Solutions

Create affordable workspaces

Affordable workspaces are essential to the survival of independent businesses.

The East End Trades Guild Affordable Workspace Manifesto was developed through a democratic process led by its members, and with assistance from the New Economics Foundation. While written for London, where dramatic rent rises are squeezing out independent businesses, many of the measure are relevant to other cities struggling to maintain the diversity of their economic ecosystems.

They include:

A working rent for small businesses
We need a flexible formula of rental affordability for small and micro businesses.

Small business community land trust 
A small business-led community land trust can provide genuinely affordable workspaces for small and micro businesses in perpetuity. CLTs are a viable long-­term solution to the workspace crisis.

Landlords’ register
Create access to comparable rental evidence to support small businesses in keeping rents reasonable, and enable stronger more accountable relationships with commercial landlords.

Tags Better work, more leisure

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Key documents

Policy in practice

Projects that demonstrate the benefits or may be helped by polices like this.

  • Sovereign Harbour
    Threatened by corporate developers, a fishing community took control of their harbour.
  • Kitty’s Launderette
    Not-for-profit launderette offers a cheap place to wash and dry clothes and a warm, welcoming space for the community.
  • East End Trades Guild
    Alliance of 300 small businesses and independent traders takes on landlords and big business.
  • B4RN: Broadband for the Rural North
    Not-for-profit community benefit society provides one of the world's fastest broadband services.
  • Preston Community Wealth Building
    Preston, recently named the UK's "most improved city", has pioneered more democratic ways to build local wealth.
  • Isle of Ulva
    Community campaigners buy their island.
  • North West Mutual
    Community bank will help local businesses and individuals neglected by mainstream banks.
  • Portpatrick Harbour
    Community shares helped a struggling village revive its harbour.
  • Marine Dream Hub
    Coastal hub brings together marginalised communities to make the most of their marine environment and boost their local economy.
  • The Annexe
    Hartlepool has one of the UK's highest unemployment rates, but new approaches aim to buoy local wealth.