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Principles met

  • Co-production

    We will develop systems that enable citizens to be equal partners in designing and commissioning public services and in determining the use of public resources.

  • Innovation

    We will embrace innovation in how we work with local communities to drive positive change.

  • Learning

    We will capture and ‘expand’ the experience and learning from individual projects and approaches in order to encourage broader application of co-operative principles within individual member Councils and across the Network.

  • New models of meeting priority needs

    In exploring new ways of meeting the priority needs of our communities we will encourage models, such as co-operatives and mutuals, which give greater influence and voice to staff and users. in designing and commissioning public services and in determining the use of public resources.

About the project

Aims of the pilot

Stevenage Borough Council aimed to implement a strengths-based community development model, which included time banking. Time banking is a community-based system where people exchange services using time as currency. Members earn “time credits” by providing services, like tutoring or gardening, and spend those credits on services they need from others. Every hour of service is equal, promoting equality and reciprocity within the community.

The ‘Little Bank of Kindness’ aimed to test the concept of time banking in a small area and assess its feasibility for rolling out to other areas of Stevenage.

This pilot ran from December 2023 until March 2024 and focused on the St Nicholas ward of Stevenage where:

a) Councillor Sandra Barr, Cabinet Member for Co-operative Council and Neighbourhoods, is the elected member,

b) The community is seen as ‘active’,

c) The community centre already has links with partner agencies through the council’s ‘Stevenage Together’ strategic partnership and the ‘Social Inclusion Partnership’ sub-group.

To address the practical challenge of Stevenage Borough Council resourcing the pilot project, Made Open (a leading time banking software provider) were commissioned to deliver a three-month pilot with remote member onboarding support. This was with the understanding that the Community Development team at Stevenage Borough Council would support Made Open with recruitment via local networks and connections.

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