Brighton & Hove Digital Development Trust

A Discussion Paper by David Greenop GREENOPD@oldpaul.agw.bt.co.uk

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This short paper presents some of the arguments to support a Brighton & Hove Digital Development Trust. The idea of a such a trust is both visionary and radical. It is based upon a set of social, political and economic trends which are perceived to be occurring today. At the heart of the proposal is the proposition that the responsibility for the deployment of new technology within society cannot be left to national or global organisations, whether governmental or commercial.

There is a need for far greater consultation and initiatives at the local level, with both businesses and the ordinary citizen.

The focal idea of the Trust is to engender a new type of partnership between all stakeholders in the local community. Society is moving towards becoming one based upon the use and generation of information and knowledge in its many diverse forms. Within this information based society there is likely to be a large gap between those who will benefit and those who will be left outside, the 'haves and have nots'.

The trust would enable the many different sectors of the local community, commercial, voluntary and residential, to come together in a new partnership for deciding what this technology should offer them, how it should be employed, how much it should cost and how each can use it to benefit their commercial activities and improve their lifestyles.

The new information technologies can be viewed as opening the gateway to a new type of space, commonly called cyber or virtual space. By people having a greater say in the development of this space the worst excesses of commercial exploitation could be avoided and the space used to benefit all. Within Brighton & Hove the Trust would be responsible for this space in the same way the local council is responsible for physical space. It would be the intention of the Trust to develop this space so it can be used to preserve, protect and further the interests of the people of Brighton & Hove.

The partnership provides a holistic approach to the whole communication and information technology area by bringing together the retail and management of all the components which are currently separately owned and marketed. There is a need for Brighton and Hove to have world standard communication facilities, which in the future will be as important to the community as adequate roads, pavements and drainage. It requires that people should be educated to creatively use the technology, both at schools and in the community, so they all become fully literate in its use and possibilities.

There are many reasons why Brighton & Hove presents a unique opportunity to explore a different approach to regenerating its local prosperity through accelerating the use of new information technology. Brighton and Hove will become one local authority in April 1997. It has two universities, a thriving multimedia industry, important local employers such as American Express and is committed to the exploitation of the digital revolution for the benefit of its people and industry. It has a history of attracting creative people from both the arts and sciences, it has a renowned International Conference Centre as well as an annual arts festival. But like many UK towns its basic infrastructure is deteriorating, it suffers from the adverse impact of the motor vehicle and it has high unemployment and social problems.

Vision

At the beginning of the next millennium, the people of Brighton & Hove and the activities in which they are engaged will be recognised globally for having regenerated their community as a whole, creating new wealth opportunities by providing a range of products & services based upon the creative use of information technologies.

Mission

To promote and encourage the provision of world-leading information technologies within Brighton & Hove that enables the generation of well-being and prosperity for all sections of the Community.

Possible Objectives of Trust

By the millennium fifty percent of homes and businesses in Brighton & Hove will have access to the Internet or its successor.
Secure the appropriate licences to provide information infrastructure and services to Brighton & Hove
Within 5 years business and residential properties of Brighton & Hove will have the opportunity to access an interactive broadband network, and within 10 years all properties will have this as standard.
Within 5 years Brighton & Hove will have free local communications and access to the cheapest long distance and international networks.
Within 5 years the residents of Brighton & Hove will have access to facilities that encourage local participation in democratic processes, including home based local referendums and local elections.
Over the next 10 years there will be an annual ten percent increase in the number of companies and individuals involved in commercial activities associated the new information industries.
To have provided within 5 years, in co-operation with local and national retailers, a virtual shopping space which is linked to environmentally sound home or neighbourhood delivery.
Within 5 years to have a public information space, detailing all useful civic and commercial information.
Within 10 years Brighton & Hove will be one of the areas leading the implementation of new tele-services such as home based tele-medical care, home based tele-education etc.
Brighton & Hove will offer one of the first facilities for running large global virtual conferences.
To use technology to reduce traffic pollution and encourage use of alternative transport, and meet the requirements of Agenda 21.
Brighton & Hove will demonstrate through public surveys that the quality of life and prosperity of the town has increased through investment in new technology.

Trends

National & global corporations, and increasingly governments, perceive the citizen as simply a consumer of their products and services. This is very much a one-sided relationship, where the citizen's choice is limited to what the organisations consider are highly profitable rather than what the citizen needs.
Information technology, whether content generation, software, processing platforms or telecommunications are becoming dominated by few global businesses who will decide how such technology will be used. The ordinary person is becoming divorced from the opportunities this technology could offer them.
The break-up of the welfare state, the encroachment of global capitalism puts new responsibilities upon:

individuals to create their own prosperity
families and communities to look after the sick, unemployed and elderly
civic authorities to manage and re-generate the local economy

The likelihood that the power and influence of national governments will decrease in favour of regional governments and a European-centred government.

Organisation of the Trust

This section contributed by David Wilcox dwilcox@pavilion.co.uk

Development Trusts are now well-recognised mechanisms for the social, economic and physical regeneration of communities, and the UK Development Trusts Association has more than 100 members. They are one of the main mechanisms for public, private and community partnerships to create a legal entity.

Legally, Developments Trusts are usually created as non-profit distributing companies. They have members rather than shareholders, and these members support the Trust but do not take any profits. Any surpluses are reinvested in the organisation.

The Trust may seek charitable status in order to benefit from tax relief, and attract charitable donations. Since Trusts frequently engage in trading operations in order to generate operating revenue, they often form non-charitable trading subsidiaries.

Trusts usually have a three-tier structure:

Members, who often have rights to appoint the government body.
The Board of directors who form the governing body, and who are usually unpaid. If the Trust is a charity, the Board are also Trustees and cannot take any personal benefit.
The paid staff who carry out the day to day work of the Trust

It may take up to a year to set up a Trust because of the need to involve community interests, develop a business plan, carry out legal formalities, recruit staff and raise funds.

During the start up process a steering groups of partners will usually act as a 'shadow Board', assisted by a development team.

Further details of Development Trusts and the start up process are available at Communities Online Forum at http://www.btwebworld.com/communities/newsite/AZP/sheets.html

While there are no Digital Development Trusts among the membership of the DTA, the principles of forming partnerships are the same whatever the activities. Many community networks in North America have legal structures which are the equivalent of Development Trusts. See the Community Networking Pages at the University of Michigan for more information.

Prepared by David Wilcox January 6 1997. Communities@pavilion.co.uk