Development Trusts Association

Development Trusts Association
Name	Development Trusts Association
Type	Non-profit membership body
Founded	1990s
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom and international partners
Focus	Community-led regeneration, social enterprise, asset-based development

Development Trusts Association

The Development Trusts Association is a UK-based membership body that supported community-led regeneration, social enterprise development, and asset-based community development across the United Kingdom. It worked with local organisations, councils and national agencies to promote community ownership of land, buildings and services, while engaging with networks such as Social Enterprise UK, Big Society Capital, National Council for Voluntary Organisations, and funders including Big Lottery Fund and Heritage Lottery Fund. The association influenced policy debates involving the Department for Communities and Local Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government, and regional development agencies.

History

The association emerged in the 1990s amid debates following the collapse of heavy industry in places like South Wales, Tyne and Wear, Merseyside, and Greater Manchester, drawing on precedents set by organisations such as Co-operative Group, The Prince's Trust, Shelter (charity), and the Rural Community Council movement. Early convenings included leaders from New Economics Foundation, Locality precursor groups, and advisers linked to the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and Tudor Trust. Its formative phase intersected with major events including the launch of the Urban Regeneration Companies model, debates over the Community Land Trust model, and UK-wide responses to structural change highlighted by reports from Audit Commission and the Urban Task Force. Over time the association entered partnerships with initiatives such as Leader (EU programme), connections to European Regional Development Fund projects, and collaborations with academic centres at University of Glasgow, University of Manchester, and London School of Economics.

Mission and Objectives

The association’s mission emphasized enabling local communities to own and manage assets, foster social enterprise creation, and influence policy frameworks at bodies like the National Audit Office and House of Commons committees. Objectives included capacity building linked to Skills for Justice-style training, promoting models like community benefit societies, supporting transitions similar to examples from Birmingham City Council regeneration areas, and advocating for financial instruments used by organisations such as Triodos Bank and Co-operative Bank. Its advocacy engaged with legislation and policy instruments such as the Localism Act 2011, debates in the Scottish Parliament, and campaigns parallel to Right to Buy reforms and asset transfer pilots in Cornwall and Cumbria.

Structure and Governance

The association operated as a membership organisation with a governance model featuring an elected board drawn from practitioners across regions including London Borough of Hackney, Bristol City Council areas, Newcastle upon Tyne, and rural hubs in Pembrokeshire and Highland (council area). It established regional networks akin to structures used by Community Foundation Network and coordinated with umbrella bodies like Co-operatives UK and Association of Charitable Foundations. Staffing included community development advisers, policy officers, and finance specialists who liaised with entities such as Big Society Network, Local Government Association, and academic partners at University of Glasgow and University of Liverpool.

Programs and Activities

Programs covered capacity building, asset transfer support, social enterprise incubation, and community ownership pilots comparable to projects run by CLES and Involve (UK). Activities included workshops on governance inspired by Charity Commission guidance, toolkits for business planning reflecting practices from Federation of Small Businesses, and peer-learning exchange visits similar to those organised by Clore Social Leadership Programme. The association ran demonstration projects in former industrial sites near Sheffield, community renewal schemes in Belfast post-conflict contexts, and heritage-led regeneration aligned with priorities of the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage. It also contributed to research with institutes such as Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Communities and Local Government Research units, and partnered with international networks like C40 Cities and ICLEI for place-based knowledge exchange.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding streams combined membership fees, grants from bodies including Big Lottery Fund, project contracts with regional development agencies such as Homes England predecessors, and philanthropic support from trusts like Barrow Cadbury Trust and Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Strategic partners included Locality (charity), Co-operatives UK, Social Enterprise UK, National Federation of Enterprise Agencies, and local stakeholders such as housing associations including Clarion Housing Group and Peabody Trust. The association engaged with impact investors like Big Society Capital and ethical lenders such as Triodos Bank to pilot blended finance mechanisms and worked with academic funders from the Economic and Social Research Council.

Impact and Evaluation

Evaluation employed mixed methods drawing on case studies from places like Grimsby, Port Talbot, and Rhondda Cynon Taf and utilised metrics comparable to those from Office for National Statistics community indicators and National Audit Office programme evaluations. Outcomes reported included increased community asset transfers, growth in social enterprise turnover, employment creation in former industrial areas, and preservation of heritage sites linked to Historic England priorities. Independent research by bodies such as Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Institute for Public Policy Research assessed long-term effects on local resilience, while policy uptake influenced legislative debates in the House of Lords and practice among networks like Locality (charity) and Co-operatives UK.

Category:Non-profit organisations based in the United Kingdom