The purpose of this first working paper is to set the context for the evaluation. It provides:

• An overview of the time banking movement and its origins
• Looks at how time banks work
• The different ways in which the time banking approach has been utilised
• The key characteristics and core values associated with time banking
• The benefits of time banking and the enablers and obstacles to achieving positive outcomes
• The way in which the time credit model this research project focuses on has developed from time banking and how the time credit model has been implemented in Cambridgeshire.