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COVID-19: How community businesses in England struggled to respond to their communities’ needs

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  • Mandy Gardner
  • Don J Webber
  • Glenn Parry
  • Peter Bradley

Abstract

Economic policies tend to downplay social and community considerations in favour of market-led and business-focussed support. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for greater and deeper social cohesion and local social support networks while highlighting that an overreliance on market forces can create social problems at times of need. Community businesses (CBs) are not for profit organisations that provide services and produce goods where the profit (or surplus) is reinvested back into that community. This article explores why CBs in England responded in a variety of ways to the COVID-19 pandemic, assesses what government policy did to help and hinder their place-based operations, and explores the observed socioeconomics of their age-related volunteer staff churn. Some CBs were ravaged by the consequences of the pandemic and associated government policies with many becoming unsustainable, while others evolved and augmented their support for and services to their communities, thereby enhancing their community’s resilience. We highlight how adjustments to government policies could enhance the sustainability of CBs, making them and the communities they serve more resilient.

Suggested Citation

  • Mandy Gardner & Don J Webber & Glenn Parry & Peter Bradley, 2021. "COVID-19: How community businesses in England struggled to respond to their communities’ needs," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 36(6), pages 524-540, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:loceco:v:36:y:2021:i:6:p:524-540
    DOI: 10.1177/02690942211056034
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Alan McNiven & John Harris, 2023. "Community and the voluntary sector in a pandemic: The significant role of a local football club," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 38(4), pages 312-326, June.

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