What are Community Benefits?

Community benefits are the method commercial suppliers to the public sector can offer additional value to the local area. Traditional examples of employability benefits include using a local supply chain committed to: school engagement, work placements and apprenticeships for local young people, recruiting or training those currently unemployed or with barriers to work.

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Community benefits can also include providing social value to communities and causes. For example:

  • company volunteering with good causes
  • improving community spaces
  • donating to a local charity
  • gifting or sponsoring items for local recreational groups or sports teams.
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What are the benefits to my organisation?

As well as supporting your community, offering community benefits can:

  • Make your staff proud to work for you
  • Give clients a good perception of your organisation
  • Feature on the ESESCommunities website and social media
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Community Benefits Portal

Our Community Benefits Portal portal links good causes and community groups with businesses in Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and the Scottish Borders.

The service is free! Charities and communities can request help and businesses can make offers of support.

The service is open to all businesses across the region. Support is available to help deliver benefits and good deeds that make a positive impact on the community. The Edinburgh & South East Scotland City Region Deal provide funding for the portal.

To find out more, email the ESES team or register on the portal and we will contact you.

Visit ESEScommunities portal

Community Wealth Building

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Community Wealth Building is a community-focused way to promote working together for local economic development from the ground up.

Supporting a fairer society and giving a platform to local people to shape their community. Redirecting wealth into the local economy helps communities prosper and realise self-supported, positive change.

Community Wealth Building is an important part of the ESES Communities team strategy.

Our interactive toolkit explains the five pillars of Community Wealth Building. It shows the benefit to businesses and organisations within the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal Area.  To find out more, email the ESES team

The five key principles of community wealth building:

  • Progressive procurement. Developing local supply chains of businesses that support local employment and keep wealth local.
  • Fair employment and just labour markets. Using anchor institutions to improve the prospects of local people.
  • Shared ownership of the local economy. Supporting and growing business models that generate more for the local economy.
  • Socially just use of land and property. Developing the function and ownership of local assets held by anchor organisations. So local communities enjoy financial and social gains.
  • Making financial power work for local places. Increasing regional flows of investment by harnessing and recirculating wealth.

Watch our films showing the experiences of organisations putting Community Wealth Building in place

Connect with ESES Communities