Drawing on the views and experiences of more than 40 community businesses and 20 experts, Community Business in 2030 illustrates the transformative effect the sector could have on both local people’s lives and society as a whole.

The report, commissioned by Power to Change, envisions that by the end of the next decade, community businesses will have proven that there’s a radically more inclusive, democratic way to run local economies – owning assets, sharing power, and putting people first.

As a well-established part of the UK economy, they will have transformed lives, while contributing to bigger shifts in society – redefining meaningful work, regenerating the natural world, and enabling people to impact global issues, locally.

To turn the vision into a reality, however, eight big shifts are needed – including building a collective sense of purpose. The report suggests a series of priority actions for a range of actors in the system – from community businesses and infrastructure organisations, to government and citizens.

Read the report

Over the course of our inquiry into the future of community business we worked with Power to Change, Goldsmith’s University, Steve Wyler, Cooperatives UK, Locality, the Plunkett Foundation and Social Enterprise UK. As part of the work of the inquiry, a thorough literature review relating to community business was undertaken – looking at its history and its possible future. This paper shares the findings of the review

Literature review