Civil Society Covenant: Cambridge City Council
Building shared goals and alignment with the Community Wealth Building strategy.
Cambridge City Council has had an anti-poverty strategy since 2014 designed to tackle poverty and inequality. Over the past ten years the council’s approach has evolved. The council recognised that to truly tackle the long-term deep rooted causes of poverty, they needed to implement a shared approach that combines “council leadership and collaborative working with local communities and a range of local partners and key stakeholders to maximise our collective impact”. This resulted in the development of a Community Wealth Building (CWB) strategy, adopted in 2024.
CWB approach
The CWB approach aims to tackle the causes of poverty by working holistically across sectors towards a shared vision and goal with all stakeholders; through combining the assets, statutory responsibilities and convening role of the council with the services, approaches and relationships that the community, voluntary, business, and public sectors are able to deliver. Key themes underline the Council’s CWB approach, including:
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ensuring that a joint, holistic approach to tackle poverty is always at the centre of future programme and projects; working across organisations and sectors in order to create solutions
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how the council can explore opportunities to use its leadership and assets to generate wealth back into the community, including social value from contracts and better use of council buildings and land
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working with the local private sector to support a sustainable and inclusive local economy
Shaping Abbey project
The new principles of the CWB strategy are exemplified by the Shaping Abbey project. Shaping Abbey brings together local residents, civil society and private sector partners, alongside council and UK Government backed investment of £100 million to redevelop parts of Abbey Ward in the northeast of Cambridge. Here, residents and community groups have been integral to shaping the future of Abbey Ward, and have been involved in Shaping Abbey conversations, where community voices have been central to the area’s development. A related Focus on Abbey programme, provides funding for locally focused community projects.
Outcomes
Through their Community Wealth Building strategy, Cambridge City Council developed a new partnership approach with local civil society organisations, and wider local stakeholders, based on a shared vision to tackle poverty across the city.