Ministerial Engagement on Community Wealth Building

In March 2025, Minister Gordon Lyons (Department for Communities), Minister John O'Dowd (Department for Finance), and Department for the Economy NI Permanent Secretary Ian Snowden met with Development Trusts NI and representatives from the Larne and North West Community Wealth Building Partnerships and Dr Andrew Grounds from Queen’s Communities and Place (QCAP). This ministerial engagement provided an opportunity for ministers to learn directly about two innovative Community Wealth Building initiatives taking place across Northern Ireland and for the partnerships to make a case for additional support.

 

Regional Balance Unit Showcase Event

In a separate but related event, QCAP (Queen's Communities and Place) participated in the Regional Balance Unit's Showcase Event hosted by the Department for Economy alongside these same community wealth building partnerships. The showcase brought together representatives and officials from multiple government departments, including Economy, Communities, Finance, and Justice, to explore the practical implementation of Community Wealth Building principles and learn more about the work completed to date. The showcase featured presentations from Charlie Fisher, Andrew Grounds, Brian O'Neill, David Hunter, and Ken Nelson, with support from Siubhán Nic Amhlaoibh (Macauley) and Owen Byrne. These presentations generated valuable insights and discussions about how Community Wealth Building can be effectively implemented across different Northern Ireland contexts.

QCAP's Research Support for Place-Based Partnerships

QCAP along with DTNI has played a supporting role in advancing both the Larne and North West partnerships by providing specialised research expertise and data analytics tailored to each community's unique area-based context. This collaborative approach has enabled the partnerships to develop evidence-based strategies that address local economic needs while curating action plans that support the development of impactful community-wealth building projects in the short, medium and long term.

From Advisory Panel to Practical Implementation

This work represents a significant extension of QCAP's contributions to the Ministerial Advisory Panel on Community Wealth Building. By moving beyond policy recommendations to supporting practical, on-the-ground implementation, The Larne and North West partnerships serve as demonstrable examples of Community Wealth Building in action—providing real-world models that can be adapted throughout Northern Ireland. These partnerships show how community-led economic development has the potential to realise tangible local benefits when supported by research expertise and government engagement.

As Northern Ireland continues to explore more inclusive economic approaches, these place-based partnerships demonstrate the potential impact of collaboration between academic researchers, community organisations, and government departments in creating more resilient local economies. They can also support regional balance and support the delivery of several emerging local economic partnerships across Northern Ireland.

Special thanks to Catriona McAllister and Keith Brown for orchestrating these important cross-sector conversations that are advancing shared prosperity across Northern Ireland.