1. 'Living, thriving and working in Rural Hertfordshire'
19 October 2016

2. What is Plunkett? A Registered Charity;
Established in 1919 to help communities to take control of their challenges and overcome them together;
Rural focus;
Support provided to set up and run life-changing community co-operatives;
Enterprises owned and run democratically by communities to address issues, such as isolation and loneliness;
Core values of Plunkett are
• We seek economic solutions to create social change; • We seek solutions that enrich rural community life; • We see self-help as the most effective way to tackle rural needs.

3. The Community Co-op Sector
Current status
Total existing enterprises in UK – 515
Shops
Pubs
Other (cafes, bookshops etc) – 83
Farming, land & woodland

4. The Community Co-op Sector
Pipeline
Total
Shops
Pubs
Other
Land, farming & woodland

5. The Community Co-op Sector
East of England - current status
Total
Shops
Pubs
Other
Land, farming & woodland

6. The Community Co-op Sector
East of England –pipeline
Total
Shops
Pubs
Other
Farming, land & woodland

7. The Community Co-op Sector
East of England – by county
Bedfordshire
Cambridgeshire
Essex
Hertfordshire
Norfolk
Suffolk

8. The Community Co-op Sector
East of England – population per Co-op
Bedfordshire ,654
Cambridgeshire ,055
Essex ,653
Hertfordshire ,691
Norfolk ,523
Suffolk ,750

9. The Community Co-op Sector
Sustainable – survival rate 95% vs. 46% for SME sector
Broad range – shops, pubs, breweries, distillery, pier, transport…..
1 in 20 Post Offices now located in community businesses
1 in 5 of ‘Community Post Offices’ (i.e. rural/remote) are Co-ops
Employment creators
Lodsworth Larder in W Sussex supports 4 micro businesses
Hill Holt Wood in Lincs. – 40 jobs from a community wood

10. The Community Co-op Sector
Key aspects of a Community Benefit Society
Limited liability legal structure
Registered at FCA
Democratic – 1 member = 1 vote
Asset lock
Surplus to be reinvested in enterprise or distributed in community
Maximum investment - £100,000

11. The Community Co-op Sector
Key aspects of a Community Benefit Society
Can issue community shares
Shares are withdrawable
Shares bear interest
Potential tax incentives from HMRC programmes
EIS
SEIS
SITR (shares and loans)

12. What works? Shops & Post offices Pubs Cafes Energy schemes
Breweries & distilleries
Transport schemes
Woods
Housing projects
etc.etc.etc.

13. What are the opportunities?
Amenity under threat (e.g. shop or pub closing)
Need identified (e.g. from parish plan)
Complements existing amenity (whether a co-op or not)
IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT SAVING AN AMENITY

14. What are the barriers? Getting people involved Keeping people involved
Time consuming
Vendors
Over cautious attitudes & approach
Loss of focus

15. Who needs to be involved?
Broad range of people
Cover all groups in village
Range of skills
Open up to all; be inclusive
Involve local councils – parish, district, county
Never decline offers of help: everyone has something to give.
Remember: this should be a democratic, inclusive partnership

16. What actions need to be taken?
Build a strong steering group
Run steering group professionally (meeting agendas, minutes etc.)
Be clear about the objective: stick to it and don’t be distracted
Share the workload
Keep community informed – facebook, regular newsletters etc.
Develop business plan & projections
Contact Plunkett – Donna Smith or Aimée Evans

17. How can Plunkett help? Advisor support to include: Plunkett membership
Business Planning
Share issue
Fundraising
Bursary
Legal structure
Model rules
Plunkett membership

18. Contact details
Plunkett Foundation The Quadrangle Woodstock Oxfordshire OX20 1LH T: +44 (0)