Once all operating costs and contingencies have been covered for the 11 new social enterprises, any surpluses generated thereafter will be distributed to the wider community via the Residents Assembly to the Legacy Organisation and Local Bursary type projects. There is provision for the social enterprises to cross subsidise each other if members choose, although this can only be done with the full agreement of all employees. This will be agreed at General Assembly meetings of the larger co-operative to which smaller enterprises are affiliated.
These funds will only ever be used for payment of small grants to local people or community projects rather than to pay for revenue costs for larger organisations. This is because of an important point of principle, namely that employees of the social enterprises are working for Marsh Farm average rates of pay, so it would be wholly wrong for surpluses generated by their efforts to be used to pay wages at levels more than twice or three times that which they get paid.
