Co-op News (August 2019)
What is co-operative culture - and why does it matter? This issue looks at how co-op values intersect with the values in organisations, across movements and between countries. Plus 100 years of the Channel Islands Co-operative – and how the new Coop Exchange app is tackling the capital conundrum.
What is co-operative culture - and why does it matter? This issue looks at how co-op values intersect with the values in organisations, across movements and between countries. Plus 100 years of the Channel Islands Co-operative – and how the new Coop Exchange app is tackling the capital conundrum.
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FINANCE<br />
Mutuals among the most-trusted financial firms for customer service<br />
Mutuals and building societies were<br />
among the winners at the <strong>2019</strong> Moneywise<br />
Most Trusted Customer Service Awards.<br />
Mutual society Benenden Health was<br />
named most trusted provider in the health<br />
insurance via employer category, and was<br />
a highly commended in the individual<br />
health insurance category.<br />
Based in York, the non-profit mutual<br />
provides healthcare services for over<br />
810,000 members across the UK, including<br />
employees of 545 businesses.<br />
Chief commercial officer Helen<br />
Smith said: “We’re so proud that our<br />
members have taken the time to vote<br />
for us as their most trusted employerprovided<br />
healthcare product. Members<br />
are at the heart of our decision-making<br />
as an organisation and it’s great to<br />
be recognised by them. It was also<br />
amazing to be highly commended in<br />
the poll of those who have a personal<br />
healthcare product.”<br />
The <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Bank won in the most trusted<br />
mainstream bank award category, and<br />
was highly commended in the best branch<br />
service, best contact centre service and<br />
most trusted current account categories.<br />
While no longer owned by the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong><br />
Group, over the last four years the Bank<br />
has invested of £1.3m in the Hive, a co-<strong>op</strong><br />
business support programme provided by<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives UK.<br />
Nationwide Building Society won<br />
the best current account provider for<br />
branch service and best provider for<br />
children’s savings categories. It was<br />
highly commended in the most trusted<br />
financial provider, most trusted mortgage<br />
provider and best provider for regular<br />
savers categories.<br />
<strong>Co</strong>ventry Building Society won most<br />
trusted savings and cash Isa provider.<br />
NFU mutual won most trusted insurer<br />
and was highly commended in the most<br />
trusted car insurance provider.<br />
Employee owned John Lewis won best<br />
credit card provider for rewards and was<br />
highly commended in most trusted credit<br />
card provider.<br />
Around 32,000 members of the public<br />
voted in the awards.<br />
Rachel Rickard Straus, editor<br />
of Moneywise, said: “Customer service<br />
matters. So much so that 32,000 readers<br />
took the time to share their views with us.<br />
“Great customer service and trust<br />
remains as important now as ever. You<br />
can have the whizziest apps, websites and<br />
products in the world, but if a customer<br />
can’t easily get a complaint resolved, or<br />
speak to a human if they need to, that’s<br />
what will stick in minds.”<br />
DEVELOPMENT<br />
Stir to Action grants<br />
will fund study of<br />
community business<br />
leadership<br />
“While mental health and wellbeing<br />
are rightly becoming a priority, there<br />
is still pressure for communities to put<br />
their best face forward,” said Stir to<br />
Action’s director Jonny Gordon-Farleigh.<br />
“This fellowship will initially build more<br />
awareness and also support individuals<br />
and communities to more effectively share<br />
new and inspiring approaches across<br />
the UK.”<br />
Worker-owned magazine Stir to Action is<br />
funding research into the pressures faced<br />
by community business leaders.<br />
Supported by independent trust Power<br />
to Change, the Beyond Here fellowship<br />
will explore wellbeing in community<br />
leadership.<br />
“Recognising yourself as a community<br />
leader can have profound positive effects,<br />
but the experience can be challenging<br />
and isolating,” said Fergus Arkley,<br />
devel<strong>op</strong>ment manager at Power to Change.<br />
Fellows will work with community<br />
leaders across the UK to explore, and<br />
find solutions to, these challenges. Stir to<br />
Action’s coordinator Stephanie Gamauf<br />
will help them find community business<br />
partners, undertake place-based research,<br />
and share their findings through Stir to<br />
Action’s magazine and events.<br />
u Stir to Action is offering four fellowship grants of £2,000 through the scheme, which<br />
will fund a week-long fellowship and cover loss of earnings, accommodation, and a host<br />
contribution. Applications close on 1 September. For more details visit s.co<strong>op</strong>/23f9w<br />
10 | AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>