A commons-based economy with polycentric democracy
Many Centres, One Whole
Centricity is an idea for sharing what we have, and for deciding things close to the people they affect. It is tested first in small neighbourhood pilots, and it grows only where it proves itself.
About
What Centricity is
Centricity is a working draft of a commons-based economy with polycentric democracy. More of what we rely on would be cared for together, alongside markets and private ownership, and decisions would be made close to the people they affect, by many self-governing communities working under shared rules.
It does not begin with the whole design. It begins with working examples, tested in public, and each part grows only where it proves itself. Nobody is required to join.
Made with AI tools. An illustration, not real places or people.
Commons alongside markets
Land trusts, co-ops, shared budgets and citizens' panels, alongside public services, markets and private ownership. Homes you already own are not affected.
Decisions close to home
Decisions are made at the smallest level they affect. You can take part directly, or lend your vote and take it back at any time.
Tested before it is claimed
Goals and measures are published in advance, results are published whatever they show, and every pilot can be paused or wound down.
Read more: why now, the vision, the aims and questions people ask.
Commons Circles
What is a Commons Circle?
A Commons Circle is the first pilot: a small group of neighbours who share things, time and skills. It meets as a group, keeps a simple shared list, and records what it learns. There is no currency, no fund, no payments and no housing allocation. Nobody has to join, lend or borrow, and anyone can leave at any time.
- Members offer what they are happy to share, and ask for what they need.
- Roles are shared and change hands. Nobody holds more than two.
- A monthly meet-up has no asks and no log. Only who came is noted.
- Each circle counts a few simple things, such as who joins, who is active and how the giving is spread, and publishes them.
Circles follow a set of safe sharing rules.
Pilots
What is being tested now
The pilots are small and specific. Each has a published proposal, the measures it will report, and a rule for stopping or pausing it. None has reported results yet.
Penge Commons Circle
A neighbourhood sharing pilot in Penge, south London. Its proposal, with success measures and a stop rule published in advance, was approved and posted to a 15,000-member Penge group in October 2026.
Results will be published after the first three months, whatever they show.
Made with AI tools. An illustration, not real places or people.
Join
Join a circle
Tell us you are interested in a circle near you. We will contact you when a circle is forming in your area.
The form asks for your name, how best to reach you, your area and what you could share, and you need to be 18 or over. You can say no to any of the choices and still join. Your answers are kept privately and never shown in public comments. Please read the safe sharing rules and the privacy notice first.
Start your own
Start your own circle
The Pilot Starter Kit explains how to set up a Commons Circle: the roles, the monthly meet-up, the forms, the pause rule and the stop rule. It is being finalised. Join the list above to be told when it is ready.
Safe sharing
Safe Sharing Rules
Sharing works best when everyone feels safe and respected. These simple rules apply to everyone who joins. Working draft.
- It is voluntary. Nobody has to join, lend or borrow. You can say no, or leave, at any time.
- Lending and borrowing. Lend only what is in safe working order and say about any fault. Borrow only what you know how to use safely, and return it in the condition you received it.
- Sharing skills and help. Offer only what you are competent to do. No medical, legal or financial advice, and no gas or electrical work that needs a registered professional.
- Keeping everyone safe. No children's activities and no regulated care. Meet a new person in a public place, or with someone else if you prefer. Harassment, pressure and discrimination are not tolerated. In an emergency, call 999.
- Your information. We ask only for your name, how best to reach you, your area and what you could share. Only your first name and what you offer are shown on the shared list for members, and only if you agree. Details are given through the form or by private message, never in public comments, and are not passed on without your consent.
- Recognition. Thanks is recorded as recognition for service. It has no cash value and can't be traded or spent.
- If something goes wrong. Message Devon Summerhayes, or email devon.summerhayes@gmail.com, about any concern or complaint. A serious complaint that is not resolved pauses the circle while it is looked into, and we report openly.
Kind, safe and voluntary.
The bigger picture
The vision, which is not yet tested
Centricity as a whole is a proposal. The pilots above are how we find out whether any part of it works. Nobody is required to join, and the idea grows only where it proves itself.
Unity, in this vision, means what people are in when they share, not something anyone is asked to believe or join.
Read the full vision, and the aims with how firmly each one is held.
Read the pilot results as they come in, and the vision as a hypothesis, not a conclusion.
Privacy
Privacy notice
Who is responsible
Devon Summerhayes is responsible for the personal information collected through this site. To ask about your information, email devon.summerhayes@gmail.com.
What we collect
When you use the joining form, we ask only for what is needed: your first name and surname, how best to reach you and the details for that, your area, what you could share, and your choices about being contacted, the shared list and the review panel. We ask you to confirm you are 18 or over. Anything you write in the optional box is kept too.
We ask for your surname so we can tell neighbours apart and find you on Messenger. It is never shown.
Why we use it
Only to run the pilot you signed up for: to tell you about meet-ups, to match offers with needs, and to judge the pilot fairly, using counts only. We do this with your consent, which you can withdraw at any time.
Who sees it
Only Devon Summerhayes. Your details are not passed on, not sold, and not used for other projects, including Centricity updates, without asking you first. Only your first name and what you offer are shown, on the shared list for members, and only if you tick the box to agree. Published results use counts only, never names.
Where it is kept
The joining form runs on Google Forms, and answers are kept in a private Google Sheet that only Devon Summerhayes can open.
How long we keep it
Until you ask us to delete it, or until the pilot ends, unless you ask to stay informed.
Your rights
You can ask to see, correct or delete your information, or withdraw your consent, at any time, by emailing devon.summerhayes@gmail.com. If you are unhappy with how your information has been handled, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
Cookies
This site sets no cookies of its own. Videos are shown from YouTube in privacy-enhanced mode, and YouTube may set cookies when you play one.
Last updated: working draft, not yet final.