What's the neighbourhood scheme (U.K based) where you earn credits for doing things for you neighbours?

Question

I remember this in the news a while ago it was run by a co-ordinator and you used your time and skills to help out you earnt credits by doing this i.e walking Mr B's dog earnt you 5 credits a walk and then you spent the credits on getting the neighbours to do things for you i.e Mrs C's a hairdresser and charges 15 credits for a basic cut. I need the name and website address

Answer 1

There are two main schemes.

1. LETS - Local Exchange Trading System

a) It is international, rather than limited to the UK, and originally began in British Columbia, Canada, in 1982.

http://www.lets-linkup.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LETS

b) The UK has around 300 schemes (down from 450 in the mid 1990s).

http://www.letslinkuk.net/

c) Each local scheme devises its "currency" with which it trades - in Milton Keynes they use Concrete Cows, and I think Aylesbury trades in Ducks (lol). Participants negotiate, in advance, the local currency value of the work to be carried out. The above websites have information about how the schemes work.

d) There are many LETS groups in the UK with an internet presence, and the easiest way to find them is through these pages from those websites.

http://www.letslinkuk.net/regions/uk-map...

http://www.lets-linkup.com/411-UnitedKin...

e) However, I remember the Inland Revenue being concerned about its potential use as a way of avoiding declaring income. That may be the reason for the rise of alternative schemes.

2. Time Banking

a) This is also international, and it began in the USA, although the founder devised it while studying at the LSE.

http://www.timebanks.co.uk/The_History_o...

b) The UK has about 200 schemes.

http://timebanking.org/about.html

c) There is more uniformity with time banking. One hour's work, no matter how strenuous or complex, is worth one Time Credit. Time banking is also more about supporting volunteering and providing a social benefit within the community, rather than a bartering system for services that would otherwise be commercially contracted. You can find more information at the above two websites, and the two that follow ....

http://www.timebank.org.uk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Bankin...

3. Other related schemes include:

a) Freecycle

http://uk.freecycle.org/

http://www.freecycle.org/groups/unitedki...

b) Commercial Barter

http://www.barternews.com/visitor.htm

http://www.projects.ex.ac.uk/RDavies/ari...

http://www.capitalbarter1992.co.uk/

c) Community Networks

http://www.communityfoundations.org.uk/

http://www.liverpool-community.org.uk/ho...

http://www.hullcommunitynetwork.org/