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Community ownership and its role on the high streetAilbhe McNabolaHead of Research and Policy

24 February 2020

Overview:

Intro to Power to Change

Community ownership in England

Community ownership on the high street

Independent trust providing community businesses in England access to:

• Grant funding + social

investment

• Match-funding for community

share offers

• Business development +

capacity building support

• Research + practical guides

• Peer networks + events

• Working with national support

organisations such as Locality,

Plunkett, Coops UK and SSE

Spend-down trust: closing by end of 2022

Power to Change

Community businesses are...

Locally rooted and

locally accountable

⊲ Building on the heritage and

strengths of that place and its

people to meet the

community’s needs.

⊲ Local people influence

the direction of the

business.

Trading to achieve

sustainability

⊲ They are businesses

generating trading

income to benefit the local

economy and their

community.

⊲ Their trading income creates

long term resilience.

Delivering multiple

community impacts

⊲ They are inclusive, engaging

with a variety of different

groups and benefitting the

community as a whole.

⊲ Two thirds deliver five or

more social outcomes,

ranging from community

cohesion and pride to

health and well-being.

Nudge Community Builders, Plymouth Leeds Community Homes Stretford Public Hall, Manchester

⊲ They belong to

a particular place.

Community asset ownership in England

Community ownership

Major research study in 2019 with MHCLG, Sheffield

Hallam University and IVAR

• At least 6,325 assets in community ownership

• Majority provided a ‘micro’ (32 per cent) or ‘small’ (48

per cent) revenue of less than £100,000

• Unevenly distributed: only 18% are located in IMD1-3

• Financially robust: 75% of community-owned assets

say they are in good financial health

• A valuable part of the economy: contributing nearly

£220 million GVA to the UK economy every year

• Important locally: 56% of their expenditure

stays in their local economies

A Quirky chart

Nearly a third of

all community

assets came

into community

ownership in the

last decade, and

the trend shows no

sign of declining.

Growth is driven

by ‘non-hubs’.

Austerity?

The Localism Act?

keepitinthecommunity.orgA national asset register

Community ownership on the high street

How to save the high street?

• The future of the high street is not (solely) retail

• Consensus growing that the future of the high street

is mixed-use combining retail, services, offices and

homes – but how to get from here to there?

• Debate dominated by business rates, online versus physical

retail, and the impact of out of town shopping centres

• Given what we know about the success and benefits of

community-owned assets, we believe they have a role to

play in reviving high streets and town centres

• Communities are rooted and value place above profit -

a resource to be unlocked within high street regeneration

The role of communities in high street regeneration

Type of

owner

Ownership

rate

Vacancy

rate

Private

sector70.1% 8.8%

Public

sector16.6% 4.5%

Third

sector13.3% 6.8%

Vacancies on top UK high streets

Radcliffe Market HallBury, Greater Manchester

• In 2018, Bury Council gave the community a 5-year

renewable lease on this historic market hall that was

failing and in disrepair

• In only two years, the market has grown from 5 to 32

stalls, with weekly footfall of over 1,200 visitors

• The market focuses on fresh food alongside a wide

range of events and services for the community

• Radcliffe Market Hall has been instrumental in the

regeneration of a town which, like many in the UK, has

struggled to compete with city centres and online

shopping

• The market employs 24 staff (of which 6 are NEET)

and engages 25-35 volunteers

The Carlile InstituteMeltham, West Yorkshire

• A 9,000-strong community came together to take

ownership of, and restore, a disused heritage

building on the high street

• The Carlile Institute has been transformed from a

disused eyesore into a financially sustainable

community hub

• The asset provides space for vital community

services, including a Post Office and library, as well

as offices for Meltham Town Council, and for local

SMEs and start-ups

• Over 6,500 people from across three towns regularly use the restored building

• The community received initial development support from the Council and Locality,

a leading sector support organisation. They went on to raise loan and grant finance

locally, then a £240k grant from Power to Change for significant capital works

Greater power

Greater access to capital

Extend the Community Right to Bid

into a Community Right to Buy

Earmark £250m from the Towns Fund to transfer high street assets of

community value, with £10m set aside for community capacity building

Four recommendations

Greater local influence Add community representatives to the governance of BIDs

Extend neighbourhood planning grants and technical assistance

Tie Towns Fund and High Streets Fund awards to community partnership

Where appropriate, transfer more council-owned

high street assets into community hands

As a last resort, make greater use of

Compulsory Purchase Orders

Greater use of existing tools

Four recommendations

Thank you

Please contact:

ailbhe.mcnabola@powertochange.org.uk

@ailbhe_mcnabola