Explore

How we begin

1. Clarify roles: CIC, co‑op, commons

CIC (People In Commons‑type body)

Acts as an asset‑locked “commons custodian” for land, buildings, vehicles, and other infrastructure; can also host a CLT function.

Holds contracts with funders and public bodies, and runs membership/subscription schemes that pool income to support members’ core needs (housing, utilities, food, transport).

Co‑op (Future Folk Sussex‑type, fully mutual)

Is where members exercise day‑to‑day economic and political power: deciding priorities, approving budgets, and mandating how pooled funds and assets are used.

Holds tenancies, service contracts, and trading activity for members (e.g. rent payment, food buying groups, shared transport, childcare).

Commons “layer”

CIC (or a linked CLT/BenCom) holds freehold or long leases with an asset lock, ensuring property remains in community stewardship and cannot be privatised.

The co‑op and residents/users have formal governance rights over those assets via membership in a Commoners’ or Residents’ Association embedded into the CIC or CLT structure.

2. Restructuring ownership step by step

Step 1: Create or amend CIC/CLT constitution

Use a CIC limited by guarantee or CLT or SDLT exempt Charity model rules with a statutory asset lock, and objects that explicitly include acquiring, holding and stewarding assets for community benefit.

Build in that land and buildings are held “in trust” for present and future community members, and can only transfer to another asset‑locked, commons‑aligned body.

Step 2: Tie co‑op membership to commons stewardship

Make CIC membership a condition for joining the fully mutual co‑op, so every co‑op member is also a member of the asset‑holding body.

Define bundles of rights clearly: CIC members steward strategy and asset principles; co‑op members control everyday use, service design, and member‑to‑member obligations.

Step 3: Acquire and structure assets

Use grants, community shares, philanthropic loans, and public‑common deals with councils (e.g. via long leases or Public‑Common Partnerships) to bring housing and other assets into the CIC/CLT.

Separate land and buildings where possible: CIC/CLT keeps land; co‑op or residents’ entities lease buildings on long, secure terms, anchoring affordability and democratic control.

Step 4: Lock in solidarity uses of surplus

Write into CIC and co‑op rules that surpluses must first secure members’ needs and then fund new commons assets, rather than private distribution.

Establish a transparent “Solidarity Fund” line in the co‑op budget to support members in crisis and seed new member‑led projects (e.g. childcare, accessibility adaptations).

3. Restructuring governance: forums and flows

Governance forums

CIC / Commons Board: mix of elected members, reserved seats for most affected groups, and possibly public or ally representatives; accountable to a members’ assembly, not just itself.

Co‑op Assembly: highest decision‑making body for operations and member rules; uses one‑member‑one‑vote (or sociocratic circles) to decide services, mutual obligations, and budgets.

Commoners / Residents’ Council: joint forum mandated in both CIC and co‑op rules that has veto or consent powers over big asset decisions (disposals, major refurbishments, rent policy).

Decision‑making patterns

Use nested, consent‑based structures (e.g. sociocracy) where smaller circles (housing, food, transport, care) can decide within their remit if they do not conflict with agreed aims and principles.

Require “double consent” for major decisions: both the CIC/commoners layer and the co‑op assembly must agree on asset strategy and big financial commitments.

Accountability and anti‑capture

Term limits, recall mechanisms, and conflicts‑of‑interest rules for CIC and co‑op boards, preventing professionalisation that drifts away from members’ interests.

Regular open assemblies, participatory budgeting cycles, and published commons ledgers so members can see where every pound and asset decision goes.

4. Embedding equity, inclusion and care

Hard‑wiring equity

Reserved seats and advisory circles for those most impacted (disabled members, racialised communities, single parents, low‑income households) in both CIC and co‑op governance.

Use an “equity impact test” for all major decisions: who gains, who loses, and what mitigations or redistributions are required.

Care infrastructures

Build support roles (wellbeing steward, access coordinator, conflict mediator) into organisational charts and budgets, not as volunteer afterthoughts.

Introduce solidarity‑based mutual obligations: members commit to certain practices (e.g. supporting others’ access needs, attending key assemblies, participating in rotations) as part of membership.

5. A practical implementation sequence for your model

Phase 1: Design and documents

Draft aligned governing documents: CIC articles, co‑op rules, membership agreement, and a Commons Charter that sets values, rights and decision paths.

Co‑design these with a founding group of members and allies (e.g. local CLT, co‑op dev body, council officers) to ensure viability and legitimacy.

Phase 2: Founding cohort and pilots

Recruit a small initial cohort (e.g. 10–20 members) who become joint CIC and co‑op members and run a 12‑month pilot where subscriptions flow through the CIC and the co‑op manages rent, bills and key services.

Use sociocratic circles or working groups to test governance patterns (housing circle, care circle, finance circle), with clear feedback loops into the main assembly.

Phase 3: Asset and partnership building

Start with master‑tenant or head‑lease arrangements, then move towards acquiring or co‑acquiring assets via CLT/CIC as capital and relationships grow.

Explore Public‑Common Partnership deals with the local authority for specific buildings or land (e.g. former public buildings, underused car parks, community hubs).

Phase 4: Federation and replication

Once the first site is stable, create a federation protocol: how other neighbourhood groups or buildings can adopt the same CIC/co‑op/commons pattern while keeping autonomous assemblies.

Share legal templates, policies and digital tools openly so other places can fork and adapt the model, building a wider solidarity‑commons ecosystem.

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