Beyond the Bill: What Happens Next for Community Wealth Building?

Scotland’s new legislation is passed - now comes delivery and the transformation ahead.

The Community Wealth Building Bill has passed the Scottish Parliament.

But legislation is only the starting point.

What does it actually mean for local economic development, councils, anchor institutions, communities, activists and partners across Scotland? What changes - and what continues - from the work already happening on the ground?

Join the Economic Development Association Scotland for a practical and interactive discussion exploring the move from policy to implementation.

You’ll hear directly from the Scottish Government on what comes next – statutory guidance, expectations and timelines - and from sector expert and Chair of EDAS Neil McInroy on what organisations and us all should now be preparing for.

This session is designed as a conversation, not a broadcast. We’ll ask participants to share views on capacity, partnerships and priorities, helping shape guidance and future town-hall style sessions later in the year.

If you’re thinking: “The Bill has passed… so what now?” — this event is for you.

You’ll leave with:

• A plain-English overview of the Bill and what it requires
• What local authorities and partners should start planning for
• Who needs to be involved in Community Wealth Building guidance and the action plans
• Insight into resources, challenges and opportunities
• A chance to influence future CWB support and engagement

Who should attend

• Local authority economic development & regeneration officers
• Anchor institutions & public sector partners
• Third sector & social enterprise leaders
• Regional economic partnerships and national agencies and representative bodies
• Anyone delivering or affected by local economic development in Scotland
• Town and place stakeholders such as Business Improvement Districts, town partnerships.

Agenda

2:00 Welcome, Neil McInroy, Chair, EDAS

2:10 The Bill in Plain English. What Happens Now?

Stephen White, Head of Community Wealth Building Unit, Scottish Government

2:40 Response: Implications for Delivery | Discussion and Polling

Topics:

• What changes vs what continues
• Relationship to LED strategies
• Who must be central to action plans
• What needs to pivot organisationally
• Capacity & resource realities
• Lessons from how the Bill evolved

3:30 Open Question Time

3:45 Feedback & Next Steps

3:55 Closing

Privacy

To support networking and help you get the most out of our event, we will provide those coming with a list of the names and organisational affiliation of those attending.

Furthermore, we typically take photographs of proceedings in order to highlight or showcase EDAS’s activities.

Please let us know if you do not wish to provide consent for the use of your personal data in this way. To see how we use and take care of your information, please see our privacy notice.