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A collaboration between Co-operatives UK, Power to Change and the Mayor of London

Boosting Community Business London

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Man pushing a wheelbarrow

The Boosting Community Business London was a programme in partnership with Power to Change and the Mayor of London for new or existing community business looking for help developing a community share offer. 

This programme has now closed, but read about the organisations Boosting Community Business London supported. You can also find out about other support for community shares in the UK.

Growing London's social economy

During 2021, The Mayor of London partnered with Co-operatives UK and Power to Change to support community businesses in Greater London. Up to eight community businesses received start-up support and grants to develop their services and take community ownership of local public assets. Specifically, this pilot programme supported organisations to: 

  • Establish more representative and/or community governance or ownership models that secure social values 

  • Establish sustainable business plans and financial arrangements to grow, secure and manage future funding or sustain activities through revenue-based activities 

  • Develop and launch community share offers to support their growth or ability to secure assets of community value

Eligible organisations needed to demonstrate the four key features of a community business: 

  • Locally rooted. They are rooted in a particular geographical place. They build on the strengths and assets of that place to address community needs.

  • Accountable to the local community. This can be demonstrated in many ways (e.g. membership structure, ownership, broad range of local trustees) but they must have evidence of regular community input into decision making. 

  • Trading for the benefit of the local community. They have a clear trading model and sell services and products in and around their local area. The way the business is run and the profits it makes are used to deliver local benefit. 

  • Broad community impact. They engage with a variety of different groups in their community and deliver impact against a range of different community needs. 

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Community shares give people a stake in their area, in their community and that means they are part of the decision-making process too. That’s very powerful for people.
– Éva Goudouneix, North Kensington Community Energy

This programme is now closed and the following groups received bespoke consultancy support. They included art centres, business or work spaces, employment and training interventions, environmental projects, housing, and health and wellbeing: 

If you are a community business and are planning to undertake a community share offer, apply now to the Booster Fund (England) – or find out other support for community shares in other nations.

Find out what support we can offer for community share offers
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