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Principles met

  • Co-production

    We will develop systems that enable citizens to be equal partners in designing and commissioning public services and in determining the use of public resources.

  • Enterprise and social economy

    We will promote community-based approaches to economic development that focus on supporting the creation of jobs, social enterprises and other businesses and providing an environment for co-operative and mutual enterprises to thrive.

  • Innovation

    We will embrace innovation in how we work with local communities to drive positive change.

  • New models of meeting priority needs

    In exploring new ways of meeting the priority needs of our communities we will encourage models, such as co-operatives and mutuals, which give greater influence and voice to staff and users. in designing and commissioning public services and in determining the use of public resources.

Leyland Community Greengrocers is a community-led food cooperative in South Ribble, Lancashire. It was created to improve access to affordable, healthy local produce whilst supporting the borough’s goal of building a more sustainable and thriving local economy through a range of community wealth building approaches.

The cooperative has become a practical example of community-powered change, demonstrating how residents can come together and collaborate with partners to build a fairer, more resilient, local food system.

Feedback collected during the delivery of a series of community cooking classes highlighted several challenges that our communities faced, such as:

  • rising food costs and increasing pressure on household budgets,
  • limited access to fresh and affordable local produce in some neighbourhoods,
  • demand for more sustainable, localised food options,
  • a need to build both community and economic resilience.

South Ribble Borough Council recognised that traditional retail models were not fully meeting community needs and designed a programme to bring like-minded people together to explore the potential for a food co-operative.  Working with our key partners, the Larder (a social enterprise which promotes food that is healthy, local and seasonal) and the Cooperative Mutual Solutions (a worker cooperative which provides specialist business advice and training to cooperatives and social enterprises) we hosted a workshop, ‘Farm to Fork’ in September 2025.

Leyland Community Greengrocers Market Stall

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