Transition Culture

1 Mar 2007

Local MP Endorses ‘Totnes Pounds’.

Anthony Steen, MP for Totnes, has thrown his weight behind a new local currency scheme in the town. A limited number of **Totnes Pounds** are being put into local circulation to launch the **Transition Town Totnes (TTT) Economics and Livelihoods** group on Wednesday 7th March. Three hundred of the individually numbered ‘pounds’ will be given out at the event which features Molly Scott Cato, a lecturer and author speaking on **Local Money, Local Skills, Local Power…the role of money in building resilience.** Her talk will be followed by a panel discussion which will explore some of the issues raised.

The Totnes pounds will be given out to people who attend the evening and will be accepted by some local businesses and at TTT events in lieu of sterling. Rob Hopkins, the originator of TTT, said “This is just a small experiment designed to get people thinking and talking about money. Totnes used to issue its own money and one side of the Totnes Pound is a facsimile of an old Totnes banknote. One day in the not to distant future Totnes might have its own local currency again.�

The notes will be accepted at 18 local businesses and have been endorsed by Totnes MP Anthony Steen (see above right). This pilot will run until June 1st and will allow TTT to assess the practicalities of such a scheme. Wednesday’s talk will be followed by an Open Space event on Saturday 10th March to be held at the Methodist Hall between 10 – 4 on the theme of ‘The Economic Revival of Totnes’. Anyone with a passion for business or economics is urged to attend the Open Space. It will provide an opportunity for people to share their thoughts and ideas for the future of the economy of Totnes and you don’t have to be an ‘expert’ to contribute. The organisers hope that local businesses will also attend and share their vision for the future of the local economy.