Background

An examination of the characteristics of strong and independent communities shows that they possess the ability to unite - and `hold together` - usually around some local organisation which they own. For some reason - in certain areas - the local community sector, the fragmented array of small voluntary groups, invest authority in a local umbrella vehicle to champion their collective interests. There are no examples of sustained community empowerment without some such locally embedded organization, although in some areas this leadership role is achieved by two or more groups acting together. In theory structures like the Scottish `Community Planning Partnerships` could strengthen communities by linking them to decision making - but experience has shown that, without reference to some independent local organisation, community representatives are too isolated to be effective.

Community empowerment policy in England is led jointly by the Office of the Third Sector (The Cabinet Office) and the Dept. of Communities and Local Government (DCLG). They have both endorsed the importance of community led vehicles like development trusts for building strong and independent communities. They have jointly adopted the term `Community Anchor Organisation` (CAO) as a generic category for such vehicles - to give new emphasis to their significance.

LPL has adopted, as one of its key themes in the campaign, the promotion of Community Anchor Organisations. This requires us to be clearer what we mean by the term.