Britain's Hidden Wealth — Unlocking £22 Billion for Families, Communities and the Economy

The Book

A hopeful, practical case for change

Every year, an estimated £22 billion in support — benefits, grants, social tariffs and community provision — goes unclaimed across the United Kingdom. Not because people are ineligible, but because the help is too hard to find.

Britain's Hidden Wealth argues that one of the most powerful ways to reduce hardship is not to create new support, but to help people discover the support already meant for them. Drawing on more than fifty evidence sources, Louis Blair and Ewemade Orobator set out a practical national framework — the Discovery Society — showing how better navigation of what already exists could transform economic security for families and communities across the country.

Essential reading for policymakers, funders, community leaders and anyone who believes Britain is richer than it knows.

The £22 Billion Problem

Support exists. People can't find it.

Across Britain there are grants that go unclaimed, training places that go unfilled, community facilities that stand underused, and skills and experience that never reach the people who need them.

The tragedy is not that these assets don't exist — it's that they are often invisible. The book calls this invisible reserve of social and economic value Britain's Hidden Wealth, and proposes an Economic Security Navigator to connect people to it.

"Clearly a well-evidenced and thoughtfully designed initiative. Your framing of 'Economic Security Infrastructure' reflects genuine systems thinking, and the scale of the unclaimed support problem you have identified — £22 billion annually — is a compelling and important finding." — Friends Provident Foundation

The Authors

Written by two co-founders of Communities First

Louis Blair

MSc, CIH · Co-founder, Communities First

Nearly forty years' experience in housing and resident participation, working with local authorities, registered social landlords, tenant management organisations and resident groups. An experienced project manager, he has led independent advice and consultation projects across the country and designed training for the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Ewemade Orobator

BA Hons · Co-founder, Communities First

A community leader, regeneration practitioner and housing professional with nearly forty years' experience. He has secured and overseen millions of pounds of investment in community infrastructure, and is author of the Croydon 2030 renewal blueprint and a Resident Involvement Strategy adopted by more than 160 local authorities and housing organisations.

Free Companion

Evidence, Research Notes & References

The book's full evidence base — the research propositions and indicative sources behind every chapter — is available as a free companion document. Download it to explore the academic foundations of the Discovery Society.

Download the Free Appendix (PDF)

Get the Book

Buy Britain's Hidden Wealth

Available now as a paperback on Amazon. Read it, share it, and help make Britain's hidden wealth visible.

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ISBN 978-1-0667633-0-6