Local authorities have seen their budgets cut dramatically over the last decade, and this constrains their ability to support local people and businesses. Nevertheless, innovative approaches such as the Preston model (which Herefordshire Council is already in the process of implementing) can improve results even in the face of cuts. Tony is Executive Director of Southwest Mutual – the most advanced of the UK’s community banking projects – and is also expert on several other areas of innovative finance which Herefordshire may wish to explore. This session will give you an overview of each of these areas and an opportunity to discuss with Tony the possibilities of using innovative finance to help drive Herefordshire’s economy.