Since 2022, the Edinburgh South East Scotland City Region Deal (ESES CRD) has been working with the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) to explore Community Wealth Building within our projects. CLES are the national organisation for local economies - focusing on developing progressive economics for people, planet and place.
The Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal is a source of financial power to enable progressive economic development across the region and presents an opportunity to ensure that CWB is incorporated into the deal projects.
CLES embarked on a journey to discover what the awareness of Community Wealth Building was within the projects being delivered under the ESES City Region Deal and learning what the ambitions are towards embedding the principles of CWB in to business as a matter of course.
The deal projects all respond to community benefit obligations but we are keen to take the good work established through these means and ensure the priorities of CWB are embedded into the construction, launch, operational and legacy phase of each project.
The findings highlighted what has already been delivered well and where there is room to improve and what we have the ability to influence moving forward. This report outlines how the region can build on its progress to date to further embed community wealth building principles into its projects and programmes.
Tying closely to the Benefits Realisation Plan objectives of the ESES City Region Deal, the team at CLES have established 3 priorities that we will weave into the everyday business as usual delivery across the deal and beyond.
The three priorities are;
Pledge one - support the growth and development of SMEs
Pledge two – support other progressive forms of ownership
Pledge three – support progressive employment practice
The ESESCommunities portal of course plays an important role in linking our suppliers and grassroot causes in the region but the framework that has been designed by CLES offers clarity on how relationships, community engagement and progressive localised procurement can make a significant impact and inform long term change. Keeping all aspects of wealth within our communities and ultimately, local.
