The Scottish Government is to introduce legislation during this parliament to encourage Community Wealth Building as Scotland's core approach to economic development. A consultation on the proposed Bill has just concluded. The aim is to enact new - or amend existing - laws to accelerate this form of economic development in Scotland. What is Community Wealth Building? How will it reform who takes decisions locally on what is spent - and on how, where and for what purpose? The Bill's aim will be to bring economic transformation and to create empowered, resilient local communities. Therefore, change is coming which will affect current decision makers in the public sector and their other sectoral partners. Who will lead decison making in the future and how will communities be involved in that process? How will this affect your organisation?
This will involve encouraging or compelling the public sector, in partnership with the private, third and community sectors to work differently. They would be expected to ensure that more wealth is generated, circulated and retained in communities and localities in Scotland. Radically new collaborative approaches to policy making, decision taking and community involvement will be required for a host of 'anchor' bodies. These include councils, health boards and economic development agencies - among others - in the public sector. The Scottish Government expects this approach to happen in partnership with the private, third and community sectors. This will mean substantial changes to how anchor organisations direct spending, support employment, manage land and property, encourage community ownership of assets and work with finance. How, therefore, will changes be achieved in the way our public spending, public services and economic development practices are delivered?
Tom Arthur MSP, Minister for Community Wealth and Public Finance, Scottish Government, has said: "Community wealth building is an internationally recognised approach to economic development which aims to ensure that more wealth is generated, circulated and retained in communities. It is a key tool to achieve our wellbeing economy vision by rewiring our economy for this generation and for future generations." The Scottish Government sees community wealth building as central to its economic development agenda and has recently completed a consultation exercise on the new legislation it wants to bring forward to support the delivery of this approach.
Communities, community involvement and locality based decision-making are at the heart of a whole range of current policy initiatives. Community wealth building legislation, review of the Community Empowerment Act, placemaking policy and ongoing discussion and models of community ownership and asset transfer are just some of the intersecting areas of current activity.
This conference looks at core challenges and opportunities in delivering community wealth building and associated measures. It considers the policy context in which this takes place and examines the implications faced by all affected bodies. It reflects on what would need to change, what works and what the potential outcomes of this process could be.
The conference examines these challenges in three sessions:
Topics to be discussed
Programme Manager
Development Trusts Association Scotland
Associate Director – Place, Housing & Economic Investment
Scottish Futures Trust
Linda Gillespie
Programme Manager
Development Trusts Association Scotland
Following an early career in the private sector during which she was responsible for multiple retail sites in areas across the UK, latterly managing large scale visitor centres, Linda moved into local economic development. Initially as business adviser to a portfolio of high growth companies before moving on to manage a range of business and social enterprise programmes.
Over the years Linda has worked with 100s of community led organisations and social enterprises and has seen at first hand the positive benefits ownership of assets can bring to communities; improving the sustainability of their organisations, protecting and developing services and creating jobs. Within her current role at COSS she has a particular interest in exploring the underlying enterprise models and innovative options for sustaining community assets into the future.
Diarmaid Lawlor
Associate Director – Place, Housing & Economic Investment
Scottish Futures Trust
Diarmaid is the Associate Director for Place, Housing & Economic Investment at the Scottish Futures Trust.
He was previously Head of Urbanism with Architecture and Design Scotland. An urbanist, with a multi disciplinary background, he has worked on projects involving the shaping and implementation of change for clients in Ireland, the UK and Europe, for the public, private and tertiary sectors. He has almost 20 years' experience of helping clients make well informed decisions about complex, connected urban policy and investment challenges. He is an educator, communicator and collaborator who writes and speaks on creative approaches to making better places.
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