Matthew Brown

Councillor Matthew Brown has helped pioneer Community Wealth Building in Preston and Lancashire using a number of levers to retain and democratise wealth in the local economy. The interest generated in “The Preston Model” has been acknowledged by The Labour Party and Cooperative Party nationally with Birmingham, Ealing and a number of EU cities beginning to embrace similar strategies.A key feature has been to engage placed based public and quasi public “anchor institutions” to increase spend on goods and services in the local economy including plans to create new worker led cooperatives. Credit union expansion, community banking, localised pension fund investment, energy democracy and employee ownership also contribute to a long term strategy for system change at a local level.

In the current debate around a gradual move to a post capitalist economy following the failings of austerity and neo liberalism these are essential ideas to hear about.

My Sessions

July 27, 2018 11:50 am-12:35 pm

Applying “the Preston Model” to the cooperative economy

Main Hall

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Emma Hoddinott

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Dave Boyle

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Emma Hoddinott, Labour Cllr for Wickersley Ward Rotherham and Local Government Officer for the Coop Party and Matthew Brown, Cabinet Member for Social Justice, Inclusion and Policy at Preston City Council discussing the latest advances and successes of “the Preston model” and how similar local and central government strategies could be deployed to create a […]

The Changing Narrative