place by their mission, histories, physical assets and local relationships. Examples include local authorities, NHS trusts, universities, trade unions, large local businesses, the combined activities of the community and voluntary sector and housing associations. The Scottish Government has published a consultation paper on Community Wealth Building legislation4 with a closing date of 25th April 2023. Over the past year, a small coalition of local partners on behalf of the CPP have been exploring what Community Wealth Building might mean for Argyll and Bute and how we can integrate this approach with existing best practice, strategies and our assets as a geographical entity. There are many linkages with existing strategies and approaches including the pursuit of a Wellbeing Economy. 4.0 Detail 4.1 Engagement activity Discussions have been had with two key figures in the Community Wealth Building space who both now live in Argyll and Bute – Phil Prentice of Scotland’s Towns Partnership and Neil McInroy formerly CEO of CLES and the Democracy Collaborative who is now advising the Scottish Government on CWB. Both have agreed to discuss further advisory involvement as appropriate and indeed they are already active on a number of projects locally in a voluntary capacity. Research companies have also been approached to discuss the shape of the research as outlined in 4.2 below. 4.2 Mapping Exercise and next steps Further discussions have taken place around how to structure the mapping exercise and given the extent of projects in a number of sectoral areas it makes sense to split the research project into a number of interlinked phases. 4 https://consult.gov.scot/economic-development/community-wealth-building- consultation/#:~:text=In%20short%2C%20CWB%20is%20focused,CWB%20during%20this%20Parliame ntary%20session.
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The mapping exercise is in effect an audit of existing practice where actors in Argyll and Bute already support the five pillars of Community Wealth Building. This audit and mapping exercise will then identify gaps and opportunities for further action and research. So whilst food and energy are two areas that have been proposed as areas ideal for Community Wealth Building activity this should be derived from the mapping exercise and subsequent analysis. The brief has therefore been split into separate lots as follows:- Lot one – an audit of existing best practice and a mapping exercise against each of the five pillars. For instance how are we all using land and assets, how do we procure and commission services and are we collectively applying fair work principles as employers and commissioners of services? This will include stakeholder consultation and will also inform lot three. Lot two – identification of case studies that may be replicable across Argyll and Bute and identification of opportunities that are relevant to our locality and strategic aims as a CPP linked to our new LOIP objectives. Lot three – development of a CWB strategy and action plan Lots four and five – the aim here is to develop two business cases and models for two areas of activity to propel our actions forward. This had been previously proposed as exploring a business model for Community Energy and also a food hub. This still might be the case but the direction of focus should emanate from the audit and mapping exercise and this will also ensure there is no duplication of effort by analysing closely existing strategies and activity. For instance the local authority is already engaged in food supply chain mapping and proposals for a food distribution hub have already been developed. The above will be published as a tender exercise in the week commencing 20th March 2023 with the following proposed milestones:- Tenders returned – end April 2023 Preferred bidder selected and brief reviewed and finalized – end May 2023 Audit and mapping exercise commences July 2023 Report back to CPP end Q3 2023 As previously mentioned a cross CPP working group will oversee and drive this work. 5.0 Implications Strategic Implications Community Wealth Building has significant cross cutting implications for a wide range of strategies including the forthcoming Local Outcome Improvement Plan and the new Argyll and Bute Economic Strategy expected in 2023 Consultations, Previous considerations Resources TSI board has agreed to fund a mapping and opportunities analysis. Prevention Equalities CWB has at its core fair employment, just labour markets and making financial power work for local places. This is conducive to supporting the Fairer Scotland Duty as well as Equality Act responsibilities for those with protected characteristics.
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Takki Sulaiman For more information, please contact: Takki Sulaiman, Chief Executive, Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface takkisulaiman@argylltsi.org.uk Nicola Reaney, Administrative Officer, Community Planning Nicola.Reaney@argyll-bute.gov.uk Links CWB legislation consultation closing 25th April 2023 – https://consult.gov.scot/economic-development/community-wealth-building- consultation/#:~:text=In%20short%2C%20CWB%20is%20focused,CWB%20during%2 0this%20Parliamentary%20session. EDAS guide to CWB January 2023 - https://edas.org.uk/community-wealth-building- guide/ CLES November 2022 publication on interviews with UK local authorities re: CWB and five areas for action:- https://cles.org.uk/publications/a-light-in-the-dark/ North Ayrshire Community Planning partnership, CWB Plan http://northayrshire.community/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/CWB-Powerpoint- Template-NAC-strategy-update-for-CPP-Board-Sept-2020.pdf The role of the NHS as an anchor institution – The Health Foundation https://www.health.org.uk/publications/reports/building-healthier-communities-role- of-nhs-as-anchor-institution Example CPP CWB mapping and action plan Outer Hebrides March 2021 - https://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/media/17452/S%2019B%20-%20Appendix%20- %20Community%20Wealth%20Building%20in%20the%20Outer%20Hebrides%20Acti on%20Plan.pdf