Family business Total Metal Recovery has acquired neighbouring firm A-Z Skips by using funds secured through Birmingham-based ART Business Loans and BCRS Business Loans, from Wolverhampton, retaining seven staff and adding a driver position. The owners… Continue reading
Tag: community finance
From mechanic to business owner with a £184k loan
Chris Jones began his career at FRL Auto Services, where he spent 16 years honing his skills before moving on. When he later discovered that the garage’s long-time owner, Ian Gobel, was planning to sell after… Continue reading
From access to opportunity: Lessons from America’s CDFIs for a stronger UK
A transatlantic learning journey Four weeks on from our visit to Washington DC for the Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) Conference, the Responsible Finance team, and the CDFI members who joined us, are buzzing with ideas. With… Continue reading
Is a local finance partnership for you?
A practical toolkit for local finance partnerships 26.10.2017 Partnerships between local finance organisations have many benefits, evidenced by existing collaborations between some responsible finance organisations. The ‘Creating Local Finance Partnerships Toolkit’ was created as a… Continue reading
CIC blog: 2015 Closure of National Westminster Bank in Dulverton
Introduction The following account (under the heading ‘Timeline of the branch closure’) was delivered to the Community Investment Coalition (CIC) by Nick Thwaites, Mayor and Chairman Dulverton Town Council and West Somerset District Councillor. It depicts… Continue reading
My Community
19.06.2015 What would make your community a better place: a vibrant high street, more jobs, improved services, green spaces and a thriving local pub? The government introduced the Community Rights (Localism Act 2011) including neighbourhood planning… Continue reading
Improving the financial health of the nation: ideas for the next Parliament
The United Kingdom leads the world in financial services and yet more than two million adult Britons don’t have a bank account. In the autumn of 2014, the Financial Inclusion Commission came together to find out why, and to put the issue on the political agenda ahead of the General Election. Chris Pond explains what the Commission is calling for from the next government. Continue reading
Just Money – Civil Society Action for Community Finance
David Barclay explains how the Just Money campaign has been working with experts (including the CDFA) to develop a proposal for a Community Finance Foundation, endowed through £200 million of fines on banks and payday lenders over the next parliament. Continue reading
How do we meet the growing need for affordable credit?
13.04.2015 A new discussion paper by the Carnegie UK Trust has set out the need for a range of affordable alternatives to meet the demand for small sum short-term credit – including CDFIs and credit unions.… Continue reading
Financial Inclusion Commission calls for new Minister for Financial Health
New report sets out vision for financially inclusive Britain and recommends measures to promote sustainability of community finance and for banks and other lenders to work more closely with community finance firms Continue reading