Name: The York Model: Community wealth
Start: 2026-06-12T13:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-06-12T14:30:00+01:00
Location: Saint Saviourgate

Could York and North Yorkshire lead in community wealth building? Join the Mayoral Commission to discuss local economic ownership and power.
About this Event

Speakers: Matthew Brown, Sarah Evans, Martin O'Neill and Sam Leach (chair)

Could York and North Yorkshire become a national beacon for community wealth building, reshaping who owns, controls and benefits from the local economy? What if more of the wealth generated in the region stayed here, building stronger communities, supporting good work and growing shared assets for the future?

Join members of the Mayoral Community Wealth Building Commission to explore a bold vision for a fairer, more resilient economy - one rooted in local ownership, social enterprise and community-led action. Hear how the Commission is laying the foundations for change and what it will take to turn that ambition into reality.

Our speakers include:

Councillor Matthew Brown, Leader of Preston City Council and a Senior Fellow for the Promotion of Community Wealth Building in the UK at The Democracy Collaborative
Sarah Evans, Associate Director at the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES), an expert in social economy development, social value and the development of anchor networks, who is leading a number of projects across York and North Yorkshire
Martin O’Neill, a Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of York and co-author of The Case for Community Wealth Building.

The session is chaired by Sam Leach, Chair of the Mayoral Community Wealth Building Commission and Development Director at Spark York.

This event is part of the Festival Focus series ‘Mapping Wealth, Ownership and Place in York’ presented in partnership with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. You may also be interested in ‘’ taking place on Friday 12 June from 11am to 12.30pm. (hyperlinks to add)

About the Joseph Rowntree Foundation

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) is an independent social change organisation whose mission is to speed up and support the transition to a future free from poverty, in which people and planet can flourish.

Image credit: M Ramírez/Alamy

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