The Bristol Pound

This sort of thing can really help local economies become more independent and therefore help our ideals. The industries we oppose rely heavily on the profits of big business and a great vacuum of taxes going towards central governments. The Bristol pound is an alternative currency to pound sterling and is designed to help support local businesses.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Richard Ⓥ Molyneux on April 27, 2012 at 6:22pm

Great to see that Bristol is following in the footsteps of Totnes (2007), Lewes (2008), Stroud (2009) and Brixton (2009).

I see the design competition deadline was March 14th, with the winners chosen on the 15th, and the currency is due to appear in May, so good luck! (Any sight of the winning designs yet Herb? Are you following their Tweets?)

Sadly, I don't know how successful these schemes really are, especially with the shift towards a cashless society (though I note that the £B can be used on mobiles and online). To quote a Totnes local -

"Local currencies are a bit of a drag. I live in Totnes and the much-feted Totnes pound has more or less disappeared - shopkeepers aren't that keen on it and nor is the public. We use the local shops because they're good, not because we're tied into a currency. It just seems ridiculously parochial to start inventing our own - and in the end a waste of effort - and money."

Permalink Reply by Richard Ⓥ Molyneux on April 27, 2012 at 6:50pm

An alternative to producing a true local currency is the Local Exchange Trading System (LETS), my local scheme uses a currency called Dorks(!), as it originated in the nearby market town of Dorking. Here's an article on it.

Permalink Reply by Havenheed Outpost on May 1, 2012 at 3:20am

Thanks for the information Richard. The good news is that the Bristol Pound has some high profile local supporters. One is George Ferguson CBE who is heavily involved in local businesses including running Bristol Beer Factory and Bristol Ferry Company. He will also be running for the position of Bristol Mayor if Bristol votes yes in a referendum for whether it wants a directly elected mayor or not. I think a directly elected mayor would be a good thing as it would make Bristol more individual which would help improve the chances of the Bristol Pound especially if the mayor supports it of course. His wikipedia article is worth reading.

I think he initially made his name as an architect. Here he is giving some thoughts on urban aesthetics: