Chair: Neil McInroy, CEO, Centre for Local Economic Strategies Contributors: Lynn Collins, Strategic Relations and Engagement Advisor, Liverpool City Region CA Donna McLaughlin, Director of Social Value Development, Northern Care Alliance NHS Group Vicky Sugars, Head of Reform, Oldham Council Cllr. Janette Williamson, Member for Finance, Wirral Council CLES has been leading the development of a community wealth building movement, harnessing the power of local public bodies to shape the local economy to benefit local communities. This session will look at the approach public authorities in two areas are taking to community wealth building. What is community wealth building and how has it been working in Oldham and the Wirral? How do co-operatives and social enterprises fit into the wider context of community wealth building? How does this link to community engagement? Neil is CEO of CLES www.cles.org.uk – the national organisation for progressive local economies. CLES’s aim is to achieve social justice, good local economies and effective public services for everyone, everywhere. Their work is focussed around the intersection between policy theory and practice, reflected in CLES as a ‘think and do’ tank. In these time of huge economic, social and environmental crises, CLES sees its role as about developing workable policy and practice, which they seek to amplify and scale, at pace. Amongst a range of work relating to public services, democracy, green new deal and place making, CLES has been at the vanguard of progressing Community Wealth Building practice in the UK for the past 12 years. This movement is growing across major public institutions including Local and Combined Authorities in England and through national and local government activity in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This work seeks to disrupt mainstream local economic strategy and practice, heralding a new wave of progressive economic and social policy which places people and communities at the centre of local economic development. Primarily this is about addressing wealth extraction by placing more control of this wealth in the hands of local people, communities, businesses and by developing more democratic forms of ownership. Neil has been commissioned, collaborated and advised, a broad range of local, regional and national governments, politicians and agencies across UK and in Europe, Asia, US and Australasia. He is an Honorary Fellow at the Manchester Urban Institute, University of Manchester, and a Visiting Fellow at Edge Hill University. Lynn was appointed as the Regional Secretary of the Trades Union Congress in 2013, and is the first woman to hold this position. On his election as the first Metro Mayor of Liverpool City Region in 2017, Steve Rotheram appointed Lynn as a Mayoral Advisor on Equalities, and as Chair of the innovative Fairness and Social Justice Advisory Board. In 2019, Lynn began a secondment to Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, where she is supporting work on tackling poverty, developing a Fair Employment Charter, and enhancing links with the Social and Solidarity Economies. Donna McLaughlin is the Director of Social Value Development, Northern Care Alliance NHS Group (NCA). The NCA employs 20,000 people, and brings together health and social care services across North Manchester, Rochdale, Bury, Oldham and Salford. It aspires to be an anchor institution that uses its power in a deliberate and purposeful way to support the economic development of place. Its ‘anchor mission’, which Donna has been leading since October 2019, is to maximise its influence on the underlying cause of ill-health: poverty. She is particularly interested in the NCA’s anchor role of widening access to quality work for local communities, with a particular emphasis on those furthest from the labour market. Prior to this role, Donna held a number of NHS Leadership roles in Oldham, Merseyside and Manchester. She has a degree from Oxford University, Masters from Manchester University and Leeds Becket University, and has just started a PhD on the development of anchor institutions with Manchester Metropolitan University. Her family was recently completed with the addition of a second puppy Dennis to join big brother Billy. Vicky is currently Head of Reform for Oldham Council. She leads on developing and implementing public service reform and integration approaches that put the needs of people and communities before that of organisations. Previously Vicky headed up the Strategy, Partnerships and Policy team, helping to set the strategic direction of the borough and delivery of the Oldham Model. Vicky has a Master’s degree in Public Policy and has previously led partnership working at Trafford where she headed up an LGC Award Winning team. Vicky has also worked for the London Borough of Newham and the Electoral Commission. Janette Williamson is Deputy Leader of the Labour Group on Wirral Council, and Cabinet member for Finance and Resources. She is leading on Community Wealth Building and excited to be working with Preston City Council and Liverpool City Council on a regional community bank. Passionate about rebuilding the local economy from the grassroots, Janette is seeking to grow community businesses and cooperatives, believing that Community Wealth Building will help to create an ethical, sustainable and socially just economy.
Chair: Neil McInroy, CEO, Centre for Local Economic Strategies Contributors: Lynn Collins, Strategic Relations and Engagement Advisor, Liverpool City Region CA Donna McLaughlin, Director of Social Value Development, Northern Care Alliance NHS Group Vicky Sugars, Head of Reform, Oldham Council Cllr. Janette Williamson, Member for Finance, Wirral Council CLES has been leading the development of a community wealth building movement, harnessing the power of local public bodies to shape the local economy to benefit local communities. This session will look at the approach public authorities in two areas are taking to community wealth building. What is community wealth building and how has it been working in Oldham and the Wirral? How do co-operatives and social enterprises fit into the wider context of community wealth building? How does this link to community engagement? Neil is CEO of CLES www.cles.org.uk – the national organisation for progressive local economies. CLES’s aim is to achieve social justice, good local economies and effective public services for everyone, everywhere. Their work is focussed around the intersection between policy theory and practice, reflected in CLES as a ‘think and do’ tank. In these time of huge economic, social and environmental crises, CLES sees its role as about developing workable policy and practice, which they seek to amplify and scale, at pace. Amongst a range of work relating to public services, democracy, green new deal and place making, CLES has been at the vanguard of progressing Community Wealth Building practice in the UK for the past 12 years. This movement is growing across major public institutions including Local and Combined Authorities in England and through national and local government activity in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This work seeks to disrupt mainstream local economic strategy and practice, heralding a new wave of progressive economic and social policy which places people and communities at the centre of local economic development. Primarily this is about addressing wealth extraction by placing more control of this wealth in the hands of local people, communities, businesses and by developing more democratic forms of ownership. Neil has been commissioned, collaborated and advised, a broad range of local, regional and national governments, politicians and agencies across UK and in Europe, Asia, US and Australasia. He is an Honorary Fellow at the Manchester Urban Institute, University of Manchester, and a Visiting Fellow at Edge Hill University. Lynn was appointed as the Regional Secretary of the Trades Union Congress in 2013, and is the first woman to hold this position. On his election as the first Metro Mayor of Liverpool City Region in 2017, Steve Rotheram appointed Lynn as a Mayoral Advisor on Equalities, and as Chair of the innovative Fairness and Social Justice Advisory Board. In 2019, Lynn began a secondment to Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, where she is supporting work on tackling poverty, developing a Fair Employment Charter, and enhancing links with the Social and Solidarity Economies. Donna McLaughlin is the Director of Social Value Development, Northern Care Alliance NHS Group (NCA). The NCA employs 20,000 people, and brings together health and social care services across North Manchester, Rochdale, Bury, Oldham and Salford. It aspires to be an anchor institution that uses its power in a deliberate and purposeful way to support the economic development of place. Its ‘anchor mission’, which Donna has been leading since October 2019, is to maximise its influence on the underlying cause of ill-health: poverty. She is particularly interested in the NCA’s anchor role of widening access to quality work for local communities, with a particular emphasis on those furthest from the labour market. Prior to this role, Donna held a number of NHS Leadership roles in Oldham, Merseyside and Manchester. She has a degree from Oxford University, Masters from Manchester University and Leeds Becket University, and has just started a PhD on the development of anchor institutions with Manchester Metropolitan University. Her family was recently completed with the addition of a second puppy Dennis to join big brother Billy. Vicky is currently Head of Reform for Oldham Council. She leads on developing and implementing public service reform and integration approaches that put the needs of people and communities before that of organisations. Previously Vicky headed up the Strategy, Partnerships and Policy team, helping to set the strategic direction of the borough and delivery of the Oldham Model. Vicky has a Master’s degree in Public Policy and has previously led partnership working at Trafford where she headed up an LGC Award Winning team. Vicky has also worked for the London Borough of Newham and the Electoral Commission. Janette Williamson is Deputy Leader of the Labour Group on Wirral Council, and Cabinet member for Finance and Resources. She is leading on Community Wealth Building and excited to be working with Preston City Council and Liverpool City Council on a regional community bank. Passionate about rebuilding the local economy from the grassroots, Janette is seeking to grow community businesses and cooperatives, believing that Community Wealth Building will help to create an ethical, sustainable and socially just economy.