Skip to content
Home » What We Do » Local pension funds
Case Study and Guide

Local pension funds

Case Study
|

Local authority pension funds held £275bn in assets across England and Wales in 2018 and make substantial investments across the UK. Community wealth building seeks to channel this wealth to local communities while still delivering a steady financial return for portfolio holders.

It is important to consider not just the geography of where the investments are going, but the nature of the business invested in. Channelling investment to the more socially generative side of the economy has multiplier effects upon social, economic and environmental value.

Case study – Lancashire County Pension Fund

­As part of the Preston and Lancashire City Deal, Lancashire County Pension Fund will invest in local schemes on a commercial basis, concentrating more future investment into the Preston and Lancashire area. The fund has already invested in student flats, and hotel and office space in Preston.

Using the local pension funds to support local investment priorities, Preston City Council has already taken steps to ensure that its large public pension investments are utilised for social good, using this money to fund housing development in the city centre.

Directing pension funds to local investment priorities can bring transformative capital to locally rooted enterprises.

Next

Related case studies

Salford City Council and Dérive

|
Community wealth building
|
England
|

What is Dérive? Founded in 2017, Dérive is Salford City Council’s wholly owned housing company, created to accelerate the delivery of genuinely affordable, well‑designed and low‑carbon homes. Its subsidiary Dérive RP achieved Registered Provider status in 2023, unlocking access to Homes England funding. Community wealth building in practice Municipal ownership: Dérive keeps control of land, tenure and affordability within the city, ensuring long‑term community benefit. Local financial power: RP status enables grant funding for social rent, while mixed‑tenure schemes help cross‑subsidise deeper affordability. Progressive procurement: Delivery partners such as Seddon…

Community Wealth Building in Fife

|
Procurement
|

Context Fife is Scotland’s third largest local authority area by population. It has a resident population of just under 367,000, over a third of whom live in the three principal settlements, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes. Money administered to SMEs by local councils during and after the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in an increased awareness of the capacity local SMEs might have to diversify their activities. In Fife Council economic development officers are engaging with local SMEs to make them aware of their goods and services pipeline, with a view to more…

Greater Manchester Community Wealth Hub

|
Social economy
|

Context Employee-owned businesses, co-operatives, social enterprises and community ownership models enable the wealth generated in places to be more equitably shared by the workers and communities who create it.   The sector currently faces a challenge of fragmented and inaccessible support that can confuse and deter potential business leaders.   The Greater Manchester Independent Inequalities Commission recommended the creation of a community wealth hub to support and grow co-operatives, mutuals, social and community enterprises in the region.  Supporting the inclusive economy Working with Co-operatives UK, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority has established Our Business. This…

Stay in Touch

    Join thousands of policy thinkers, makers and influencers receiving CLES updates

    Talk to us

    Want to make your local economy fairer and stronger? Talk to us – we’re here to help you make change happen.

    For press enquiries please reach out to us on rosielockwood@cles.org.uk, or by calling 07802 453340

    Contact us
    CLES
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.