North Ayrshire welcomes South Korean delegation

North Ayrshire Council welcomed guests from South Korea to exchange ideas on how to best ensure local communities feel the benefits of Community Wealth Building (CWB).

The South Korean visitors are in Scotland to find out more about how CWB is being delivered here and to share their experiences.

North Ayrshire Council has been at the forefront of Community Wealth Building in Scotland since 2020, trying to ensure the local economy and communities benefit from its economic levers.

One of the key strands of the approach is to keep money local and for the council and other ‘anchor’ organisations – including NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Ayrshire College and wider partners – to support more local business to bid for public sector contracts.

The Council’s Business Support and Development Team works closely with suppliers and the Corporate Procurement Unit to identify and support local suppliers to maximise their success in winning contracts.

The South Korean delegation was welcomed to Cunninghame House in Irvine by Councillor Gurney and Chief Executive Craig Hatton as well as Council officials.

The visitors included representatives from The Hope Institute in South Korea, a non-governmental organisation which has been working closely with local Councils to support local economic innovation, creation of local jobs and to prevent gradual decline of economic activities and depopulation.