The Brixton Pound is a community currency launched in 2009 in Brixton, London to support local businesses and increase trade. It is backed 1:1 by the British pound and exists as both paper currency and an electronic currency. Lambeth Council is working with the Brixton Pound to test if using the community currency can incentivize greater resident involvement in co-designing and delivering council services. The currency aims to accelerate local trade, keep more money in the local economy, boost local pride, and encourage community improvement.

1. Lambeth and the Brixton Pound
Community Currencies in Action

2. Description of the Currency
Demonstration
• The Brixton Pound is a sterling-backed currency matched 1:1
with GBP
• It was started in 2009 by a group of volunteers who were part
of Transition Town Brixton, and who wanted to support trade
with local businesses. In 2011 the Brixton Pound launched an
e-currency, the first of its kind in the UK.
• Lambeth Council is working with the Brixton Pound to test the
use of community currency as an incentive to increase
resident involvement in co-op council service design and
delivery.

3. Needs addressed by the Currency, why
the model used was chosen?
• Increased trade at local shops
• Increased feeling of connection to local area and
local pride
• Increased motivation to improve local area
Model chosen to accelerate local trade and keep more
money in the local economy.

4. How the currency works
• Usually, residents exchange GBP for Brixton £ that they
can then spend at local shops
• Businesses use B£ to buy goods/services from each
other, pay for some Council services, or exchange back
to sterling.
• Currency is electronic and paper; e-currency most
popular
• In our incentives trial, we rewarded some people
participating in Good Gym’s coach running program with
Brixton £s to see if they would be more motivated to
increase their involvement

5. Shared learning from Partners of the
CCIA Project
• We have worked with nef to learn about the legal
status of community currencies in the UK
• We have all learned about the relationships our
currencies have with local authorities and how this
might inform our work – for example, we learned
that changes in political position on a project are
not uncommon