Matthew Brown

Mr Brown is the leader of Preston City Council. He has been widely credited as the driving force behind the ‘Preston Model’, an economic strategy at city and county levels. It presents a comprehensive interlinked approach to community wealth building as a practical and transformative alternative to austerity and disinvestment.

He also works as senior fellow for the promotion of community wealth building in the UK with The Democracy Collaborative. He recently co-wrote “Paint Your Town Red”.

The conference is organised by Eydent – the alliance of Ayrshire housing associations. The theme is landlord or homemaker? – housing after the pandemic.

Taking a community wealth building approach, it will ask how community and tenant focused organisations can extend further their services and maximise their local economic impact.

Sessions include community benefits in procurement, tenant engagement and sustainment, energy efficiency as well as new ways of working and communicating.