Inclusive Economy Charter

• Lead Member Stevenage Borough Council
• Categories Community Wealth Building
• Assets Download Case Study

As part of recovery efforts, Stevenage Borough Council established a charter for the town to drive pledges from public, private and voluntary sector partners to rebuild the local economy, putting residents and local enterprises at the heart of recovery planning.

The Council had passed a motion at the end of 2019 to drive forward a programme of community wealth building. The unprecedented impact of Covid-19 on the local economy highlighted the vulnerability of large multinational companies as well as small and medium-sized enterprises. A quarter of the town’s working-age population were furloughed during the peak of the pandemic, with a significant number losing jobs and income. The Council’s community response team “Stevenage Helps” saw an unprecedented rise in hardship cases. The council decided to accelerate its plans around community wealth building to drive recovery.