Community Interest Company

Has anyone else had dealings with a Community Interest Company? One of my local villages have a community group that cut communal grass around the village, Strim the edges along country walks, and basically keep the village looking nice and neat. However they want to purchase more equipment and the way they intend on doing this is by forming a Community Interest Company, and then offering their services to residents of the village to have their gardens cut at a cost. Luckily my business is primarily contract work at businesses, but I know a couple of local businesses that rely on residential customers, who this CIC would be undercutting. I've tried explaining to them that doing the community and keeping it tidy is fantastic and applauded, but offering services to the public is a step too far, and putting people's livelyhoods at risk. They just laughed and can't see the serious side of it.

Has anyone else seen this happening anywhere else in the UK?

David raises some very good points about PL and tickets .

Here its a community effort which keeps the lanes tidy but thats where it ends several residents who turn out to help tidy up also have their own individual gardeners .

Once a year the farmer will offer to cut the hedges with a flail but its not compulsory to have them cut in this way , many will still ask their gardener to cut their hedges .

I know many have become more community spirited since lockdown which can only be a good thing but not if it means easing out people trying to earn a living forcing them to travel further afield although most gardeners can walk straight into a new job or start to establish a new round instantly .

If those residents choose to sack their gardener for a cheaper service then it demonstrates they are only measuring that gardener by how much He / She charges and not by skill and integrity but on the other hand if they sack their gardener due to pressure from the local committee then it needs investigating by trading standards .

Replies

PRO

Andrew Betteridge June 1, 2021 at 9:52pm

I had a conversation some years ago with a guy who traded under the title of a “woodman”.

He did clearances, felling, planting, sold firewood and charcoal he made, he also made rustic furniture such as seats made out of logs and so on and so forth.

Then he started losing his customers to the probation service who were putting offenders to work in the woods, along with charity groups and volunteers who wanted a day out.

He definitely wasn’t happy about it, they took all the cream and left him with what they didn’t want to do.
PRO

Andrew Betteridge June 1, 2021 at 10:25pm

Four years ago I went to the RAU at Cirencester to do the strimmer operators course, at least half the people on the course had no intention of doing paid work, they were either hobbyists or volunteering.
David Benson June 1, 2021 at 11:01pm

i have no dealings with any cic but they have to be listed with company house as they are not charitys and put accounts in every year also they have to offer primarily social objectives to the area wether doing privert gardens comes under that is another thing,

they might be ok doing the grass balks and small patches of grass that is owned by the parish its a differant ball doing privert gardens they will need PLInsurance training and cetificats if using weedkillers ect plus all the other gubbins that a company needs

plus at the end of the day how satisfide will there clients be with posabley unskilled people doing things in there garden also it will show how loyal they are to there exsisting gardener
- PRO
  
  John F > David Benson June 2, 2021 at 7:26am
  
  David raises some very good points about PL and tickets .
  
  Here its a community effort which keeps the lanes tidy but thats where it ends several residents who turn out to help tidy up also have their own individual gardeners .
  
  Once a year the farmer will offer to cut the hedges with a flail but its not compulsory to have them cut in this way , many will still ask their gardener to cut their hedges .
  
  I know many have become more community spirited since lockdown which can only be a good thing but not if it means easing out people trying to earn a living forcing them to travel further afield although most gardeners can walk straight into a new job or start to establish a new round instantly .
  
  If those residents choose to sack their gardener for a cheaper service then it demonstrates they are only measuring that gardener by how much He / She charges and not by skill and integrity but on the other hand if they sack their gardener due to pressure from the local committee then it needs investigating by trading standards .