Leader of Preston City Council, Councillor Matthew Brown, has co-authored a book on the inside story of The Preston Model.

The book, by Councillor Brown and writer and historian Rhian E. Jones, is titled Paint Your Town Red.

Covering Preston City Council’s efforts to generate and democratise wealth at a local level through Community Wealth-Building, the book explains how other cities and towns can do the same.

A spokesperson for publisher Repeater said: “Beyond Preston, Community Wealth-Building is a significant and growing movement around the world, aimed at transferring economic, social and political power back to local communities.

“Exploring how a variety of communities around the world are applying similar principles to take back control, Paint Your Town Red gives a blueprint for the wholesale transformation of society.”

Councillor Brown, who was elected to additionally serve on Lancashire County Council at last week’s local elections, is also a Senior Fellow for the Democracy Collaborative, tasked with promoting Community Wealth-Building across the UK and abroad. 

Aditya Chakrabortty from The Guardian said about the book: “Of all the political experiments tried in the UK over the past decade of painful austerity and polarisation, the city of Preston ranks easily among the most daring and intriguing. This is an honest story of how it began, and the lessons it can teach the rest of us.” 

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Will you be reading Paint Your Town Red? Let us know in the comments.