This summer, over 60 policy, research and community representatives came together with academics and practitioners across two collaborative workshops in Sussex and Birmingham. The workshops aimed to explore the connections between just net zero transitions and community wealth building – an innovative approach to local economic development being implemented across the UK that seeks to strengthen local economies and support local organisations.

The workshops were co-organised by the University of Sussex, NorQuest College, Canada, and the Centre for Local Economic Strategies, as part of a British Academy-funded international comparative research project led by Dr Max Lacey-Barnacle (University of Sussex) and Dr Martin Boucher (NorQuest College).

Participants heard presentations from experts in community wealth building and net zero about the state of play in the UK and Canada, and case studies combining these two areas were presented by the West Midlands Combined Authority, Birmingham City Council, London Borough of Barnet and Lewes District Council.

Participants also took part in group discussions about policies and practical approaches to decarbonising the local economy whilst ensuring the economic benefits stay in the community. These ideas are at the core of community wealth building, which seeks to make local economies work more effectively for their communities via actions in five key areas:  ownership; procurement; employment; use of assets and land; and financing. Central to the approach are anchor institutions, like those whose members attended and presented at the workshops. These long-standing, place-based institutions, such as universities, hospitals, and local governments, have significant physical, financial, economic and cultural presence and influence in a local area. In addition, they often have commitments to local growth and net zero, making them uniquely placed to effectively bridge the gap which often exists between these areas in both policy and practice. This unique bridging role is the focus of the research project and the topics discussed at the workshops.

At the workshops, attendees engaged in lively discussions about enablers for anchor institutions implementing these cross-cutting net zero and inclusive local economic growth objectives in practice. Some key discussion topics included the need for: effective governance, coordination and capacity; aligned incentives and financing; and stronger long-term evidence and data to make the case for cross-sector initiatives. Discussions also highlighted that potential opportunity areas for future activities could include: housing (local energy efficiency), energy (community renewables projects) and food (local sustainable food schemes).

The insights from the workshop presentations and discussions will inform further project research into the role of anchor institutions in bringing together community wealth building and net zero, and a report to be co-produced by the organising team. As the project is a comparative study between the UK and Canada, similar workshops will be run next month in Canada, the project’s second case study location.

Project lead Dr Max Lacey-Barnacle commented:

‘The UK is a global leader in bringing together community wealth building with just net zero transitions, particularly at the devolved, combined authority and local levels of government. These workshops successfully demonstrated the enthusiasm that exists across the UK for developing a more community-oriented approach to net zero. Excitingly, this is a rapidly growing research area, whilst community wealth building is also an international policy movement, extending beyond the UK and Canada to locations such as the US, Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Taiwan and South Korea. Given that the energy transition is also global in nature, our research will have longstanding implications for international policymakers seeking to find new and interesting ways to connect net zero transitions to local communities and new approaches to economic development. Together with our project partners, we will be sharing our research worldwide to support greater community involvement and local ownership in the transition to a global green economy.’

Read these project outputs to find out more about the research:
Community Wealth Building as a catalyst for just transitions? The role of anchor institutions in supporting co-operative and community-led decarbonisation in the UK and Canada, Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law, Dr Max Lacey-Barnacle and Dr Martin Boucher (September 2025)
How a community-focused vision for net zero can revive local economies, The Conversation, Dr Max Lacey-Barnacle (May 2025)
Community wealth building is a strategy for Canada’s transition to net zero, Policy Options, Dr Martin Boucher and Dr Max Lacey-Barnacle (November 2024)

Future project outputs will include a special issue in the journal Energy Policy in 2026, titled ‘Building Community Wealth into Net Zero: bridging theory and practice for plural ownership of just transitions to a global green economy’.

The workshops were funded by the British Academy’s Knowledge Frontiers: International Interdisciplinary Research Programme.

Please contact Dr Lacey-Barnacle if you would like any further information.