A Community Land Trust is a corporate body which:

1) is established for the express purpose of furthering the social, economic and environmental interests of a local community by acquiring and managing land and other assets in order -

•to provide benefit to the local community

•to ensure that the assets are not sold or developed except in a manner which the trust's members think benefits the local community

2) is established under arrangements which are expressly designed to ensure that:

•any profits from its activities will be used to benefit the local community (otherwise than by being paid directly to members)

•individuals who live or work in the specified area have the opportunity to become members of the trust (whether or not others can also become members)

•the members of a trust control it

 

 

A Community Benefit Society (CBS) is a type of legal organisation that’s registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It is a not-for-profit business model which makes it very attractive to funders who offer grants and set aside land and assets for not-for-profit bodies. Membership of a CBS is organised on the principle of one-member, one-vote, so it’s a great structure where there’s a fundamental equality between members which needs to be baked into the business. That’s a big reason why it’s so popular for community ownership of local assets which have meaning and importance for the whole community, such as pubs, shops, football clubs, leisure facilities and so on