The good councillors guide to Community Business

• 21st Jul 2022

There are estimated to be around 9,000 community businesses operating across England, according to research completed by Power to Change, an independent charitable trust that supports and develops community businesses in England. Although a fair number of these operate with the support and involvement of their local councils, the extent to which a local council can aid such enterprises is not yet widely recognised.

The role of community business in relation to helping local councils, to manage and sustain their local natural and built environment, can be beneficial in any area. For example, they sustain key local services through a community-owned, community-run approach such as shops, post offices, libraries, pubs, child care and local food production. Community businesses also demonstrably help to reduce levels of social isolation locally, through creating multifunctioning, open and inclusive places to meet – something we intend to demonstrate via the case studies produced for this guide.

There is a growing opportunity around health and social care, community energy generation and local digital connectivity which may also be relevant for some local councils to consider when reading this guide. The guide will aim to demonstrate how a relationship between a community business and its local council can encourage a more localised, greener economy which creates employment and delivers broad social benefit. The people-centred nature of these businesses means that a community can genuinely contribute to their local social, economic and environmental sustainability – something which it is hoped could inspire more local councils to become involved.

For further information contact:

National Association of Local Councils (NALC)
109 Great Russell Street
London
WC1B 3LD

• nalc@nalc.gov.uk

• The good councillors guide to Community Business

  Publication PDF