Community Wealth Building
Community Wealth Building is fundamental to transitioning to a wellbeing economy delivering sustainable economic, social, and environmental development that enhances the prosperity of all of Scotland’s people and places on an equitable basis.
It is getting increasing recognition as critical to Scotland’s future, but what it looks like in practice is not widely understood.
To address this gap, the Scottish Community Alliance is launching This is Community Wealth Building – a series of stories showing the work of grassroots community organisations pioneering Community Wealth Building across Scotland, and the intermediary networks supporting them.
This is Community Wealth Building
Invest in, don’t reinvent, Scotland’s community wealth building movement
The Community Wealth Building Bill has transformative potential, but its real test will be whether it empowers the people already leading the way.
By Jill Keegan, Partnerships Manager, Scottish Community Alliance
Reclaiming the narrative: building community wealth with community media
In one of Glasgow’s most diverse neighbourhoods, a community-led magazine is proving that owning your own story is the first step to building community wealth.
By Lucas Batt
The art of ownership: how North Edinburgh Arts is building community wealth
A landmark community-owned arts centre in the north of Edinburgh is using culture to build community wealth.
Reporting by Charlie Ellis
Edited by Lucas Batt, Greater Community Media
The roof over Lochaber: Community Wealth Building in Fort William
The Nevis Centre is Fort William’s village hall and economic engine under one roof. Run by a community charity, it uses commercial revenue from hosting big events to fund community activities and spaces, and is a powerful example of Community Wealth Building in action.
By Lucas Batt & Rhiannon Davies, Greater Community Media
Additional footage: Nevis Centre / Linnhe Leisure
100 Acres of Ambition: Growing Community Wealth at Lauriston Farm
How a workers’ cooperative in Edinburgh brought 100 acres back to life, building wealth through food, community, and biodiversity.
Reporting by Charlie Ellis
Edited by Lucas Batt, Greater Community Media
Growing community wealth with food and love in Midlothian
In Mayfield and Easthouses, the local development trust is using food to feed the soul of the community. With a community pantry, café, and a derelict bowling green transformed into a thriving community garden, they are defining what Community Wealth Building looks like.
By Lucas Batt & Rhiannon Davies, Greater Community Media
From market days to hydropower: Community Wealth Building in Balerno
On the edge of Edinburgh, a village trust is using a farmers’ market, a hydro scheme and a former police station to stop their community becoming a sleeping suburb.
By Paul Fisher Cockburn
Rebuilding community wealth through land ownership: the story of Tarras Valley Nature Reserve
For the people of Langholm, the Tarras Valley has always been theirs. So when the land came on the market, they rallied to do the impossible and pulled off a 10,000-acre community buy-out. This is Community Wealth Building in action: local people taking ownership of their land and their future, securing Langholm Moor to create the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve for the benefit of generations to come.
By Lucas Batt & Rhiannon Davies, Greater Community Media
Drone footage: Inigo Alcaniz
How Glenfarg rebuilt its bus service – and its future
When Glenfarg’s last commercial bus service vanished, it risked the viability of the village. So residents built their own. The result is a thriving community-run network – and a clear example of Community Wealth Building in action.
By Lucas Batt & Rhiannon Davies, Greater Community Media
Community Wealth Building isn’t new – Scotland’s communities have been doing it for years
With the Community Wealth Building Bill due to complete Stage 1 this Thursday, Scotland need only look to its communities to see what becomes possible when people are given the power and resources to act – from rebuilt transport services to revitalised energy, land and local assets.
By Jill Keegan, Partnerships Manager, Scottish Community Alliance
Tiree: Powering Community Wealth Building with renewable energy
On Tiree, a community-owned wind turbine has powered a decade of local investment, funding essential infrastructure and services. As Scotland debates how to embed Community Wealth Building in law, the island offers a glimpse of what that future could look like.
By Lucas Batt & Rhiannon Davies, Greater Community Media
We are calling for:
1.
Community organisations to be recognised as essential partners and established leaders in the design and delivery of Community Wealth Building.
2.
Secure, long-term investment and resources for the community sector to build on their foundational work and unlock their full potential.
3.
Decision-making power devolved to the most local level, ensuring the Community Wealth Building Bill is implemented from the ground up, not top-down.
What is Community Wealth Building?
Community Wealth Building is a transformative approach to making local economies work for local people. The core principle is to move away from top-down, extractive models where wealth is taken from a place. Instead, it focuses on ‘bottom-up’ action where communities are enabled to generate, retain, and circulate economic, social, and environmental wealth for the benefit of everyone who lives there.
Why is it one of our priorities?
The community sector are already established leaders of CWB, pioneering this approach from the ground up. As this is translated into policies, communities throughout Scotland need to be front and centre in shaping what Community Wealth Building looks like, and – critically – drawing substantial benefits from CWB in practice that will sustain them and their places, both now and for the generations to come.
Why it matters now
The community sector is crucial to building a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable Scotland. These organisations fill critical gaps in local services, but they are not sufficiently recognised or supported in the essential roles they have, relying on precarious short term funding. This needs to change if Scotland is to realise their potential, and enable local people to continue to build the fairer, more inclusive and resilient economy we all want.
What is currently happening?
The Scottish Government have committed to a Community Wealth Building Bill in the recent Programme for Government 2024-25. Within this, it is highlighted “The Bill will seek to address economic and wealth inequality by supporting the retention of more wealth in local and regional economies. It will seek to ensure consistent implementation of the Community Wealth Building model of economic development across Scotland.”
The Bill presents an unprecedented opportunity to embed this transformative approach in law. This legislation can provide the support and recognition that community organisations need to thrive, ensuring they have a seat at the decision-making table and are included in procurement and planning processes.
What You Can Do
As a decision-maker, policy-maker, citizen, or supporter, you have a powerful role to play in helping Scotland realise the potential of Community Wealth Building.
- Watch and Share the Stories: Follow the Scottish Community Alliance on LinkedIn to see the stories as they are released and share them with your network.
- Cite the Evidence: Use these real-world examples to help colleagues and friends understand what Community Wealth Building looks like, the impact it has, and the support it needs.
- Engage with the Bill: Learn more about the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill and advocate for amendments that put community-led organisations at its heart.
Further Reading
See our response to the consultation on Building Community Wealth in Scotland in April 2023.
Community wealth building – Cities and regions – gov.scot
Programme for Government 2024-25: Serving Scotland – gov.scot