Development trust
Encyclopedia
Development Trusts are organisations which operate in the United Kingdom
that are:
There is no set form of legal structure, and a development trust may be registered as a company limited by guarantee
, a community interest company
or an industrial and provident society
. Many register as charities.
The activities undertaken by development trusts are various and include:
They are informed by a belief that community regeneration which is achieved through community owned enterprise is the way to build strong and sustainable communities.
There are over 500 development trusts throughout the UK, co-ordinated in England by the Development Trusts Association (DTA). The mission of the DTA, which was established in 1993, is “to bring about a successful development trust in every community that wants one”. In January 2011 the DTA announced that they were merging with the British Association of Settlements and Social Action Centres and that a new joint organisation would be called "Locality" and that a new organisation for Northern Ireland had been established, joining the existing sister organisations in Wales and Development Trusts Association Scotland
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that are:
- community based, owned and led
- engaged in the economic, environmental and social regeneration of a defined area or community
- independent but seek to work in partnership with other private, voluntary and public sector organisations
- self-sufficient or aiming for self sufficiency, and not for private profit.
There is no set form of legal structure, and a development trust may be registered as a company limited by guarantee
Company limited by guarantee
In British and Irish company law, a private company limited by guarantee is an alternative type of corporation used primarily for non-profit organisations that require legal personality. A guarantee company does not usually have a share capital or shareholders, but instead has members who act as...
, a community interest company
Community interest company
A community interest company is a new type of company introduced by the United Kingdom government in 2005 under the Companies Act 2004, designed for social enterprises that want to use their profits and assets for the public good...
or an industrial and provident society
Industrial and Provident Society
An industrial and provident society is a legal entity for a trading business or voluntary organisation in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and New Zealand...
. Many register as charities.
The activities undertaken by development trusts are various and include:
- running the local shop and post officePost officeA post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
- developing play park and recreational facilities
- managing a housing development
- developing renewable energyRenewable energyRenewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
projects such as wind farmWind farmA wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
s - setting up training programmes.
They are informed by a belief that community regeneration which is achieved through community owned enterprise is the way to build strong and sustainable communities.
There are over 500 development trusts throughout the UK, co-ordinated in England by the Development Trusts Association (DTA). The mission of the DTA, which was established in 1993, is “to bring about a successful development trust in every community that wants one”. In January 2011 the DTA announced that they were merging with the British Association of Settlements and Social Action Centres and that a new joint organisation would be called "Locality" and that a new organisation for Northern Ireland had been established, joining the existing sister organisations in Wales and Development Trusts Association Scotland
Development Trusts Association Scotland
Development Trusts Association Scotland often referred to as DTAS is a charitable organisation that represents the interests of development trusts. Founded in 2003 and based in Edinburgh, by 2011 the membership was over 170...
.
Development trust examples
- Arts Factory Ltd. Rhondda, Wales
- Coin Street Community Builders London, England
- Goodwin Development Trust, Hull, England
- Manor & Castle Development Trust Sheffield, England
- Moseley Community Development Trust, Birmingham, England
- Mull & Iona Community Trust Argyll, Scotland