Matthew Brown has been a UK Labour Councillor in Preston since 2002 and Council Leader since 2018. He is one of the driving forces behind the ‘Preston Model’ of Community Wealth Building and has been making headlines at a national level for some time for his transformative approach to local economic development. Partnership working with other local anchor institutions is central to Matthew’s vision for community wealth building.
The range of initiatives championed by Matthew Brown in Preston since 2013 are practical and transformative alternatives to austerity and disinvestment. Together they are retaining and developing local wealth, strengthening local communities, and extending economic democracy.
Additionally, Matthew is a Senior Fellow The Democracy Collaborative (TDC) promoting Community Wealth Building in the UK and beyond. A growing number of areas are adopting these transformative local economic approaches which include progressive procurement, cooperative ownership, municipal enterprise, fairer labour markets and socially productive uses of land and assets.