Useful Links

Community Wealth Building

Community Wealth Building (CWB) reduces the wealth flowing out of the local economy so that it can be shared more widely and recirculated for the benefit of local people and businesses.

Find out more about PCC and Community Wealth building here. 

Preston City Council has been building community wealth since 2012 and using its s influence as an employer and as a major purchaser of goods and services, it has successfully promoted the inclusive growth of the local economy. This approach has become widely known as, “The Preston Model.” Find out more about the Preston Model here.

The Preston Partnership’s City Investment Plan and the Stoneygate Regeneration Framework are significant new opportunities to align city centre regeneration with the principles of Community Wealth Building. CWB will also be at the heart of the Council’s response to the climate crisis, ensuring that a green and fair recovery creates local jobs and training opportunities as well as new opportunities for community ownership and investment. Climate Action Preston is also working hard on new projects which will benefit the local community.

Find out more here.

Preston’s experience during the pandemic is reflected with a renewed focus on faith, voluntary sector and community organisations and trade unions. This includes a new branch of Citizen’s UK to bring together many of these organisations will support the development of a shared, community-wide agenda for a resilient and inclusive recovery.

Find out more here.

PCDN is part of the CVB programme too, as we help Preston people to explore other ways of doing business.

Co‑operatives UK is the network for Britain’s thousands of co-operatives. Their mission is  to grow the Co-operative Economy. They promote, develop and unite co-operatives across all sectors, from major high street retailers and large agricultural businesses to community owned pubs and credit unions. Their aims are:

Promote co-operatives: Through lobbying and campaigning promote co-operatives to decision-makers and the wider public.

Develop co-operatives: Deliver specialist governance, secretariat and legal advice services to help members run their co-operative businesses.

Unite co-operatives: Organise high profile national events and facilitate networks and local workshops to enable co-operatives to connect, learn and do business with one another.

Find out more:

In 2008, a new initiative to was started in Cleveland, USA, as a response to the economic stagnation happening in the city.  The city’s anchor organisation of Cleveland Foundation, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, the Democratic Collaboration and the city government launched the Evergreen Cooperatives consisting of the Evergreen Cooperative Laundry, Ohio Cooperative Solar, Green City Growers Cooperative and the Neighbourhood Voice, creating new jobs for low income and low skilled workers.

Read more at http://www.evgoh.com

Stir to Action is a worker cooperative based in Bridport, Bristol and London. Their work directly support economic change through a national workshop programmes and strategic economic development, focusing on how democratic business can transform social inequality, climate change, mental health, and our political culture. The Stir to Action magazine is published quarterly features original illustrations, long-form interviews, and in-depth articles that move beyond traditional commentary and opinion to explore the inspiring and viable alternatives to the current political and economic crisis.

Read more at http://www.stirtoaction.com

Mondragon Corporation, Basque County

Mondragon began in 1965 and is an influential business model of co-operation. It combines it core goals of a business organisation competing in an international market with the use of democratic methods, the creation of jobs, the human and professional development of its workers and a pledge to develop its  social environment. An important business group in Spain, they work in the industrial, financial and retail sectors with initiatives in education and knowledge exchange. 

Read more at : https://www.mondragon-corporation.com/en/

In 2008, a new initiative to was started in Cleveland, USA, as a response to the economic stagnation happening in the city.  The city’s anchor organisation of Cleveland Foundation, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, the Democratic Collaboration and the city government launched the Evergreen Cooperatives consisting of the Evergreen Cooperative Laundry, Ohio Cooperative Solar, Green City Growers Cooperative and the Neighbourhood Voice, creating new jobs for low income and low skilled workers.

Read more at http://www.evgoh.com

Created in 1895, The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) is the global representative organisation of cooperative enterprises across all sectors, counting 317 members from 110 countries (August 2021). The ICA unites a significant part of today’s cooperative development activities through the work of its national member federations active in development, implementation and through the coordination work by its regional offices.

The ICA has grown into an important global organisation promoting the cooperative model  around the world, safeguarding the cooperative identity and protecting and promoting the cooperative values and principles.

A new report has been released from the International Cooperative Alliance – EU Partnership which showcases co-ops addressing climate change and the transition to a green economy. 

Find out more: