Co-operative Assistance Network Limited

Community Economic Development

Community Economic Development (CED) is what happens when members of a geographically defined community take action to ensure that the economy in their area works well for them. It is a process that is led by people living, working and running businesses in that area and may involve any of the following:

  • Residents, or representative groups of residents
  • Local businesses or groupings of businesses
  • Voluntary and community sector organisations working in the area
  • Major ‘anchor institutions’ such as businesses, colleges, hospitals, or other key institutions that play a significant role in the local economy
  • Credit Unions
  • The local authority.

CAN can provide the following services to CED programmes:

  • Technical support, for example:
    • Developing policy to establish common cause between grass roots initiatives and local authorities
    • Developing strategies to retain wealth within a community
    • Training people for co-operative and social enterprise
    • Diagnostic services and feasibility studies
    • Help develop and launch Community Share Offers
    • Forming partnerships with ‘anchor institutions’
    • Help local authorities acquire 'Co-operative' or 'Social Enterprise' status
    • Help access funding
    • Work with Credit Unions to enable them to provide various forms of finance to start ups, cash flow support and matched funding
  • Assistance with designing and registering any corporate bodies that need to be formed, for example:
    • Grass roots co-operatives
    • Community businesses
    • Enterprise support agencies capable of nurturing local enterprises in various ways.

CAN has worked with a number of CED projects, including recently:

  • In partnership with University of Bristol to produce the report Community and economic Development: Bulding Back Strong Bristol Co-operatives
  • A project pioneered by Great Yarmouth Borough Council to bring three urban community development initiatives together to support a number of local community-focused enterprises and lay the groundwork for the establishment of a virtual enterprise hub and community college
  • A village community enterprise at Little Canfield in Essex involving cultivating local produce, adding value and selling it through a pop-up café, monthly markets, the renovation of a barn as a community asset, bicycle hire, repair and other workshops
  • A Big Local project in East London setting up community based businesses
  • A community organisation in Milton Keynes, helping them develop their business plan and obtain funding to establish a community hub.

Our Community Economic Development trade sector lead worker is Austen Cordasco. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Co-operative Assistance Network Limited

is a registered society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014

 No. 30714R 

Registered address: 1-3 Gloucester Road, Bristol, BS7 8AA
VAT Reg. No. GB550027678
DUNS 218127940

UKPRN 10028405
MLR Reg. No. 12704615
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