Cooperative Community Bank of Kindness

• 28th Nov 2024

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.

• Cooperative Community Bank of Kindness

  Publication PDF