April 2022 for yumpu
The April edition of Co-op News: connecting, challenging and championing the global co-operative movement. This issue we look at small co-ops – from the benefits a hyper-local model can bring in terms of community empowerment, with a look at the UK's Cooperation Town network of food co-ops, to the challenges small co-ops can face in accessing resources and scaling up. We take a look at support mechanisms in place, such as Co-operatives UK's Hive and Community Shares Booster, and at the UK's newest co-operative development agency, Cooperative Islington. Plus we hear from a number of co-op development workers across the UK. There is also a report from the Co-operative Retail Conference and a special news section looking at the co-op response to the invasion of Ukraine, including updates from the country's own co-op sector.
The April edition of Co-op News: connecting, challenging and championing the global co-operative movement. This issue we look at small co-ops – from the benefits a hyper-local model can bring in terms of community empowerment, with a look at the UK's Cooperation Town network of food co-ops, to the challenges small co-ops can face in accessing resources and scaling up. We take a look at support mechanisms in place, such as Co-operatives UK's Hive and Community Shares Booster, and at the UK's newest co-operative development agency, Cooperative Islington. Plus we hear from a number of co-op development workers across the UK. There is also a report from the Co-operative Retail Conference and a special news section looking at the co-op response to the invasion of Ukraine, including updates from the country's own co-op sector.
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APRIL <strong>2022</strong><br />
CO-OPS STAND<br />
TOGETHER FOR<br />
UKRAINE<br />
Plus … The benefits and<br />
challenges of small-scale<br />
co-operatives ... Report from<br />
the Co-op Retail Conference<br />
... A look back on the life and<br />
work of social re<strong>for</strong>mer<br />
Robert Owen<br />
ISSN 0009-9821<br />
770009 982010<br />
01<br />
£4.20<br />
www.thenews.coop
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Small is beautiful?<br />
CONNECTING, CHAMPIONING AND<br />
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Small is often beautiful, especially <strong>for</strong> co-operatives looking to maintain<br />
their ethics and commitment to co-op principles. However, often their<br />
size brings with it a unique set of challenges, especially if they start to<br />
look at growing. What support is available to them, and can they scale up<br />
without any compromise?<br />
To explore this, we hear from a number of key actors in co-op<br />
development (p34-38) – many of whom are frustrated at the barriers<br />
to setting up co-ops and at the contraction of co-op development more<br />
widely. We also bring you updates on the Hive and the Community Shares<br />
Booster schemes delivered by Co-operatives UK (p44-45) and share a<br />
pandemic success story: the growth of community pubs and shops, which<br />
had critical roles as community hubs during lockdown, particularly in<br />
rural areas (p39-41).<br />
But co-ops are thriving in cities too: Cooperate Islington (p48-49)<br />
and Cooperation Town (p46-47) are both London-based examples<br />
of communities collaborating to create, support and unite small<br />
enterprises: seeing a need and building a co-op ecosystem to address it.<br />
From the smallest co-ops to the largest... In the UK, March saw the<br />
Co-operative retail Conference (p26-29) return as an in-person event,<br />
bringing together retail societies to discuss the culture change brought<br />
about by Covid-19 and technological advances in retail. But here, too,<br />
the focus was often on smaller, more local impact, with a concern <strong>for</strong><br />
members in the face of financial challenges leading many conversations.<br />
This issue we also have a special section on Ukraine (p5-9). As the<br />
war continues, how are co-operatives in the region supporting tattered<br />
communities? And what has the response been from co-ops around the<br />
world? A week into the conflict, Aroundtheworld.coop spoke with two<br />
co-op developers in Ukraine – Sofia Burtak and Iryna Volovyk.<br />
“[Ordinary people working in co-ops] are staying, to earn money, to feed<br />
their families, to heal their communities, to protect communities and to<br />
share food with people, with refugees and with military soldiers,” they<br />
said. “So we are really heroes, we are not ordinary people any more.”<br />
REBECCA HARVEY - EXECUTIVE EDITOR<br />
Co-operative News is printed using vegetable oil-based inks<br />
on 80% recycled paper (with 60% from post-consumer waste)<br />
with the remaining 20% produced from FSC or PEFC certified<br />
sources. It is made in a totally chlorine free process.<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 3
ISSN 0009-9821<br />
9 770009 982010<br />
01<br />
THIS ISSUE<br />
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:<br />
An extra news section looking at the co-op<br />
response to the war in Ukraine – inside the<br />
country and around the world (p5-9); young<br />
co-operators talk peace at the Woodcraft<br />
Folk (p13); the community pub model is<br />
preserving local assets (p39-41); historians<br />
look back on Robert Owen (p30-33); report<br />
from the Co-op Retail Conference (p26-29)<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong><br />
CO-OPS STAND<br />
TOGETHER FOR<br />
UKRAINE<br />
Plus … The benefits and<br />
challenges of small-scale<br />
co-operatives ... Report from<br />
the Co-op Retail Conference<br />
... A look back on the life and<br />
work of social re<strong>for</strong>mer<br />
Robert Owen<br />
£4.20<br />
www.thenews.coop<br />
COVER: CONFLICT IN UKRAINE<br />
A special news section with updates<br />
from Ukraine’s co-op sector and the<br />
response from the global movement<br />
[Photo: A man hugs his daughter and<br />
granddaughter after they crossed the<br />
border from Shehyni in Ukraine to<br />
Medyka in Poland. Numerous Ukrainians<br />
are leaving the country fleeing the<br />
conflict. (Credit: Michael Kappeler/dpa)<br />
Read more: p5-9<br />
26-29 CO-OPERATIVE RETAIL CONFERENCE<br />
New tech is going to trans<strong>for</strong>m the retail<br />
landscape, which has also been marked by<br />
a culture change from Covid-19. UK retail<br />
co-ops gather to consider their response.<br />
30-33 PERSPECTIVES ON NEW LANARK<br />
Reports from a conference marking the<br />
250th anniversary of the birth of Robert<br />
Own, a <strong>for</strong>efather of modern co-operation,<br />
with perspectives on his pioneering work<br />
and lessons <strong>for</strong> today’s movement<br />
34-49 SMALL CO-OPS<br />
Small is often beautiful, especially <strong>for</strong><br />
co-ops looking to stick to their founding<br />
ethos. What challenges do they face – and<br />
can they grow without any compromise?<br />
34-38 QUESTIONS OF DEVELOPMENT<br />
We speak to a number of key players in<br />
co-op development – Alex Lawrie, Phil<br />
Beardmore, Cath Muller, Clare Alexander,<br />
Oliver Sylvester-Bradley, Tiziana O’Hara<br />
and Glenn Bowen.<br />
39-41 SAVING THE LOCAL<br />
Community pubs are a growing model<br />
of small co-ops, whose local scale suits<br />
their role as community hubs –and saw<br />
them act as lifelines during lockdown<br />
42-43 CASE STUDIES<br />
A look at four small co-ops – Colne Valley<br />
Care, Signalise, Unicorn Grocery and<br />
Victory Gardens<br />
44-45 FUNDING A MOVEMENT<br />
Updates on the Hive and the Community<br />
Shares Booster, two key funding options<br />
delivered by Co-operatives UK<br />
46-47 CO-OP COMMUNITY ACTION<br />
Co-operation Town’s hyper-local model<br />
offers savings on food bills to members –<br />
but also gives them a schooling in<br />
community activism<br />
48-49 REMAKING A LOCAL ECONOMY A<br />
look at Cooperate Islington, a new cooperative<br />
development agency set up to<br />
develop a fairer and more inclusive coop<br />
based economy in the north London<br />
borough<br />
REGULARS<br />
5-9 Conflict in Ukraine<br />
10-16 UK news<br />
17-23 Global news<br />
24<br />
25<br />
50<br />
Letters, comment<br />
Obituaries<br />
Events<br />
4 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
UKRAINE CONFLICT<br />
Co-ops on the frontline:<br />
Updates from Ukraine’s<br />
consumer societies<br />
Co-ops in Ukraine are defying the Russian<br />
invasion by feeding the temporarily<br />
displaced and making food kits and<br />
camouflage <strong>for</strong> the military free of charge<br />
– and at the same time continuing to serve<br />
their communities.<br />
The All-Ukrainian Central Union of<br />
Consumer Societies (COOP Ukraine)<br />
has been posting online updates of cooperative<br />
ef<strong>for</strong>ts, based on reports from<br />
the Visti co-operative newspaper.<br />
“We coordinate enterprises and<br />
organisations, restore chains of interaction<br />
where the war destroyed any processes.<br />
Bomb shelters and the whistling of rockets<br />
have become our routine,” it said.<br />
“Across Ukraine, consumer cooperatives<br />
have stepped up the production<br />
of bread to an emergency regime and are<br />
making sure that there are essential goods<br />
on the shelves of our stores.”<br />
Disruptions mean that some co-ops<br />
have had to find local suppliers, new<br />
<strong>for</strong>mats <strong>for</strong> purchasing goods and raw<br />
materials <strong>for</strong> production.<br />
Consumer co-ops estimate they<br />
have already contributed hundreds of<br />
thousands of hryvnias in donations to the<br />
armed <strong>for</strong>ces – some of it from employees.<br />
They are also allowing their buildings<br />
and shop basements to be used as shelters.<br />
“We’re all here together at different<br />
levels – from the residents of a<br />
particular house, street, village, city and<br />
nationwide,” Coop Ukraine wrote on 7<br />
March. “Certainly, the system of consumer<br />
co-operation of Ukraine feels confident<br />
in this union. Because, probably, this is<br />
one of the few areas where the principle<br />
of unity and mutual assistance is the basis<br />
of the philosophy of its existence. It has<br />
always been so, it is so today.”<br />
The apex added that its producers and<br />
suppliers continue to work well and so far<br />
there was no product interruption.<br />
In the Transcarpathia region, the coop<br />
sector is working closely with local<br />
authorities, volunteers and churches<br />
to host people. Three co-op bakeries<br />
are working at full capacity, says Coop<br />
Ukraine. Likewise, in Ternopil the<br />
regional consumer co-op union provides<br />
goods to commercial establishments<br />
while delivering essential goods in close<br />
collaboration with the local government<br />
– with strict price controls and no<br />
interruption of service.<br />
The region is home to one of the<br />
country’s several co-op colleges – the<br />
Ternopil co-operative trade and economic<br />
college, which has set up a hostel <strong>for</strong><br />
dozens of displaced families.<br />
Those killed in the invasion include<br />
Vasyl Bilak, a graduate of Mukachevo<br />
Cooperative Professional College of<br />
Business, Roman Pavlovych, a graduate<br />
of the Lviv Cooperative Professional<br />
College of Economics and Law, and Vanya<br />
Karnaukh, a second-year student at the<br />
Kharkiv Cooperative College of Trade and<br />
Economics.<br />
Kharkiv, the country’s second largest<br />
city, has seen several apartment blocks<br />
and schools hit by Russian missiles, and<br />
the College’s building collapsed on 10<br />
March. To support each other, College<br />
staff set up a mobile messenger group to<br />
communicate and report on the situation,<br />
helping each other whenever possible.<br />
Similarly, teachers and students of the<br />
Lviv Cooperative Professional College<br />
of Economics and Law are volunteering<br />
while parents host displaced people from<br />
other regions. Staff and students work<br />
seven days a week in shifts to make food<br />
<strong>for</strong> the military and those who have been<br />
displaced due to the war. The products are<br />
delivered by volunteers.<br />
Similar ef<strong>for</strong>ts are being made by the<br />
Zhitomir Cooperative College of Business<br />
and Law, which is also used as a shelter<br />
by 15-20 people. The college also cooks <strong>for</strong><br />
the military and supports an orphanage<br />
with children with special needs.<br />
In the city of Sumy, where heavy<br />
Russian shelling continues, co-op staff<br />
work mostly remotely but come to the<br />
store if needed. The co-ops have set up an<br />
aid collection centre. Some consumer coops<br />
in the region have had to close while<br />
others do not have goods due to logistics.<br />
Similar consumer co-op ef<strong>for</strong>ts to<br />
supply food to consumers, displaced<br />
people and the military are reported<br />
from the Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr regions<br />
and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Supplies are<br />
generally holding up with some shortages<br />
of certain products in different areas.<br />
In Odessa the infrastructure is still<br />
working and there are products in the<br />
shops but the prices on some of them have<br />
increased slightly.<br />
“The system of consumer co-operation<br />
works, helps the government, local<br />
government, the armed <strong>for</strong>ces of Ukraine<br />
and hopes <strong>for</strong> our victory,” a local co-op<br />
told Visti newspaper journalists.<br />
The Vinnytsia regional consumer<br />
union received UAH 150,000 of material<br />
assistance from the co-operative<br />
community of Latvia, which it donated<br />
to the military. The region’s confectionery<br />
shops switched to baking bread, working<br />
in three shifts to meet the demand.<br />
In the Mikolaiv region, a co-op<br />
department store and market shops were<br />
burnt down. The co-ops in the region also<br />
focus on baking and delivering bread.<br />
Similar challenges are faced by co-ops in<br />
the Kirovohrad region. In Novomyrhorod<br />
co-operators are helping to address water<br />
supply issues by accumulating water and<br />
transporting it to catering establishments<br />
across the city. Around 70% of consumer<br />
co-ops continue to operate in some <strong>for</strong>m<br />
or another, says Co-op Ukraine.<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 5
UKRAINE CONFLICT<br />
‘We are not ordinary people any more’: Agriculture sector faces ‘catastrophe’<br />
On 1 March two co-op developers in<br />
Ukraine shared their experiences in an<br />
interview with Aroundtheworld.coop,<br />
describing a “catastrophic situation” <strong>for</strong><br />
agricultural co-ops in the country.<br />
Sofia Burtak and Iryna Volovyk are<br />
members of Cooperative Academy, which<br />
promotes and develops agri co-ops. Ms<br />
Burtak told interviewer Sarah Vicari: “Our<br />
producers are stuck with the produce and<br />
no channel to actually sell [it on], and no<br />
means actually <strong>for</strong> their life.”<br />
Ms Burtak said some farmers are<br />
under occupation and cannot proceed<br />
with production, and others have had to<br />
flee. She added: “Agriculture production<br />
is very tied to the land and you cannot<br />
put your land in your bag. So that’s why<br />
the co-operative movement is in a very<br />
catastrophic situation right now.”<br />
The Russian army is destroying<br />
“everything, not just economics,” added<br />
Ms Volovyk. “They destroy people’s<br />
values, all over the world. So I would like<br />
to share with co-operatives all over the<br />
world – this is true. I’m here. I live here<br />
with my parents in Dnipro ... it’s true.”<br />
Ms Burtak said Ukrainian farmers need<br />
“ideas and facilities to process production<br />
very locally, at least in the places where<br />
it is safe. For example, if we have local<br />
farmers of dairy production, we need to<br />
process their milk – we cannot transport<br />
it or do any kind of logistics. But we need<br />
to process it right away, to a product which<br />
can be stored <strong>for</strong> longer than milk can …<br />
“And then we will think more globally<br />
at the level of the federation of the cooperative,<br />
how we can market or how we<br />
can supply the food where it is needed.”<br />
Ms Burtak also outlined a need <strong>for</strong><br />
expertise around crisis management as<br />
well as material support and investment<br />
to keep small producers in Ukraine alive.<br />
Ms Volovyk said it is important to share<br />
the stories of ordinary people working<br />
in Ukrainian co-ops, but warned: “After<br />
these six days, they are not ordinary<br />
people. I feel that they are heroes, because<br />
they are staying, to earn money, to feed<br />
their families, to heal their communities,<br />
to protect communities and to share<br />
food with people, with refugees and with<br />
military soldiers. So we are really heroes,<br />
we are not ordinary people any more.”<br />
Global impact<br />
The crisis has put world supply chains<br />
under huge pressure; Ukraine is a leading<br />
exporter of grain, and there has also been<br />
a reduction in fertiliser exports from<br />
Russia and Belarus. Farmers around the<br />
world also face rising energy costs as<br />
the conflict hits oil prices. The situation<br />
is especially urgent <strong>for</strong> poorer countries<br />
which import a lot of wheat from Ukraine,<br />
such as Egypt, Yemen and Lebanon.<br />
Food systems have already been<br />
disrupted by Covid-19, and from poor<br />
weather which has hit harvests in China,<br />
South America and Indonesia. “Ukraine<br />
has only compounded a catastrophe,”<br />
David M Beasley, the executive director<br />
of the UN’s World Food Program, told the<br />
New York Times. “There is no precedent<br />
even close to this since World War II.”<br />
Copa and Cogeca, the apex bodies <strong>for</strong><br />
Europe’s agri co-ops, says the crisis means<br />
the continent “must equip its agriculture<br />
with a food shield”.<br />
“The impulse of solidarity of the<br />
farming community with the Ukrainian<br />
people is real and visible in all member<br />
countries,” said Copa and Cogeca in a<br />
press statement. “Farmers are starting<br />
to welcome refugees to their farms, the<br />
first convoys organised by farmers are on<br />
their way, along with food, supplies and<br />
financial donations.<br />
“‘Copa-Cogeca will publish on its<br />
website more in<strong>for</strong>mation <strong>for</strong> farmers, cooperatives<br />
and any citizen who wants to<br />
support the actions undertaken by the EU<br />
agricultural community.”<br />
The Ukrainian agricultural organisation<br />
UNAF (Ukrainian National Agrarian<br />
Forum) is joining the European farming<br />
community by becoming a Copa and<br />
Cogeca partner, the statement added.<br />
Copa and Cogeca warn that the<br />
European agriculture faces reconstruction<br />
challenges, with global repercussions<br />
from the war set to last <strong>for</strong> several years.<br />
“Most productions will be directly or<br />
indirectly impacted,” it said. “It is there<strong>for</strong>e<br />
essential to have a European response that<br />
equals the humanitarian and economic<br />
disaster. In this regard, Copa and Cogeca<br />
are expecting comprehensive, robust,<br />
out-of-the-box measures by the European<br />
Commission. Some sectors already heavily<br />
affected by the price increases resulting<br />
from the Covid and energy crises must<br />
be supported without delay, while other<br />
farmers need clear policy guidance as<br />
they start sowing.”<br />
Copa and Cogeca add: “Everything<br />
must be done to prevent disruptions in<br />
supply chains, which will inevitably lead<br />
to shortages in certain parts of the world.<br />
This is an essential question of food<br />
sovereignty and democratic stability.”<br />
Tim Bailey, CEO of the Scottish<br />
Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS),<br />
said his members are being “impacted by<br />
the reduced availability of raw materials<br />
and inputs. SAOS is a member of the<br />
Scottish government’s newly <strong>for</strong>med Food<br />
Security Task<strong>for</strong>ce, and our supply chain<br />
expertise and knowledge of identifying<br />
alternatives and building supply chain<br />
resilience, will play an integral role.”<br />
Farmer-owned dairy Arla has donated<br />
€1m (£830,000) to the Red Cross and is<br />
working with humanitarian organisations<br />
to provide food aid to Ukraine.<br />
It is suspending all its exports to Russia,<br />
and halting its operations in the country,<br />
as is New Zealand dairy co-op Fonterra.<br />
6 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
UKRAINE CONFLICT<br />
‘A swift and positive co-operative response’: UK sector shows solidarity<br />
p Central England Co-op pulls Russian vodka<br />
UK co-ops have taken a number of actions<br />
in response to the crisis in Ukraine.<br />
After being “inundated with members<br />
wanting to help”, Co-operatives UK,<br />
together with its International Working<br />
Group (IWG), is recommending<br />
donations to be sent to the Disasters<br />
Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine<br />
appeal, launched on 2 March. The DEC<br />
brings together 15 UK humanitarian aid<br />
charities, which Co-operatives UK has<br />
recommended as a reputable coalition<br />
providing on-the-ground support. Funds<br />
will help provide food, water, shelter<br />
and healthcare to refugees and displaced<br />
families.<br />
The IWG includes representatives from<br />
Co-operatives UK, the Co-op College, the<br />
Worker Co-op Council and Co-op News,<br />
as well as ICMIF, CCH and retail co-ops<br />
Midcounties, Central England and the Coop<br />
Group. It was established to support<br />
the co-ordination and delivery of the UK<br />
co-op movement’s international activity.<br />
It has contacted co-op networks in<br />
Poland to determine what help they<br />
may need to support huge numbers of<br />
displaced people from Ukraine. The<br />
IWG has also spoken directly with coop<br />
unions in Ukraine. In response, Illia<br />
Gorokhovskyi, chair of the board of COOP<br />
Ukraine, wrote: “The sense of justice and<br />
the support we feel from co-ops around<br />
the world gives us strength, and right now<br />
it is the greatest help we need.”<br />
Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives<br />
UK, said: “We have been heartened by<br />
the show of solidarity from the UK co-op<br />
movement and will provide our support<br />
through the IWG. Communication with<br />
our Ukrainian and Polish counterparts has<br />
been established but as you can imagine<br />
this is patchy and it may be a while be<strong>for</strong>e<br />
we can determine what practical support<br />
they need from us. We will continue to<br />
keep our members updated.”<br />
Midcounties’ chief values officer,<br />
Peter Westall, said: “The large consumer<br />
co-ops, in particular, have been working<br />
closely together under the lead of the IWG,<br />
and Co-operatives UK, to ensure a swift<br />
and positive co-operative response to a<br />
humanitarian disaster.<br />
“Rose Marley and Sarah Alldred [head<br />
of international partnerships at the Cooperative<br />
College] in particular have<br />
facilitated swift co-ordination and cooperation<br />
across the movement.”<br />
Mr Westall added that in line with<br />
other co-ops, Midcounties has messaged<br />
colleagues and members, via email and<br />
its member app, advising how they can<br />
donate – whether in store at till points,<br />
online or via text message. “The text<br />
facility is again the same one that will be<br />
used by ourselves, the Group and others<br />
to ensure clarity and simplicity <strong>for</strong> all coop<br />
members, regardless of the society they<br />
are members of.”<br />
Heart of England Co-op has also taken<br />
steps to support Ukraine. It says it is<br />
working in partnership with Co-operatives<br />
UK and other societies nationally and is<br />
placing collection tins in each of its food<br />
stores and funeral homes.<br />
CEO Ali Kurji said: “As a society, we<br />
have been touched by the tragedy in the<br />
Ukraine and have decided to support<br />
wherever we can, through collections in<br />
every one of our stores and funeral homes.<br />
“We invite our members and<br />
customers to donate anything they can<br />
to help support the refugees and citizens<br />
of Ukraine.”<br />
Meanwhile, Lincolnshire Co-op is also<br />
supporting a collection by the Polish<br />
School in Lincoln by setting up donation<br />
points at all its pharmacies. The collection<br />
is gathering essential items including<br />
toiletries, nappies, sleeping bags and<br />
blankets and first aid supplies, which will<br />
be transported to Poland and distributed<br />
by Fundacja Ermed, a charity working<br />
on the ground to support Ukrainians.<br />
Lincolnshire has published a full list of<br />
items currently needed on its website.<br />
Worker-owned John Lewis Partnership<br />
has announced a £100,000 donation to<br />
the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal<br />
and will match public donations up to an<br />
additional £150,000. The partnership’s<br />
chair Sharon White said: “My thoughts are<br />
with the people of Ukraine and everyone<br />
affected by this terrible war. We all share a<br />
common humanity and all conflicts – near<br />
and far – strike at the heart of our values.”<br />
In addition to fundraising ef<strong>for</strong>ts, a<br />
number of retail co-ops across the UK have<br />
removed certain Russian products from<br />
their shelves, including the Co-op Group,<br />
Scotmid, Lincolnshire, Midcounties,<br />
Central England and Southern Co-op.<br />
Central England Co-op has left the<br />
shelves empty, with a statement reading:<br />
“We stand with all Ukrainians and<br />
Russians calling <strong>for</strong> peace”.<br />
Southern Co-op told Co-op News: “We<br />
are joining with others in doing what<br />
we can to support those caught up in<br />
this terrible conflict including making a<br />
donation of £10,000 to the DEC’s appeal.<br />
We will also be making it possible <strong>for</strong> our<br />
customers to add to this by making their<br />
own donations via our till points.”<br />
Similarly, NFU Mutual has announced a<br />
£150,000 donation to the DEC through the<br />
NFU Mutual Charitable Trust.<br />
Jim McLaren MBE, chair of the NFU<br />
Mutual Charitable Trust, said: “Right<br />
across the UK we are seeing extraordinary<br />
ef<strong>for</strong>ts by farmers, rural communities and<br />
the farming unions to support and show<br />
solidarity with the people of Ukraine.<br />
“This devastating crisis has touched<br />
everyone and people are desperate to<br />
help. Some will have worked alongside<br />
Ukrainian colleagues on British farms and<br />
are deeply concerned <strong>for</strong> their Ukrainian<br />
friends and their families, others will<br />
be watching the terrible events unfold<br />
at home and want to do all they can to<br />
support the victims of the crisis.<br />
“Many NFU Mutual staff and agents are<br />
already supporting the people of Ukraine<br />
through their own ef<strong>for</strong>ts with a range<br />
of activities, from setting up donation<br />
stations to fundraising in the communities<br />
they serve.”<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 7
UKRAINE CONFLICT<br />
How has the international co-operative community responded?<br />
The International Cooperative Alliance<br />
condemned the use of military <strong>for</strong>ce<br />
against civilians and called on the<br />
international community to bring peace<br />
and advocate <strong>for</strong> diplomatic solutions to<br />
the war in Ukraine.<br />
In a statement published on 14 March,<br />
the ICA said it was working to connect<br />
co-operatives around the world that can<br />
offer aid. “We would like to encourage<br />
others to join with us in this vital ef<strong>for</strong>t to<br />
mitigate the hardships being inflicted on<br />
the Ukrainian people,” read the statement<br />
signed by ICA president Ariel Guarco.<br />
“Advocating <strong>for</strong> the immediate<br />
cessation of violence in Ukraine, we<br />
continue to call on governments,<br />
international organisations, and civil<br />
society organisations in general to build<br />
a positive global agenda <strong>for</strong> peace based<br />
on co-operation. Imposition by <strong>for</strong>ce will<br />
never be the way.<br />
“In the spirit of the ICA Declaration<br />
on Positive Peace through Cooperatives,<br />
we reaffirm that conflicts arise from<br />
unmet human needs and aspirations.<br />
The ultimate goal <strong>for</strong> co-operatives is the<br />
satisfaction of basic human needs and<br />
aspirations.”<br />
Meanwhile, retailer Coop Estonia<br />
and its subsidiary bank Coop Pank have<br />
donated €1m to Red Cross Estonia to<br />
support humanitarian ef<strong>for</strong>ts in Ukraine.<br />
The retailer has also suspended its<br />
collaboration with Russian and Belarusian<br />
producers and stopped working with<br />
Russian TV channels. It says it will soon<br />
introduce Ukrainian products to its stores<br />
and e-shop. Coop Pank is allowing its<br />
clients to make free payments to Ukrainian<br />
banks while Ukrainian residents can open<br />
bank accounts free of charge.<br />
Co-op retailers in northern Europe have<br />
also responded. S Group, a customerowned<br />
Finnish network of retail and<br />
service co-ops, has removed 50 items of<br />
Russian origin.<br />
Around 150 products of Russian origin<br />
will also be removed from its Sokos and<br />
Emotion department stores, including<br />
cosmetics and jackets.<br />
It is also pulling Russian products from<br />
its restaurants, and will stop showing<br />
Russian television channels in its Sokos<br />
hotel chain, while its wholesale company<br />
Meira Nova is removing products of<br />
Russian origin from its range – including<br />
an entire selection of Russian foods and<br />
cosmetics. These policies also apply to<br />
Belarusian products.<br />
S Group has also decided to close all<br />
business operations in Russia – 16 Prisma<br />
supermarkets and three Sokos Hotels and<br />
has approximately 1,000 employees in<br />
St Petersburg. “The exit process will be<br />
done with due consideration to S Group<br />
employees and Russian law. The exact<br />
schedule is being evaluated,” it said.<br />
The co-op is also supporting the Finnish<br />
Red Cross, giving €100,000 (£83,500) from<br />
its Disaster Relief Fund to support victims<br />
of the conflict in Ukraine.<br />
The co-op added that it does not make<br />
direct crude oil purchases from Russia.<br />
Coop Denmark, the second-biggest<br />
retailer of consumer goods in Denmark,<br />
is supporting the disaster relief fund<br />
launched by Red Cross Denmark, and<br />
is also sending five trucks with warm<br />
blankets, canned food, diapers and<br />
other items to Ukraine via Poland. It also<br />
announced its intention to provide work<br />
<strong>for</strong> refugees arriving from Ukraine.<br />
Coop Norway, which has been a main<br />
partner with the Red Cross <strong>for</strong> several<br />
years, has donated 10 million NOK<br />
(£870,000) to the Red Cross to provide<br />
health care, food, water, and warm<br />
clothes. “This donation comes in addition<br />
to the donations we give as a partner each<br />
year,” said head of communications Silje<br />
Verlo Alisøy.<br />
From 3 March customers have been able<br />
to donate money in stores to support the<br />
Red Cross’ relief work in Ukraine.<br />
Coop Norway has also stopped all<br />
imports of Russian products but will<br />
continue to sell a few products that are<br />
already on shelves to avoid waste.<br />
The retailer was the main sponsor of<br />
the Holmenkollen Ski Festival in Oslo on<br />
5-6 March, and showed its support <strong>for</strong><br />
Ukraine by changing its logo to Ukraine’s<br />
flag colours. This was displayed on the<br />
equipment of all competitors and on<br />
marketing materials displayed around the<br />
stadium or given as handouts.<br />
Samkaup in Iceland, one of the<br />
largest retailers in the country, is using<br />
its membership network to support<br />
donations to Red Cross Iceland via its app.<br />
Meanwhile, apex body Co-operatives<br />
Sweden issued a statement saying its<br />
member co-ops “stand by Ukraine and<br />
its population. We send our thoughts and<br />
support to the people of Ukraine, whose<br />
entire existence is being destroyed be<strong>for</strong>e<br />
their eyes.<br />
“The Swedish co-operative movement<br />
condemns Russia’s unprovoked and<br />
illegitimate invasion of Ukraine. We<br />
demand that Russia’s large-scale attacks<br />
cease with immediate effect.”<br />
Citing co-op values of democracy,<br />
8 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
social responsibility, autonomy and<br />
independence and co-operation among<br />
co-operatives, the apex said it “supports<br />
our co-operative colleagues in Ukraine,<br />
and we are in contact with Cooperatives<br />
Europe about the opportunities <strong>for</strong><br />
providing direct support and aid.”<br />
Swedish co-ops have made contributions<br />
to Save the Children, UNHCR and UNICEF.<br />
Furthermore, Coop Sweden members are<br />
able to donate points, which are converted<br />
into money <strong>for</strong> UNICEF.<br />
In the USA the National Co+op<br />
Grocers (NCG), an organisation of 148<br />
food co-ops, has partnered with the<br />
Cooperative Development Foundation<br />
(CDF) and national apex NCBA CLUSA<br />
to launch a fundraising drive <strong>for</strong> Ukraine.<br />
The campaign had by 23 March raised<br />
US$123,257.<br />
NCBA CLUSA is coordinating with<br />
the Worldwide Foundation <strong>for</strong> Credit<br />
Unions (WFCU) to send donations to<br />
Podolsk Regional Development Agency<br />
(PARD), a Ukrainian non-governmental<br />
organisation providing aid to internally<br />
displaced Ukrainians.<br />
On 15 March the WFCU announced<br />
that the first $50,000 from its appeal will<br />
be distributed to PARD. The funding will<br />
be used to deliver food, water, medicine,<br />
bedding and other supplies to those<br />
seeking refuge in the Vinnytsia region of<br />
western Ukraine.<br />
On 1 March, Cooperatives Europe<br />
president, Susanne Westhausen, made a<br />
call <strong>for</strong> peace and diplomatic solutions to<br />
the crisis. “As the pan-European association<br />
of co-op, with members not only in<br />
Ukraine but also Russia, Cooperatives<br />
Europe is convinced that this collaboration<br />
surmounts political or cultural barriers,<br />
enhancing prosperity and strengthening<br />
security,” she said. “But our co-operation<br />
relies on a stable international community,<br />
based on rules and principles that should<br />
not be undermined.”<br />
The Japanese Consumers’ Cooperative<br />
Union (JCCU) also released a<br />
statement on 1 March. Its CEO Hiroyuki<br />
Shimada said: “As citizens of Japan, the<br />
only nation hit by atomic bombs, we<br />
cannot condone the fact that Russian<br />
president Vladimir Putin has suggested<br />
the use of nuclear weapons ... We reaffirm<br />
the preciousness and importance of our<br />
daily life and hope that the citizens of<br />
Ukraine and also the people of Russia who<br />
do not necessarily support this military<br />
invasion will get back their daily life as<br />
soon as possible.”<br />
On 23 March the Japan Co-operative<br />
Alliance (JCA) issued a statement<br />
condemning the invasion and expressing<br />
solidarity and support <strong>for</strong> Ukrainian coops.<br />
JCA also pledged to work with cooperatives<br />
in Japan and around the world<br />
to provide as much support as possible.”<br />
Members of the International<br />
Cooperative and Mutual Insurance<br />
Federation (ICMIF) have shown support<br />
in different ways. Finland’s LähiTapiola<br />
has donated €300,000 to the Finnish<br />
Red Cross and Unicef, and Denmark’s LB<br />
Forsikring has expanded its contents<br />
and liability coverage to include<br />
displaced Ukrainians who move in with<br />
one its policyholders. Germany’s R+V<br />
Versicherung provides non-contributory<br />
insurance cover to refugees and volunteers<br />
working with them. The insurer has also<br />
donated more than €800,000.<br />
On 1 March, ICMIF made a statement<br />
on Twitter, saying: “We stand in solidarity<br />
with the people of Ukraine. Key mutual and<br />
co-operative values include democracy,<br />
equality, equity, and solidarity, as well as<br />
social responsibility and caring <strong>for</strong> others.<br />
These values are fundamentally violated<br />
by war. #Peace<strong>for</strong>Ukraine.”<br />
MyCoolClass waives fees <strong>for</strong> Ukrainian teachers<br />
My Cool Class, a UK-based international<br />
teacher-owned plat<strong>for</strong>m co-op, has<br />
waived its fees <strong>for</strong> Ukrainian teachers and<br />
simplified its application process.<br />
Set up in 2021, MyCoolClass says it<br />
wants to offer a virtual home <strong>for</strong> teachers<br />
who have left Ukraine, allowing them<br />
to run their teaching business and give<br />
classes to children, including those that<br />
have been displaced.<br />
Five Ukrainian teachers – two<br />
still in Ukraine – have already joined<br />
MyCoolClass, which enables teachers to<br />
offer lessons in any language, subject,<br />
skills or topic. The teachers can also set<br />
their own schedule and prices as well as<br />
offer free lessons to Ukrainian children.<br />
The co-op is registered in the UK but has<br />
members from all over the world. To join,<br />
teachers have to pay a fee of £5-£25. While<br />
this fee is waived <strong>for</strong> refugees, they will<br />
still be given a £1 voting share at the end<br />
of their probationary period.<br />
Teachers, tutors, crisis counsellors and<br />
psychotherapists who want to volunteer<br />
can register and use the MyCoolClass<br />
plat<strong>for</strong>m <strong>for</strong> free.<br />
All paid classes on the MyCoolClass<br />
plat<strong>for</strong>m have a contribution of 19%,<br />
which goes to the co-operative. This charge<br />
will not apply to free lessons or courses <strong>for</strong><br />
children or volunteer counselling.<br />
MyCoolClass was set up in June 2021<br />
by John Hayes, a Cali<strong>for</strong>nian ESL teacher<br />
who lives in Warsaw, Poland. His country<br />
of residence has to date welcomed over 1.4<br />
million displaced Ukrainians.<br />
“My girlfriend and I will start hosting<br />
refugees in our extra bedroom soon. We<br />
hope to get some Ukrainian speaking<br />
volunteers so MyCoolClass can launch<br />
a separate programme providing free<br />
lessons to displaced children but that<br />
will take some time as everything is still<br />
chaotic,” he said.<br />
The co-op plans to organise free group<br />
lessons <strong>for</strong> children from Ukraine and is<br />
looking <strong>for</strong> volunteers who speak both<br />
English and Ukrainian. The co-op deals<br />
with all admin work and bookkeeping so<br />
teachers can focus on doing their job.<br />
MyCoolClass has launched a dedicated<br />
page <strong>for</strong> Ukrainian teachers. The co-op<br />
currently has a total of 282 active teachers.<br />
The co-op is accepting donations to<br />
cover some of the cost of waiving the fees.<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 9
NEWS<br />
RETAIL<br />
Steve Murrells to step<br />
down as CEO of the<br />
Co-op Group<br />
Co-op Group CEO Steve Murrells is to step<br />
down following this year’s AGM in May.<br />
The board has appointed Shirine<br />
Khoury-Haq, group CFO and CEO of Co-op<br />
Life Services, as its interim group CEO.<br />
Mr Murrells said: “It is important to<br />
put a clear CEO succession plan in place.<br />
This is especially the case as we begin the<br />
process to appoint a new chairman. In such<br />
circumstances I would either have needed<br />
to commit <strong>for</strong> another five years or step<br />
down now to allow a new CEO to become<br />
established and allow a smooth transition,<br />
ahead of a new chairman arriving. I have<br />
there<strong>for</strong>e chosen to take that step now.<br />
“I have had 10 wonderful years at the<br />
Co-op and am very proud of all that we<br />
have achieved and how we’ve shown that<br />
a purpose-led organisation ... can make<br />
such a difference. Thanks to our amazing<br />
colleagues, we have been there <strong>for</strong> millions<br />
of members and customers when they have<br />
needed us the most.”<br />
p Steve Murrells<br />
Allan Leighton, chair of the Group, who<br />
is expected to stand down in 2024 after nine<br />
years in the role, said: “Steve’s decision will<br />
ensure the transitioning of both chair and<br />
CEO will take place seamlessly. Steve has<br />
done a tremendous job and has been at the<br />
<strong>for</strong>efront of our transition. He is a top class<br />
leader and person and his legacy in the<br />
Co-op is firmly embedded.<br />
“Shirine has excellent leadership skills<br />
and a deep level of operational experience,<br />
gained globally across a number of sectors.<br />
p Shirine Khoury-Haq<br />
She understands our Co-op and I and the<br />
rest of the board look <strong>for</strong>ward to working<br />
closely with her going <strong>for</strong>ward.”<br />
Ms Khoury-Haq said: “I am proud to<br />
be part of a wonderful organisation that<br />
contributes so much. We have lots to do and<br />
I am looking <strong>for</strong>ward to working with my<br />
60,000 colleagues, Allan and our board to<br />
continue to make the Co-op a special place<br />
to work while providing great products and<br />
services to our customers and members.”<br />
u Lincolnshire Co-op CEO to retire: p14<br />
POLITICS<br />
Co-op Party condemns Sunak budget as missed opportunity<br />
Rishi Sunak’s spring budget was<br />
announced on 23 March, amid warnings<br />
from the Office of Budget Responsibility of<br />
a record fall in living standards.<br />
Set against a backdrop of rising inflation,<br />
a reduced growth <strong>for</strong>ecast, the aftermath<br />
of the Covid-19 crisis and the invasion of<br />
Ukraine, Mr Sunak’s plans include a 5p<br />
cut in fuel duty and an increase in the<br />
National Insurance threshold.<br />
The Employment Allowance, which<br />
gives relief on business rates and National<br />
Insurance payments to smaller businesses.<br />
Homeowners installing energy efficiency<br />
materials – such as solar, heat pumps<br />
or insulation – will see VAT cut on these<br />
items to zero <strong>for</strong> five years. Green tech<br />
will also be exempt from business rates<br />
from <strong>April</strong> <strong>2022</strong>, and there are measures to<br />
support the decarbonisation of buildings<br />
and low-carbon heat networks.<br />
But the Co-op Party said Mr Sunak<br />
had failed “to confront the worst costof-living<br />
crisis in a generation and help<br />
support the UK’s economic recovery”.<br />
Policy officer Daniel Monaghan added:<br />
“We’re facing fundamental challenges<br />
to our energy security, food security and<br />
economic security – challenges to which<br />
this statement failed to rise.”<br />
Mr Monaghan said the war in Ukraine<br />
had given new urgency to issues around<br />
energy security and the need to invest in<br />
“cheap, clean renewable energy produced<br />
and owned right here in the UK”.<br />
He added: “That’s why we welcome<br />
the government’s move to bring in<br />
our longstanding policy of zero-rating<br />
renewable energy products.”<br />
“Un<strong>for</strong>tunately,” he added, “the<br />
government is allowing its only financial<br />
support <strong>for</strong> the community energy sector<br />
to lapse later this month. We’re calling <strong>for</strong><br />
a new National Community Energy Fund,<br />
so more people can take advantage of the<br />
transition to renewable power. ”<br />
Mr Monaghan added: “Ownership is at<br />
the heart of sharing power and wealth.<br />
An effective way to do this would be by<br />
committing to grow the co-operative<br />
economy and help ensure more businesses<br />
can be owned by workers, consumers and<br />
communities – but this was another area<br />
that the government overlooked.”<br />
Tony Armstrong, CEO of community<br />
business charity Locality, said:<br />
“Community organisations are<br />
concentrated in the places most in need<br />
of ‘levelling up’, and our recent research<br />
showed their extraordinary resilience<br />
during the pandemic (see page 15).<br />
But they could do so much more if the<br />
government just trusted them to act.<br />
“That means making the money the<br />
government is spending on levelling<br />
up more accessible to community<br />
organisations. By making funds more<br />
flexible and decentralised, the government<br />
can put communities in charge.”<br />
10 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
DEVELOPMENT<br />
Co-ops and community wealth building included in Scotland’s 10 year plan<br />
The Scottish government has released<br />
its National Strategy <strong>for</strong> Economic<br />
Trans<strong>for</strong>mation, which it says will<br />
“maximise the opportunities of the next<br />
decade to achieve our vision of a wellbeing<br />
economy” by 2032.<br />
The document includes commitments<br />
on a just transition to net zero,<br />
education, entrepreneuralism, fairer<br />
work and regional development which<br />
all have implications <strong>for</strong> co-ops as well as<br />
conventional businesses.<br />
It says the Scottish government will<br />
“undertake and publish a review of how<br />
best to significantly increase the number<br />
of social enterprises, employee-owned<br />
businesses and co-operatives in Scotland,<br />
supporting regional regeneration and the<br />
wealth of local communities.”<br />
There is also a pledge to “introduce<br />
community wealth building legislation<br />
that builds on the successes and<br />
learnings of all of the Scottish government<br />
community wealth building pilot areas”.<br />
Community wealth building, which<br />
sees councils, hospitals, police and<br />
other anchor institutions support local<br />
economies by targeting procurement<br />
spending at local businesses, is a<br />
cornerstone of economic programmes<br />
by UK co-op councils such as Preston.<br />
In Scotland, it has been practised by<br />
authorities including the Ayrshire<br />
Regional Economic Partnership (REP).<br />
The report says: “The Ayrshire Growth<br />
Deal is delivering projects focusing on<br />
community wealth building and working<br />
<strong>for</strong> a healthy economy. Both the Scottish<br />
government and the UK government are<br />
investing up to £103m each over 10 years,<br />
with the Ayrshire councils contributing<br />
a further £45.5m to the deal. Building<br />
on the deal, Ayrshire REP are currently<br />
developing a regional economic strategy<br />
that aims to take a community wealth<br />
building approach to economic activity<br />
across the region.”<br />
James Wright, policy officer at Cooperatives<br />
UK, said: “We are really<br />
pleased to see explicit reference to coops<br />
in the Scottish National Economic<br />
Trans<strong>for</strong>mation Strategy.<br />
“We fed ideas on supporting cooperative<br />
entrepreneurship into the<br />
process, and have been working hard<br />
to encourage Scottish government to<br />
commit to supporting co-operatives since<br />
the election. The challenge now is to get<br />
appropriate resources allocated to the<br />
right aspects to co-operative development<br />
to make an impact.”<br />
Tim Bailey, CEO of the Scottish<br />
Agricultural Organisation Society, said<br />
the Strategy “recognises the important<br />
role <strong>for</strong> co-operatives to help fulfil the<br />
vision of business models that provide fair<br />
work and underpin and support the local<br />
communities in which they operate.”<br />
£4m fund to boost<br />
social businesses in<br />
North Tyneside<br />
Community businesses and co-ops in the<br />
north-east are being invited to apply to<br />
the £4m Social Finance Fund, launched<br />
by the North of Tyne Combined Authority<br />
(NTCA) and community business charity<br />
Power to Change.<br />
The fund is part of a wider £15m<br />
investment from the NTCA to help<br />
businesses develop new and inventive<br />
products and services.<br />
The authority’s Labour/Co-op mayor<br />
Jamie Driscoll said: “We don’t believe in a<br />
top-down way of doing things. The whole<br />
point of devolution is to bring powers<br />
close to people. We know there’s a need<br />
<strong>for</strong> an economy that works better <strong>for</strong> local<br />
people. We know there are people that<br />
want more socially trading organisations<br />
and workers’ co-ops.<br />
“We’re announcing a dedicated £4m<br />
Social Finance Fund specifically <strong>for</strong> local<br />
businesses working to improve our region<br />
and communities.<br />
“But this only works if it’s a partnership<br />
between us and the people we’re funding<br />
so we need you to come <strong>for</strong>ward with your<br />
ideas. This fund will help the co-ops and<br />
community businesses thrive and we need<br />
your help to shape it.”<br />
Deputy mayor Carl Johnson said:<br />
“Social enterprises have a critical role<br />
in the creation of a more inclusive<br />
local economy. As Social Enterprise<br />
UK have shown, they are more diverse<br />
organisations and employ more women<br />
and people from minority communities<br />
than other businesses, with a greater<br />
proportion of these in leadership roles.”<br />
Tim Davies-Pugh, interim CEO of<br />
Power to Change, said: “Socially trading<br />
organisations, including community<br />
businesses, play incredibly important<br />
roles in local economies. Rooted in the<br />
areas they serve, these organisations<br />
directly address the needs of their<br />
communities. They also give local people<br />
more opportunities to actively participate<br />
in, and benefit from, economic activity,<br />
even in the poorest communities.<br />
“We look <strong>for</strong>ward to working in this<br />
exciting partnership with the North of<br />
Tyne Combined Authority to create a<br />
more inclusive economy through the<br />
development of the fund.”<br />
The Insights NE initiative at Newcastle<br />
University will also contribute insights on<br />
the development of the fund.<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 11
CO-OP FUNDRAISERS<br />
Bristol gym, Belfast brewery: Community co-ops launch growth bids<br />
Two community-based co-ops have<br />
launched appeals <strong>for</strong> funds to help them<br />
grow and innovate new services.<br />
In south-west England, Bristol Cooperative<br />
Gym is running a crowdfunder<br />
to “build a gym that reflects our values<br />
and make our current space accessible <strong>for</strong><br />
more people”.<br />
The member-owned, volunteer-run<br />
gym has offered fitness training to more<br />
than 1,000 people in parts of the city<br />
with limited access to health and fitness<br />
facilities. Now it wants to offer “an<br />
inclusive, welcoming space <strong>for</strong> exercise<br />
free from assumptions around identity,<br />
appearance and ability”.<br />
It says its co-op model offers an<br />
alternative to profit-driven commercial<br />
gyms, and “supports an approach to<br />
fitness unique to each member”.<br />
“Our model works”, it adds. “We<br />
survived the pandemic, when many other<br />
gyms around us closed, without requiring<br />
any external support or dipping into our<br />
reserves.”<br />
With the new fundraiser, it aims to:<br />
• Build a culture of non-judgment through<br />
celebration of each other’s progress<br />
• Build a supportive and inclusive culture<br />
that is free from assumptions<br />
• Empower people to create healthy<br />
training habits<br />
• Engage people who are excluded from<br />
training facilities<br />
• Provide quality coaching and facilities<br />
• Remain af<strong>for</strong>dable by using fair pricing<br />
• Be financially sustainable in day-to-day<br />
operations.<br />
Last October, the co-op took on sole<br />
occupancy of a space in St Anne’s House<br />
run by Bricks – a social enterprise<br />
supporting local and creative communities<br />
in the city.<br />
Since then, it says it has welcomed 200<br />
new people from the local area, offered<br />
free weightlifting classes to NEET (Not<br />
in Education, Employment or Training)<br />
young people and free memberships to<br />
refugees and asylum seekers.<br />
But the site, a <strong>for</strong>mer council building,<br />
needs an urgent refit, including<br />
replacement flooring, improved<br />
soundproofing and new equipment.<br />
This includes a new layout that is more<br />
suitable <strong>for</strong> beginners and members<br />
with mobility issues or neurodiversity,<br />
increased control over light and<br />
noise levels to better manage sensory<br />
stimulation, the option of a private<br />
training area, and equipment that is more<br />
adaptable to all abilities and body shapes.<br />
Members and coaches worked with<br />
local architects 2A1M to design the ideal<br />
training environment, and the co-op has<br />
taken advice from experts in accessible,<br />
inclusive and community-engaged<br />
approaches to fitness, offering something<br />
“radically different to how conventional<br />
gyms look and feel”.<br />
“Our gym will include people who are<br />
often excluded from fitness spaces by<br />
partnering proactively with specialist<br />
organisations in the communities we hope<br />
to reach,” the team adds.<br />
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland’s<br />
Boundary Brewing Co-operative is<br />
planning to open the region’s first<br />
taproom, next door to its brewery.<br />
The co-op, which has run dozens of<br />
pop-up taprooms and events and wants a<br />
permanent venue, is offering membership<br />
shares in the venture, in a bid to raise<br />
£150,000 to fund the fit out costs; it has so<br />
far raised £53,000.<br />
It says the facility will act as a community<br />
hub, with space <strong>for</strong> social events such as<br />
book clubs, running clubs, finance classes<br />
and board game clubs, as well as serving<br />
beers from the Boundary brewery and<br />
elsewhere, alongside wines and “carefully<br />
curated local spirits”. Customers will also<br />
be able to enjoy pizza from neighbouring<br />
business Flout.<br />
The co-op hopes to add to its 1,500<br />
members with the share offer, expanding<br />
its ability to work with its community<br />
and local charities. It is planning to hire<br />
a community engagement officer once the<br />
taproom is up and running.<br />
“If you have fallen head over heels in<br />
love with Boundary, or just love beer,<br />
and have always wanted a permanent<br />
place to come to enjoy the freshest, most<br />
interesting beers in Belfast, then this is<br />
your opportunity to make a difference,”<br />
it says. “If you are a current member, and<br />
want to support us further, then this is<br />
a great opportunity. If you are not, and<br />
want to help open the first taproom in the<br />
country, then come along.”<br />
All members, new and current, will<br />
continue to get 18% discount off Boundary<br />
beer from the co-op’s shop, and they will<br />
also now get 10% off all Boundary beer<br />
from all its venues.<br />
Also, during this community share raise,<br />
they will receive 20% of their investment<br />
back as a gift voucher <strong>for</strong> Boundary beer<br />
in its venues; a £1,000 investment will<br />
bring a £200 gift voucher <strong>for</strong> its venues.<br />
Minimum investment is £100. Those<br />
who invest £100 will be an ordinary<br />
member. Those who invest £250 or more<br />
will be a supporter member. The main<br />
difference between an ordinary and<br />
supporter member is that there are more<br />
supporter member seats on the board of<br />
directors.<br />
12 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
EDUCATION<br />
Young co-operators attend PeaceCommunicators programme<br />
p Members of the Woodcraft Folk were among those attending an international PeaceCommunicators seminar<br />
Members of the Woodcraft Folk<br />
have attended an international<br />
PeaceCommunicators seminar, part<br />
of a programme centred around peace<br />
education. It aims to provide a space <strong>for</strong><br />
young people aged 16-30 to “develop the<br />
skills, attitudes, values and knowledge<br />
to help them build sustainable, just and<br />
supportive societies”.<br />
The Woodcraft Folk is a co-operative<br />
educational movement <strong>for</strong> children and<br />
young people which emphasises equality,<br />
friendship, peace and co-operation. It<br />
operates 300 volunteer-led groups <strong>for</strong><br />
young people across England, Wales and<br />
Scotland.<br />
“Woodcraft Folk promotes positive<br />
alternatives to violence with their young<br />
supporters and we were proud to have<br />
some of their members selected <strong>for</strong> the<br />
PeaceCommunicators, representing the<br />
organisation and working hard <strong>for</strong> peace,”<br />
said the organisation, adding that the<br />
PeaceCommuniators project aligns with<br />
its aims and values of “building a more<br />
peaceful world, where all enjoy freedom<br />
from war and want”.<br />
The PeaceCommunicators project has<br />
three phases; phase one took place on 21-<br />
27 February in Belgium under the theme<br />
‘Critical Peace Educators’, which aimed<br />
to develop participants’ knowledge,<br />
capacities, and skills on peace education,<br />
non-violent conflict resolution, conflict<br />
mediation, and conflict prevention.<br />
Woodcraft Folk members Iolo Walker and<br />
Robyn Brown attended the event, along<br />
with member Bethan Manton-Roseblade<br />
supporting the training team.<br />
“The peace education training seminar<br />
felt extremely poignant at a severe point<br />
of international political distress,” said<br />
Mr Walker. “We worked through the<br />
week identifying what peace means on<br />
the individual, interpersonal and global<br />
scales and developed strategies on<br />
reducing harm in our daily lives and the<br />
wider world. Creating global definitions<br />
of peace and violence was extremely eyeopening<br />
as they are both so contextual.<br />
“I felt very <strong>for</strong>tunate to have been born<br />
in a country where most of the violence<br />
I encounter is second hand. There were<br />
participants in the seminar who came<br />
from countries at the whim of violent<br />
occupational projects such as Palestine<br />
and Ukraine. Creating international<br />
networks through participating in the<br />
seminar <strong>for</strong>ms possibilities <strong>for</strong> exchange<br />
and support.”<br />
The workshop focused on critical peace<br />
education in the context of group work.<br />
Participants also learnt skills to develop<br />
online and offline training sessions on<br />
peace education <strong>for</strong> young people from<br />
their local groups. The seminar was led<br />
by Aggie Taylor, European Solidarity<br />
Co-ops volunteer with the International<br />
Falcon Movement – Socialist Educational<br />
International (IFM-SEI), who is on<br />
placement from Woodcraft Folk.<br />
“The aim of the week was to take<br />
youth workers from around the world<br />
and together, develop knowledge and<br />
competencies on Peace Education in<br />
order <strong>for</strong> them to become Critical Peace<br />
Communicators,” she said. “We looked<br />
deeply into emotions and the role they<br />
play in understanding peace and conflict,<br />
we tried out various methods of nonviolent<br />
communication and we looked at<br />
how conflicts are affected by structural<br />
and cultural violence.”<br />
Ms Taylor added that an emergency<br />
session was planned in response to the<br />
outbreak of the war in Ukraine where the<br />
participants had a chance to recognise<br />
and reflect on their emotional responses<br />
to the war and to make plans and deliver<br />
some concrete action which included<br />
writing the official IFM-SEI statement.<br />
“We finished the week looking at<br />
mechanisms behind violence, including<br />
propaganda, and returning to planning<br />
a peaceful world. The participants will<br />
now go <strong>for</strong>ward as peace communicators<br />
and plan their own sessions in their local<br />
communities, funded and supported by<br />
the project.”<br />
Woodcraft Folk has recently released<br />
a range of educational resources and<br />
activities on peace <strong>for</strong> a range of ages in<br />
response to the Ukraine war. “With the<br />
war raising lots of questions <strong>for</strong> young<br />
people and affecting their mental health,<br />
the charity wanted to create resources to<br />
support youngsters and youth leaders as<br />
well as the charity groups providing safe<br />
spaces <strong>for</strong> members to talk about the<br />
war and what they may have seen in the<br />
news,” it said.<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 13
RETAIL<br />
Lincolnshire Co-op CEO Ursula Lidbetter announces retirement<br />
Lincolnshire Co-op’s CEO Ursula Lidbetter<br />
has announced her plan to retire at the<br />
end of <strong>2022</strong>, after a career with the society<br />
spanning 37 years.<br />
Ms Lidbetter, who started in 1985 as a<br />
buyer and department manager, is in her<br />
18th year at the helm of the independent<br />
retail co-op, which has over 220 varied<br />
outlets and recorded sales of over £355m in<br />
2020/21.<br />
She has also been at the helm of major<br />
projects including the creation of the<br />
Lincoln Science and Innovation Park<br />
and The Cornhill Quarter development in<br />
Lincoln. She received her OBE in 2019 <strong>for</strong><br />
services to the local economy.<br />
Her career also saw her step up from<br />
November 2013 – February 2015 <strong>for</strong> a brief<br />
stint as chair of the Co-operative Group in<br />
the wake of its financial crisis, where she<br />
helped to steer it through the early stages<br />
of its rescue process.<br />
This year will see Ms Lidbetter turn<br />
60 and, after almost two thirds of her life<br />
working <strong>for</strong> Lincolnshire, she feels it’s the<br />
right time to retire and spend more time<br />
with family.<br />
She said: “It’s a privilege to work<br />
alongside my 2,900 colleagues to lead this<br />
special business, where we aim to make life<br />
better in our communities every day.<br />
“It’s also wonderful to collaborate with<br />
many like-minded people in organisations<br />
across Lincolnshire and beyond to bring<br />
<strong>for</strong>ward schemes making such a difference.<br />
“In due course, I will hand over to my<br />
successor who will take us into the next<br />
stage of our development.”<br />
Lincolnshire’s board of directors will<br />
conduct a recruitment process <strong>for</strong> the new<br />
CEO over coming months.<br />
Chair David Cowell said: “The board<br />
would like to thank Ursula <strong>for</strong> the huge<br />
contribution she has made to the success<br />
of the society during her time here. She<br />
will be leaving our co-op in great shape to<br />
move on to its next chapter, based upon<br />
the strong legacy that has been built over<br />
161 years of trading. In the meantime, we<br />
have a busy programme of work <strong>for</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />
and look <strong>for</strong>ward to delivering this under<br />
Ursula’s expert leadership.”<br />
u Letters, page 24<br />
EQUALITY<br />
Central England gathers women co-operators <strong>for</strong> IWD <strong>2022</strong><br />
To celebrate International Women’s Day on<br />
8 March –which this year took the theme<br />
of ‘Break the Bias’, Central England Co-op<br />
held a Women’s Voices event.<br />
The event – held the following day – took<br />
place at the National Memorial Arboretum<br />
in Staf<strong>for</strong>dshire, gathering around 100<br />
Central England members and employees.<br />
Discussion took in issues such as biases<br />
in the workplace, achieving career<br />
progression and dealing with bereavement.<br />
Central England also shared details about<br />
its work with women’s groups in Malawi.<br />
Participants heard from keynote<br />
speakers Baroness Glenys Thornton,<br />
Denise Scott-McDonald, president of the<br />
Co-operative Group’s National Members’<br />
Council, and Debbie Robinson, CEO of the<br />
Central England.<br />
Ms Scott-McDonald shared her story<br />
of growing up in a family of co-operators<br />
and political activists, be<strong>for</strong>e studying<br />
journalism at Columbia University in the<br />
US. While working as a journalist in New<br />
York she had a brief interaction with<br />
Barack Obama, back then just an activist.<br />
Her key advice <strong>for</strong> women was to never<br />
underestimate what they can achieve.<br />
Sharing her tips <strong>for</strong> how to break<br />
gender boundaries, Baroness Thornton<br />
emphasised the need <strong>for</strong> solidarity, support<br />
and sisterhood, mentioning the mentorship<br />
she had received from fellow Labour MP<br />
Harriet Harman and late co-operator Hilda<br />
Smith. She encouraged women to question<br />
norms and not pay attention to those telling<br />
them to “keep their tone down”.<br />
Participants also had the chance to<br />
go on a tour of the Arboretum, a site of<br />
national remembrance, which welcomes<br />
over 300,000 visitors a year.<br />
International Women’s Day has been<br />
marked around the world since 1911 to<br />
commemorate the cultural, political, and<br />
socioeconomic achievements of women.<br />
The International Co-operative<br />
Alliance’s Gender Equality Committee<br />
(GEC) published a statement which<br />
highlighted the interconnectedness<br />
between women’s rights, gender equality<br />
and climate justice.<br />
“Co-operatives, as people-centred<br />
economic models – through their<br />
values of self-help, equality and equity,<br />
and principles of voluntary and open<br />
membership and democratic control – are<br />
well-placed to address many of the issues<br />
that negatively impact women,” it said,<br />
“especially to address the multifaceted<br />
issue of poverty and shape women’s<br />
wellbeing.”<br />
The statement also pointed out the role<br />
co-operatives play in promoting gender<br />
equality “by increasing women’s access to<br />
resources and economic opportunities; by<br />
empowering them not only economically<br />
but also individually and socially to<br />
challenge the social and cultural norms;<br />
by creating an enabling environment<br />
<strong>for</strong> them to use those opportunities and<br />
assets to achieve equal outcomes to men.”<br />
The GEC also called <strong>for</strong> “peace and<br />
diplomatic solutions” to the Ukraine<br />
war “to prevent further suffering of<br />
millions of innocent people, especially of<br />
women and girls.”<br />
GEC chair Maria Eugenia Pérez Zea<br />
said: “As values-based enterprises, cooperatives<br />
are by nature promoters of<br />
gender equality. At times of crisis and<br />
uncertainty, co-operatives continue to<br />
care <strong>for</strong> their communities and provide<br />
much-needed products and services while<br />
making positive changes.”<br />
14 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
HOUSING<br />
Preston Council<br />
transfers Travellers’ site<br />
into co-op management<br />
Preston City Council has voted to adopt a<br />
site <strong>for</strong> Travellers after Lancashire County<br />
Council decided to dispose of it – leading<br />
to fears it would be sold, its rents increased<br />
and residents <strong>for</strong>ced to move.<br />
Residents will be invited to join the<br />
newly established Leighton Street Cooperative,<br />
which will take on its day-today<br />
management.<br />
The co-op plans fit in with the ‘Preston<br />
Model’ ethos of the council, which<br />
<strong>for</strong> several years has been running<br />
community wealth building initiatives<br />
to boost the local economy and increase<br />
democratic ownership.<br />
Travellers have been living at the site <strong>for</strong><br />
more than 30 years. It is one of three sites<br />
established <strong>for</strong> the Traveller community<br />
by Lancashire County Council in the late<br />
1980s and the families are well integrated<br />
into the area.<br />
A recent decision by Lancashire<br />
County Council to dispose of the sites<br />
raised concern <strong>for</strong> their future but, as an<br />
alternative to selling, Lancashire offered<br />
Leighton Street to Preston City Council.<br />
Community representatives proposed<br />
that if the city council adopted the site, it<br />
would be run by a co-op.<br />
Preston Council leader Matthew Brown<br />
said: “The Leighton Street community’s<br />
proposal was very well received by the<br />
city council. A key part of our commitment<br />
to community wealth building is to<br />
encourage greater democratic ownership<br />
and management of local assets. Cooperatives<br />
– business enterprises owned<br />
by their members – can play a key role in<br />
this. The readiness of the community at<br />
Leighton Street to establish their own cooperative<br />
to run the site provided a very<br />
good fit with the council’s own approach.”<br />
Covid proves the community business model’s mettle<br />
(Photo: Alex Brenner)<br />
Research from community business apex<br />
Locality says the pandemic saw the sector<br />
innovate, responding to local needs and<br />
diversifying its revenue source. This has<br />
left it stronger; the survey found 78% of<br />
community organisations are optimistic<br />
about the future – compared to just 68%<br />
of small businesses. Locality says this<br />
strengthens the case to give the sector a<br />
share of levelling up funds.<br />
Welsh firm quadruples staff after switching to EO status<br />
BIC Innovation, a private consultancy<br />
with offices in Anglesey and Bridgend,<br />
has grown from 13 workers to 51 since<br />
becoming employee-owned (EO) in 2018.<br />
The Welsh government has committed to<br />
doubling the number of EO firms in Wales<br />
over the next Senedd term and Wales Cooperative<br />
Centre has seen a surge in the<br />
number of businesses looking to switch.<br />
Co-op Group sticks with ethical compost <strong>for</strong> peat’s sake<br />
The Co-op Group has reaffirmed its<br />
commitment to selling only peat-free<br />
compost, developed by Westland. Its<br />
announcement comes as the government<br />
closes consultation on measures to end the<br />
retail sale of peat in England and Wales.<br />
Peat is important in terms of habitat and<br />
storing carbon to prevent climate change.<br />
Southern Co-op scraps plastic carriers and bags <strong>for</strong> life<br />
Southern Co-operative is removing all<br />
single-use carrier bags and plastic bags<br />
<strong>for</strong> life from sale, to help tackle pollution<br />
and climate change. The society also<br />
completed the rollout of WasteInsight<br />
tech across its entire store estate in<br />
January. This uses instant data analysis to<br />
improve sales of marked-down produce to<br />
eliminate food waste.<br />
Just Credit Union celebrates 20 years of social impact<br />
Just Credit Union has published a report<br />
on its social impact to mark its 20th<br />
anniversary. The Shropshire credit<br />
union has seen steady growth since<br />
its establishment in 2001, issuing its<br />
30,000th loan last year and lending over<br />
£15m to its members so far. Over 50% of<br />
its members have reported being more<br />
able to save since joining the credit union.<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 15
HOUSING<br />
Wales Co-operative Centre calls <strong>for</strong> act to support af<strong>for</strong>dable homes<br />
p Derek Walker, WCC chief executive<br />
A law to boost community ownership and<br />
empowerment could help community<br />
groups deliver af<strong>for</strong>dable housing<br />
according to a report from the Wales Cooperative<br />
Centre (WCC).<br />
Such an act would give community<br />
organisations a statutory first right of<br />
refusal over assets in their area when they<br />
are proposed <strong>for</strong> sale or transfer, it adds.<br />
The report, Community ownership of<br />
land and assets: enabling the delivery of<br />
community-led housing in Wales, says the<br />
current market-led housing system is not<br />
working in Wales, with prices soaring and<br />
a lack of genuinely af<strong>for</strong>dable options <strong>for</strong><br />
local people.<br />
“There is growing potential <strong>for</strong><br />
community-led housing in Wales,” says<br />
CEO Derek Walker. “We are working with<br />
over 60 groups who wish to develop<br />
their own af<strong>for</strong>dable housing – but there<br />
remain barriers that can only be overcome<br />
with the support of Welsh government.<br />
Not least among these barriers is the<br />
difficulty <strong>for</strong> community groups to acquire<br />
land on which to build af<strong>for</strong>dable homes.<br />
“The recommendations within our<br />
report look to enhance democracy at a<br />
local level and transfer the balance of<br />
power away from wealthy landowners to<br />
ensure that people across Wales have a<br />
greater ability to shape their local areas.”<br />
The report offers a number of<br />
recommendations <strong>for</strong> Welsh government,<br />
including establishing a commission<br />
to stimulate innovative thinking on<br />
community ownership of land and assets<br />
in Wales, and introducing a community<br />
ownership and empowerment act.<br />
It also suggests the Welsh government<br />
develops a land ownership registry/<br />
database and a revolving loan fund<br />
<strong>for</strong> community-led housing projects,<br />
alongside a <strong>for</strong>mal process <strong>for</strong> Community<br />
Asset Transfers (CAT) so that there is a<br />
standardised approach across all local<br />
authorities and public bodies.<br />
As well as trans<strong>for</strong>ming the communityled<br />
housing sector in Wales, improving<br />
community ownership rights would<br />
benefit other sectors by growing the<br />
community energy, farming and food<br />
production sectors, helping to protect<br />
the natural environment, and revitalising<br />
dilapidated assets and buildings in cities,<br />
towns, and villages.<br />
“We will continue to work with partners<br />
to ensure that any changes made meet<br />
the needs of communities across Wales,”<br />
adds the report.<br />
Meanwhile, the Centre has become<br />
the latest organisation to be accredited<br />
by the White Ribbon UK campaign,<br />
which sees it pledge to never commit,<br />
excuse, or remain silent about violence<br />
against women. White Ribbon is a transnational<br />
movement that is committed<br />
to ending male violence against women<br />
and generating meaningful behavioural<br />
changes in men and boys.<br />
MEMBERSHIP<br />
Outlandish withdraws membership of Co-operatives UK<br />
Following the launch of Co-operatives<br />
UK’s new branding and strategy, tech<br />
worker co-operative Outlandish has<br />
publicly withdrawn its membership of the<br />
apex body.<br />
“Co-operatives UK commissioned a<br />
private limited company to develop their<br />
brand. For us, this is at odds with their<br />
strategy [which] prioritises enabling tech<br />
and digital; embedding the values and<br />
principles across all businesses; and<br />
inspiring communities to grow the cooperative<br />
economy,” said a statement<br />
from Outlandish.<br />
“We believe Co-operatives UK should<br />
be held to high standards when it comes<br />
to commissioning co-ops in their supply<br />
chain [...] Whilst as a small worker co-op<br />
our membership fees may be insignificant<br />
compared to other members, we want<br />
them to be used to support the co-op<br />
sector, not the private sector.”<br />
Outlandish described how the<br />
co-op movement “is not lacking in highly<br />
experienced designers”, giving the<br />
example of CoTech, a UK-wide network of<br />
worker co-ops in the digital sector.<br />
“Frankly this feels like a slap in the<br />
face,” added Outlandish, claiming that<br />
Co-operatives UK also never put any<br />
money into supporting CoTech or SPACE4.<br />
Co-operatives UK denied this.<br />
Responding to the open letter, Cooperatives<br />
UK CEO, Rose Marley,<br />
highlighted how in 2020 the organisation<br />
consolidated six separate programme<br />
websites into one central website,<br />
awarding this contract to CoTech. “This<br />
piece of work had a value of over £100,000<br />
and was one of the largest digital projects<br />
we have undertaken in recent years,”<br />
she said, adding that a third of UnFound<br />
Accelerator Workshops were also<br />
commissioned from CoTech.<br />
She said that Co-operatives UK operates<br />
a ‘members first’ procurement policy but<br />
that on this occasion, “we invited both coops<br />
and non-co-ops to bid <strong>for</strong> this work”.<br />
“Not only was the winning agency the<br />
most creative and cost-effective approach<br />
<strong>for</strong> members’ money, we have repeatedly<br />
seen that our comms do not resonate<br />
outside the movement,” said Ms Marley.<br />
“A task all our members have been asking<br />
us to do is communicate more effectively<br />
beyond the movement and a fresh pair of<br />
eyes was helpful on this occasion.”<br />
16 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
GLOBAL UPDATES<br />
AUSTRALIA<br />
Co-op sector responds to Queensland and NSW floods<br />
Australian co-ops and credit unions have<br />
been stepping up their relief ef<strong>for</strong>ts in the<br />
wake of devastating floods in Queensland<br />
and New South Wales.<br />
Responding to the crisis, the Australia<br />
Mutuals Foundation, the mutual<br />
sector’s charitable fund, has activated<br />
its emergency / disaster relief donations<br />
portal to accept donations from the<br />
Australian co-operative and mutual<br />
community.<br />
Sector body the Business Council of<br />
Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM)<br />
says many of its member co-ops are<br />
at the epicentre of some of the most<br />
extreme flooding, including Norco dairy,<br />
Summerland Credit Union and TNR<br />
Accountants in Lismore, and Heritage<br />
Bank in Toowoomba.<br />
On its website, BCCM reports that<br />
bcu credit union branches are closed<br />
in Brisbane, Murwillumbah, Lismore,<br />
Ballina, Iluka, Grafton and Toormina.<br />
Clarence River Fishermen’s Co-op “has<br />
been taking it hour by hour <strong>for</strong> now.<br />
Their community spirit and resilience<br />
in managing the challenges has shone<br />
through,” it adds.<br />
The office of Koori Mail was destroyed<br />
in the floods, <strong>for</strong>cing it to miss its first<br />
publication date in its 30 year existence.<br />
The Mail is a <strong>for</strong>tnightly newspaper <strong>for</strong><br />
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander<br />
people, owned by five Indigenous<br />
Australian community co-ops, and its<br />
team have been helping evacuate remote<br />
Indigenous communities.<br />
Nundah Community Enterprises Co-op<br />
lost $10,000 (£5,500) worth of stock and<br />
equipment in soccer club canteens, which<br />
it runs to provide work opportunities to<br />
people from refugee backgrounds. Despite<br />
this, Nundah Community Enterprises Coop<br />
teams are assisting with cleanup.<br />
Many other co-op and credit union<br />
premises have been damaged and<br />
destroyed, and multiple organisations<br />
had to close branches, but co-ops have<br />
also been helping with relief and recovery.<br />
The Casino Food Co-operative, in<br />
Northern Rivers, NSW, has been a centre<br />
point <strong>for</strong> recovery and food distribution<br />
hub, offering use of its refrigeration<br />
equipment, <strong>for</strong>klifts, chopper pad, fuel<br />
p One of the flooded facilities at Norco milk co-op<br />
tanks, mobile generators and earth<br />
moving equipment. Staff, including<br />
plant workers and cleaning teams, are<br />
cleaning homes and assisting with food<br />
distribution.<br />
In a Facebook message to members,<br />
Norco dairy CEO Michael Hampson<br />
said: “A huge region from South East<br />
Queensland down into Northern New<br />
South Wales and parts of Sydney have<br />
experienced a flood event never be<strong>for</strong>e<br />
seen in history.<br />
“Our thoughts go out to all people<br />
that are suffering devastation, loss and<br />
hardship over this time. The Northern<br />
Rivers region of NSW has been particularly<br />
hard hit and un<strong>for</strong>tunately, the Norco<br />
Lismore based facilities, including our<br />
heritage-listed ice-cream factory, have<br />
been inundated with floodwaters. We<br />
are rallying together to get through the<br />
clean-up process and it must be said that<br />
the courageous ef<strong>for</strong>ts and support of our<br />
community in the wake of this tragedy has<br />
been nothing short of inspirational.<br />
“The Norco team continue to work<br />
diligently to get milk and supplies to<br />
flood-affected areas and we will continue<br />
to focus on this over the coming days and<br />
weeks during the clean-up ef<strong>for</strong>ts.”<br />
Other members with operations in<br />
the flood areas in NSW and Southern<br />
Queensland include RACQ, Great<br />
Southern Bank, Queensland Country<br />
Bank, Union Co-operative Society,<br />
Marquis Macadamias, Ballina Fishermens<br />
Co-op, Clarence River Fisherman’s Co-op,<br />
OzGroup and Casino Food Co-op, which<br />
has been a centre point <strong>for</strong> recovery and<br />
food distribution hub from the outset.<br />
Australia’s co-ops and mutual banks are<br />
also stepping up with support packages.<br />
BCCM added: “We know many<br />
individuals from the BCCM community<br />
will have their own stories of community<br />
care and resilience as they carry the<br />
co-operative spirit with them in all<br />
they do.<br />
“Our hearts break as we read the<br />
emerging stories and try to comprehend<br />
the magnitude of this disaster. In some<br />
regions, the clean-up and recovery<br />
will take months or even years. Stock,<br />
infrastructure and capital losses have<br />
a profound effect on businesses, not to<br />
mention workers who are also faced with<br />
personal losses at home. Off the back<br />
of the pandemic, as well as bushfires in<br />
some regions, this is yet another trauma.<br />
However, as in previous disasters, we<br />
know that co-ops and mutuals will play<br />
a pivotal role in rebuilding their local<br />
communities.”<br />
The apex body’s chief executive Melina<br />
Morrison travelled to Canberra to in<strong>for</strong>m<br />
policymakers of the impact of co-ops and<br />
mutuals in flood-impacted regions, “who<br />
are problem-solving and responding to<br />
the disaster with local knowledge”.<br />
u BCCM updates at bit.ly/36M26PY<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 17
GLOBAL<br />
World Credit Union Conference keynote speakers announced<br />
The World Council of Credit Unions<br />
(WOCCU) has revealed the names of the<br />
first three keynote speakers who will<br />
be addressing its World Credit Union<br />
Conference in July.<br />
Due to take place in Glasgow on 17-<br />
20 July, the conference is expected to<br />
gather credit union practitioners from 60<br />
countries to discuss issues related to credit<br />
union leadership, cyber security, digital<br />
technologies and the future of financial<br />
services.<br />
Speakers will include thought leader<br />
Ian Khan, cyber security analyst Keren<br />
Elazari and behavioural science expert<br />
Belinda Parmar.<br />
Mr Khan has worked with clients<br />
in the finance, banking, HighTech,<br />
manufacturing and credit union industries.<br />
He is best known <strong>for</strong> creating the Future<br />
p The event will take place on 17-20 July in<br />
Glasgow (photo credit: iStock)<br />
Readiness Score, an organisational metric<br />
to measure and achieve future-readiness.<br />
Also a filmmaker, he has explored issues<br />
such as Blockchain, artificial intelligence<br />
and the future of work in several<br />
documentaries.<br />
Ms Elazari has over 20 years of experience<br />
in the field of cyber security, having worked<br />
with technology providers, government<br />
agencies, start-ups and Fortune 500<br />
companies.<br />
Her Ted Talk on cyber security and<br />
hacking has been viewed by millions and<br />
translated into 30 languages. It was also<br />
chosen <strong>for</strong> TED’s ‘Most Powerful Ideas’<br />
and is one of TED’s most watched talks on<br />
the topic of cyber security and hacking.<br />
Ms Parmar created a Global Empathy<br />
Index – the first index to measure<br />
empathy and inclusion at scale, which<br />
was published in the Harvard Business<br />
Review. She has worked with several large<br />
companies and their leaders to change<br />
cultures and bring more empowerment to<br />
people’s lives.<br />
The full programme is available on the<br />
conference website. The conference will be<br />
co-hosted by Woccu and the Association<br />
of British Credit Unions Limited (Abcul).<br />
USA<br />
Credit union tech plat<strong>for</strong>m CFS rebrands as Co-op Solutions<br />
CO-OP Financial Services, the tech<br />
plat<strong>for</strong>m <strong>for</strong> the US credit union sector,<br />
has rebranded as Co-op Solutions.<br />
The launch, at the Governmental Affairs<br />
Conference (GAC) of the Credit Union<br />
National Association, presented the<br />
business’s new name, corporate tagline<br />
and logo, which represents its “evolution<br />
as a proven innovator of reliable, secure,<br />
digital-first payments <strong>for</strong> the modern<br />
member, and fintech solutions”.<br />
“Over the last few years we have<br />
aggressively invested in the company<br />
to produce a payments and financial<br />
technology plat<strong>for</strong>m <strong>for</strong> credit unions<br />
and their members, bringing us to a<br />
rebranding as Co-op Solutions,” said Todd<br />
Clark, president/CEO of Co-op Solutions.<br />
“It’s a change on the outside that<br />
better captures the change that has taken<br />
place on the inside. Co-op is an essential<br />
strategic partner committed to the success<br />
and growth of the credit union movement,<br />
and a provider of innovative solutions<br />
ensuring our clients offer their members<br />
leading-edge technology and services.”<br />
Co-op has adopted “Make every<br />
experience matter” as its credo, which<br />
is supported by a new corporate mission<br />
statement: “To connect credit unions<br />
to the technology, strategic partnership<br />
and scale they need to best serve their<br />
members now and into the future.”<br />
“As we roll out the new branding, our<br />
focus remains true to the co-operative<br />
spirit we were founded on – to deliver<br />
integrated technology solutions that<br />
enable member engagement and drive<br />
usage and market share growth <strong>for</strong> credit<br />
unions,” said chief experience officer<br />
Samantha Paxson.<br />
Co-op Solutions says it has evolved<br />
from being a reseller of others’ products to<br />
building “an ever-expanding technology<br />
ecosystem to address the lifestyle needs<br />
of members as they pay <strong>for</strong> things daily,“<br />
adding, “not only do credit unions<br />
have a true fintech company within the<br />
movement, but a consultative partner in<br />
providing complete solutions.”<br />
“Members want to interact with<br />
their institution whenever, however<br />
and wherever they choose, and each<br />
interaction must be simple, secure and<br />
satisfying,” added Mr Clark. “Co-op<br />
provides a complete digital payments<br />
ecosystem that enables credit unions<br />
to facilitate the daily lifestyle moments<br />
of members. Each time a member pays<br />
<strong>for</strong> something, it is an experience that<br />
matters – bringing that member into a<br />
closer relationship with their credit union.<br />
Through our work, we help ensure that<br />
credit unions stay relevant.”<br />
The logo will continue to render the<br />
company’s name in all caps, but will switch<br />
to the conventional ‘Co-op’ in regular text<br />
to “invoke the word co-operative, which<br />
is core to Co-op’s business as a provider<br />
owned by more than 900 shareholding<br />
institutions and servicing 85% of the<br />
nation’s credit unions”.<br />
No immediate change is required<br />
from the company’s clients. Signage<br />
<strong>for</strong> Co-op’s consumer-facing services<br />
– its 30,000-strong ATM network and<br />
5,700-location shared branch network –<br />
remains unchanged at this time.<br />
18 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
IRELAND<br />
Credit unions<br />
want law change to<br />
increase mortgage offer<br />
The Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU)<br />
has asked the government to allow credit<br />
unions to significantly increase their<br />
footprint in the mortgage market.<br />
The statement is a response to a Sunday<br />
Independent article by credit unions<br />
minister Sean Fleming, suggesting that<br />
“credit unions should fill the gap left by<br />
the departures of Ulster Bank and KBC<br />
from the Irish market and start lending<br />
more mortgages”.<br />
ILCU said the sector was keen to seize<br />
this opportunity but noted that credit<br />
unions were “currently handcuffed by the<br />
restrictive lending limits <strong>for</strong> mortgages<br />
prescribed by the Central Bank of<br />
Ireland”. ILCU explained that mortgage<br />
and SME lending is limited to a combined<br />
maximum of 7.5% of total assets <strong>for</strong> most<br />
credit unions. As such, a credit union<br />
with assets of €70m (£58.33m), taking an<br />
average mortgage of €350,000 (£291,628),<br />
can only offer 15 mortgages under the<br />
current limits, exclusive of any SME<br />
lending.<br />
ILCU asked Minister Fleming to address<br />
the restrictive regulatory lending regime<br />
<strong>for</strong> credit unions.<br />
Commenting on the article, ILCU deputy<br />
CEO David Malone said: “The Programme<br />
<strong>for</strong> Government committed to ‘Enable<br />
the Credit Union movement to grow as a<br />
key provider of community banking in<br />
the country’. In order <strong>for</strong> credit unions to<br />
become community banks, and to really<br />
engage in the mortgage market, the ILCU<br />
is asking minister Fleming to address<br />
the imbalance caused by the restrictive<br />
regulatory lending regime in his soon to be<br />
published review of the policy framework<br />
within which credit unions operate.”<br />
Mr Malone added: “The publication<br />
of this policy framework review presents<br />
a once in a decade opportunity <strong>for</strong> the<br />
Minister to empower credit unions to<br />
realise their full potential in filling the<br />
gap left by Ulster Bank and KBC and in<br />
doing so, offering a community-based<br />
alternative to the remaining banks to the<br />
Irish public.<br />
“The ILCU is ready and willing to<br />
constructively engage with Minister<br />
Fleming and his officials.”<br />
Irish credit unions have also recently<br />
asked <strong>for</strong> re<strong>for</strong>m of regulatory capital<br />
requirements <strong>for</strong> credit unions.<br />
In a 2021 paper by the Credit Union<br />
CEO Forum, credit union leaders argued<br />
that these requirements were “excessive<br />
and unjustified relative to the risk profile<br />
of the Irish credit union balance sheet,<br />
international credit union requirements<br />
and the requirements on competing<br />
financial institutions”.<br />
PHILIPPINES<br />
Co‐ops hit by<br />
Typhoon Odette get aid<br />
from government<br />
The Philippines’ Cooperative Development<br />
Authority (CDA) granted a total of PHP<br />
350,000 (£5,100) financial assistance<br />
to four micro co-ops affected by last<br />
December’s Typhoon Odette, which killed<br />
than 400 people, with over 500 others<br />
injured and more than 380,000 displaced.<br />
The four co-ops, based in the province<br />
of Negros Occidental, received their<br />
cheques from governor Eugenio Jose<br />
Lacson, who said: “The distribution of<br />
financial assistance will further our goal<br />
to strengthen the capacities of our people.<br />
An empowered people is the basic element<br />
of development.”<br />
Gil Montilla Agrarian Re<strong>for</strong>m<br />
Cooperative, San Jose Villa Multi-Purpose<br />
Cooperative, and Sitio Flora Agrarian<br />
Re<strong>for</strong>m Cooperative received PHP 100,000<br />
(£1,500) each while the Pulupandan<br />
Transport Sector Consumers Cooperative<br />
was granted PHP 50,000 (£750). The<br />
funding came from the CDA as part of<br />
p The co-ops received their cheques from<br />
the province’s governor Eugenio Jose Lacson<br />
(Photo: PIO Negros Occidental)<br />
its Special Assistance <strong>for</strong> Recovery and<br />
Alleviation Program.<br />
The country’s electric and insurance<br />
co-ops were among the first to provide<br />
assistance to the affected regions.<br />
The One EC Network Foundation<br />
(OECNF), the charity arm of the Philippine<br />
Federation of Rural Cooperatives<br />
(Philfeco), used vehicles from electric<br />
co-ops to send in relief goods such as<br />
food, water, rice, and other essentials.<br />
Likewise, CLIMBS Life and General<br />
Insurance Cooperative helped farmer<br />
members by offering assistance, with the<br />
payment of the first claims through its<br />
enhanced Weather Protect product.<br />
NEW ZEALAND<br />
Fonterra trials<br />
electric milk tanker<br />
Dairy co-op Fonterra will trial the first<br />
modern electric milk tanker at its Waitoa<br />
plant, near Auckland.<br />
The tanker, part-financed by the<br />
government’s Low Emission Transport<br />
Fund, is being fitted out in the co-op’s<br />
Morrinsville tanker depot and is due to<br />
hit the road in early May. It has a range<br />
of about 140km on a full charge, can<br />
carry 25,700 litres of milk, and uses a cab<br />
and chassis from Chinese construction<br />
machinery group XCMG.<br />
It will take about three hours to charge,<br />
and Fonterra will operate it on a battery<br />
swap system so it doesn’t sit idle while<br />
charging. The team will be able to swap<br />
the battery out in about six minutes.<br />
Fonterra hopes the trial will give it a<br />
clearer picture of the future of electric milk<br />
collection and rural heavy transport as<br />
the carbon transition takes place.Factors<br />
being assessed include how far it can go,<br />
how easy it is to charge, milk collection,<br />
maintenance, efficiency, cost, and driver<br />
com<strong>for</strong>t and safety.<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 19
USA<br />
REI relaunches membership programme,<br />
while workers vote to unionise<br />
US-based speciality outdoor retailer REI<br />
Co-op is relaunching its membership<br />
programme, including new lifetime<br />
benefits that “make it easier <strong>for</strong> members<br />
to engage with the organisation”.<br />
In the first major update to membership<br />
in its 84-year history, the co-operative says<br />
it is making it easier <strong>for</strong> members to “make<br />
the most of every experience outside and<br />
be part of a community that supports a<br />
new outdoor culture”.<br />
“REI was founded in 1938 by 23 friends<br />
who shared the belief that a co-operative<br />
enabled a more rewarding outdoor life,”<br />
says Vivienne Long, REI senior vice<br />
president and chief marketing officer.<br />
“Some of the new benefits <strong>for</strong> members<br />
include free shipping within the US,<br />
a 20% discount <strong>for</strong> bike and snow<br />
gear servicing (tyre repairs and ski/<br />
snowboarding machine wax service are<br />
free), member-only used gear offerings<br />
and new collections that will include a<br />
“curated set of products just <strong>for</strong> members<br />
that will launch each month, such as<br />
brand collaborations, limited editions,<br />
early access and special offers”.<br />
Alongside this, members receive an<br />
annual return through Co-op Member<br />
Rewards (typically 10% of eligible<br />
purchases each calendar year) and<br />
discounts on equipment and activities.<br />
Members can also participate in REI<br />
Conversations, an online community.<br />
For each member joining the co-op,<br />
REI plans to donate US$5 to the REI<br />
Cooperative Action Fund, a communitysupported<br />
public charity introduced in<br />
2021 “to harness the collective power<br />
of the co-op’s members and employees<br />
to build a more equitable and inclusive<br />
outdoor community”.<br />
The Fund supports organisations<br />
that are focused on connecting people,<br />
creating space and centring health<br />
outside. REI expects to donate more<br />
than $7m (£5.2m) to the Fund over the<br />
next 12 months through the membership<br />
program. In 2021, the Fund invested $1m<br />
(£750,000) in 19 organisations. Today, REI<br />
has 20 million lifetime members, with<br />
plans to grow to a 50-million-member<br />
community by 2030. It has 174 locations in<br />
41 states and the District of Columbia.<br />
In March, workers at the organisation<br />
have also voted to join the Retail,<br />
Wholesale and Department Store Union<br />
(RWDSU), creating the only union at the<br />
outdoor-equipment and apparel retailer<br />
The vote, on 2 March, was conducted<br />
by the National Labor Relations Board,<br />
and came out 88 to 14 in favour of<br />
unionisation.<br />
“The workers of REI are ready to<br />
negotiate a strong contract that will allow<br />
them to uphold the co-op’s progressive<br />
values while providing the top-notch<br />
service REI customers have come to<br />
expect,” said a statement from Stuart<br />
Appelbaum, president of the Retail,<br />
Wholesale and Department Store Union,<br />
which helped organise the workers.<br />
KENYA<br />
Coffee co-ops cut out the middle man with Korean deal<br />
Co-op coffee farmers in Kenya have made<br />
their first direct export to South Korea,<br />
marking the start of better revenues.<br />
Kipkelion District Cooperative Union<br />
(KDCU), an umbrella of 64 primary coffee<br />
co-operatives, flagged off a consignment<br />
of 134.4 tonnes of coffee beans to South<br />
Korea in February. This is the first time<br />
the farmers have been able to sell directly<br />
to their buyers without going through<br />
independent brokers, or taking their<br />
product to auction.<br />
The governor of Kericho County Paul<br />
Chepkwony described the flagging off<br />
ceremony that took place in Nairobi as<br />
a defining moment <strong>for</strong> Kenyan coffee<br />
farmers, Capital Business reported. Mr<br />
Chepkwony encouraged more farmers<br />
to cut out the middlemen in selling their<br />
coffee <strong>for</strong> a better price.<br />
The sale, valued at US$908,160<br />
(KES103.21m; £667,520) will go to 9,582<br />
co-op members from the Kericho, Nandi<br />
and Bomet counties at an estimated<br />
rate of KES 100 per kilo (65p). KDCU says<br />
that if sold through the Nairobi Coffee<br />
Exchange (NCE), the coffee would have<br />
earned farmers a maximum of KES 50<br />
per kilo.<br />
KDCU recently set up a brokerage firm<br />
to market their coffee, following re<strong>for</strong>ms<br />
in 2020 which allowed coffee farmers to<br />
directly sell their produce; previously they<br />
had no option other than to go through<br />
independent brokers.<br />
The deal made between KDCU and<br />
South Korean company Good Beans was<br />
made last July, following a four-day Coffee<br />
Expo held in Seoul, at which Kenya was<br />
the guest country. The event facilitated<br />
conversations between a number of coffee<br />
co-ops and South Korean importers.<br />
KDCU’s CEO, Festus Bett, told Co-op<br />
News that the direct sale to Good Beans<br />
means that KDCU will now be able to get<br />
more primary co-operatives on board,<br />
to export more coffee to Korea and other<br />
markets, <strong>for</strong> the best prices.<br />
“Our production will go upwards<br />
as farmers are motivated to do coffee<br />
farming. We now have tea and cane<br />
farmers inquiring about coffee farming”,<br />
he said.<br />
He added that other co-ops are planning<br />
to follow KDCU’s lead and begin to sell<br />
directly to buyers. “Most will engage the<br />
buyers directly as the farmers will have<br />
control over the prices. In fact, there are<br />
already six more coffee unions from eight<br />
counties who are going to export directly.”<br />
20 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
ROMANIA<br />
Agricultural co‐operatives are on the rise in Romania<br />
The number of agricultural co‐operatives<br />
continues to grow in Romania, where 787<br />
co‐ops were set up in 2021 alone.<br />
According to a report by Ziarul Financiar,<br />
the country is home to 4,041 agricultural<br />
co‐operatives, more than in 1989 when<br />
3,172 agricultural co‐operatives covered a<br />
joint total of 8.9 million hectares, almost<br />
the country’s entire agricultural land.<br />
Back then agricultural co‐operatives<br />
were a product of <strong>for</strong>ced collectivisation.<br />
Nowadays producers are free to choose<br />
whether they want to <strong>for</strong>m co‐operatives<br />
or not. Advantages include being able to<br />
achieve scale, invest in new technology<br />
and cut costs.<br />
Another benefit is being able to access<br />
European funding <strong>for</strong> rural development.<br />
The Agency <strong>for</strong> Funding Rural Investments<br />
(Agentia pentru Finantarea Investitiilor<br />
Rurale, AFIR) can fund up to 90% of<br />
a project submitted by a co‐op or an<br />
association of producers, as opposed<br />
to the 70% usually allocated to other<br />
initiatives.<br />
According to data released by AFIR,<br />
in the first eight months of 2020, 18<br />
agricultural co‐ops attracted LEI 38m<br />
(£6.45m) in European funding <strong>for</strong><br />
investments in expanding the business<br />
and processing or storage.<br />
AFIR also encourages co‐operation<br />
within the agri‐food supply chain,<br />
both between two or more actual or<br />
potential competitors and between<br />
businesses operating at different<br />
levels of the production or distribution<br />
chain, including public authorities and<br />
institutions. In 2021 AFIR announced it<br />
was making €230m (£190m) available <strong>for</strong><br />
young farmers, small farmers and projects<br />
aimed at increasing co‐operation within<br />
the sector, including projects involving<br />
co‐operatives.<br />
“I will say again and again that the<br />
association of producers is perhaps the<br />
only way in which they can increase<br />
their productivity and competitiveness<br />
in a world dominated by big producers,<br />
big processors and big business chains,”<br />
said Florentin Bercu, executive manager<br />
of the National Union of Vegetable<br />
Co‐operatives (UNCSV). “And this is an<br />
indisputable truth. There<strong>for</strong>e, be<strong>for</strong>e<br />
talking about the benefits [of setting up<br />
p Romania has an agricultural capacity of approximately 14.7 million hectares, of which only 10<br />
million are used as arable land (Photo: iStock, GRECLAURENTIU)<br />
co‐ops], I consider that the association<br />
is a necessity to resist in Romanian<br />
agriculture.”<br />
He added: “The growing trend in the<br />
number of co‐operatives is a natural one<br />
based on the ef<strong>for</strong>ts we have made and<br />
continue to make to guide farmers to<br />
join. We introduce the Romanian farmers<br />
to co‐operative models from countries<br />
that have managed unquestionable<br />
per<strong>for</strong>mances in the development and<br />
capitalisation of co‐operatives.<br />
“I am referring here to countries like<br />
France, Austria, Italy, Denmark, Spain,<br />
England, countries from which we are<br />
constantly learning and with which we<br />
exchange experiences that allow our<br />
farmers to see that it is possible.”<br />
UNCSV is a member of Copa‐Cogeca, the<br />
European voice of farmers and agricultural<br />
co‐ops, and has recently produced a guide<br />
to successful co‐operatives through which<br />
it engages with co‐operatives from other<br />
European countries.<br />
“Our Guide to Successful Cooperatives<br />
was created to help newly established<br />
or up to three‐year‐old co‐operatives<br />
that need mentoring to stabilise,” said<br />
Mr Bercu. He explained that while more<br />
co‐operatives are being set up in Romania,<br />
their profitability and sustainability<br />
threshold is low, something his union is<br />
trying to address.<br />
“Only 45% of these co‐operatives are<br />
over five years old, almost 20% made a<br />
profit. Here, in fact, begins our mission<br />
to guide them to grow harmoniously,”<br />
he added.<br />
In recent years a number of food<br />
retailers have set up co‐ops to source<br />
food from local producers. In 2017<br />
Carrefour, the second biggest retailer in<br />
Romania, founded an agricultural co‐op<br />
in the village of Varasti, which now<br />
supplies it with fruit and veg. The co‐op<br />
enables farmers in the village to scale up<br />
production and have a single collection<br />
centre. Similarly, in 2021, Kaufland<br />
Romania announced a partnership with<br />
the co‐op Cooperativa Tara Mea, under<br />
which it guarantees buying from the co‐op<br />
as well as support it to diversify its range<br />
of products.<br />
Romania is currently working on a<br />
National Strategic Plan <strong>for</strong> 2021‐2027<br />
within the framework of the EU’s Common<br />
Agricultural Policy. It is expected that the<br />
new plan will place a strong emphasis<br />
on associative structures, including<br />
co‐operatives.<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 21
USA<br />
Brazos Electric goes to mediation over $2bn storm power bill<br />
Brazos Electric Power Cooperative,<br />
the Texas electric co-op <strong>for</strong>ced into<br />
bankruptcy after last year’s storms left<br />
it with a US$2bn wholesale power bill,<br />
has agreed to go to mediation in its legal<br />
dispute with the state grid operator.<br />
The ice storm of February 2021 knocked<br />
out half of Texas’ power supply and sent<br />
wholesale electricity prices soaring to<br />
$9,000 (£6800) per megawatt-hour –<br />
compared with pre-storm prices of less<br />
than $50 per megawatt hour.<br />
Brazos, the state’s oldest and largest<br />
electric co-op, filed <strong>for</strong> chapter 11<br />
bankruptcy in March 2021 to protect its<br />
members from the $2bn (£1.53bn) bill<br />
and has taken state grid operator ERCOT<br />
(Electric Reliability Council of Texas) to<br />
court, contesting the sum.<br />
It accused ERCOT of violating the terms<br />
of their contract when it levied the peak<br />
$9,000 charge <strong>for</strong> much of the storm, which<br />
lasted <strong>for</strong> a week. The co-op has asked US<br />
bankruptcy judge David Jones, in Houston,<br />
to drastically reduce ERCOT’s claim.<br />
Brazos, which had another $2bn<br />
in funded debt at the time it filed <strong>for</strong><br />
bankruptcy, says the amount it owes<br />
ERCOT is closer to $770m (£580m). It adds<br />
that it cannot draw up a reorganisation<br />
plan until a final settlement amount is<br />
decided. The case has gone to mediation<br />
after judge Jones said both parties should<br />
“sit in a room and understand what the<br />
options are”.<br />
BELGIUM<br />
Social economy<br />
project provides €1.3m<br />
to real estate co-op<br />
Three social and solidarity economy<br />
organisations are co-financing a real<br />
estate co-op in the Wallonia region of<br />
Belgium.<br />
NewB, a co-op bank set up in 2019,<br />
joined up with F’in Common, a sustainable<br />
finance co-op, and W.ALTER, a public<br />
sector body financing social and cooperative<br />
economy projects in Wallonia.<br />
Together, the three organisations<br />
granted the Les Tournières co-op, based<br />
in Liège, a first line of credit of more than<br />
€1.3m (£1.08m). The funding enabled the<br />
co-op to acquire a building in the Saint-<br />
Léonard district of Liège, which will house<br />
ASBL Infirmiers de rue, a charity that<br />
provides free medical care to homeless<br />
people and Thaïs, an association offering<br />
emergency accommodation to women<br />
victims of domestic violence.<br />
The project was developed in response<br />
to a call <strong>for</strong> social economy projects to<br />
help real estate co-ops acquire private<br />
housing in Wallonia <strong>for</strong> women victims<br />
of domestic violence. The call <strong>for</strong> projects<br />
was launched by the Minister of Social<br />
Economy, Social Action and Women’s<br />
Rights, Christie Morreale, and aims to<br />
create 102 new such housing units in<br />
Wallonia by the end of <strong>2022</strong>.<br />
Charlaine Provost, general manager of<br />
F’in Common, said: “solidarity finance<br />
and the social economy are a unique<br />
opportunity to leave behind the excesses of<br />
traditional finance. We are proud to unite<br />
with such partners to help strengthen this<br />
ecosystem.”<br />
The funding represents the very first<br />
loan allocated by NewB, which is made<br />
up of 116,000 co-operators, 351 civil<br />
society organisations and 11 institutional<br />
investors.<br />
22 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
INDIA<br />
Reserve bank fines<br />
eight co-op banks <strong>for</strong><br />
breaching regulations<br />
Eight co-operative banks have been fined<br />
by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) <strong>for</strong><br />
various regulatory violations.<br />
Nabapalli Cooperative Bank in<br />
Barasat, West Bengal: Rs 4 lakh (£4,020)<br />
<strong>for</strong> not adhering to prudential interbank<br />
(gross) exposure limit and or the<br />
prudential inter-bank counterparty limit.<br />
Faiz Mercantile Co-operative Bank,<br />
Nasik, Maharashtra: Rs 25,000 (£251) <strong>for</strong><br />
granting a loan to a relative of a director.<br />
Amravati Merchants’ Co-operative<br />
Ban: Rs 50,000 (£502) <strong>for</strong> delayed<br />
reporting of fraud.<br />
Manipur Women’s Cooperative Bank<br />
in Paona Bazar, Imphal, Manipur: Rs<br />
2.00 lakh (£2,010) <strong>for</strong> not adhering to the<br />
prudential inter-bank (Gross) exposure<br />
limit or the prudential inter-bank Counter<br />
Party limit.<br />
United India Co-operative Bank in<br />
Nagina, UP: Rs 1.00 lakh (£1,005) <strong>for</strong><br />
sanctioning an unsecured housing loan<br />
to a director and failing to adhere to the<br />
requirement of submission of return on<br />
connected lending.<br />
Baghat Urban Co-operative Bank<br />
Limited, Solan, HP: Rs 3.00 lakh (£3,015)<br />
<strong>for</strong> its violation of specific directions<br />
issued under the Supervisory Action<br />
Framework (SAF).<br />
Navnirman Co-operative Bank,<br />
Ahmedabad (Gujarat): Rs 1.00 lakh<br />
(£1,005) <strong>for</strong> sanctioning a loan to a relative<br />
of a director, and granting loans where<br />
relatives of directors stood surety.<br />
Jila Sahakari Kendriya Bank in<br />
Maryadit, Narsinghpur: Rs 1.00 lakh<br />
(£1,005) <strong>for</strong> failing to transfer eligible<br />
unclaimed deposits to the Depositor<br />
Education and Awareness Fund in<br />
contravention of/ non-compliance with<br />
the law.<br />
Dutch supermarket chain Plus orders electronic shelf labels<br />
Dutch co-operative supermarket chain<br />
Plus is equipping 80 of its stores with<br />
electronic shelf labels from Swedish tech<br />
company Pricer. The electronic shelf<br />
labels (ESL) allow stores to add realtime<br />
flash functionality to the shelves<br />
and are used in inventory processes and<br />
stock management.<br />
Co-ops to be listed on UAE financial markets<br />
The government of the UAE has approved<br />
a new law allowing the listing of<br />
co-operative associations on financial<br />
markets. The move will “attract strategic<br />
partners and introduce new <strong>for</strong>ms such as<br />
digital and financial co-ops”, said Sheikh<br />
Mohammed bin Rashid, vice president<br />
and ruler of Dubai.<br />
Black farm co-ops in US go to court <strong>for</strong> debt relief<br />
Organic Valley invites small family farms into co-op<br />
US farm co-op Organic Valley has invited<br />
80 family farms to join after they lost<br />
their supply contracts. The Wisconsinbased<br />
co-op says the move is the “single<br />
largest ef<strong>for</strong>t to save small organic family<br />
farms” in the north-eastern states of the<br />
US. It follows news last year that Horizon<br />
and Maple Hill Creamery is terminating<br />
contracts with more than 130 family farms.<br />
Moroccan fishing co-ops adapt to climate change<br />
Photo: UN Women/Mediating)<br />
The Federation of Southern Cooperatives,<br />
which represents Black farm co-ops in<br />
southern USA, went to court in Texas<br />
in February over debt relief. They want<br />
the right to present their voice in a case<br />
against a blocking action that is holding<br />
back billions of dollars in federal debt<br />
relief. The result is pending.<br />
A women’s fishing co-op in Morocco has<br />
received help from a UN programme to<br />
develop climate-resilient fishing practices.<br />
Moroccan fishing practices which have<br />
been passed down the generations are<br />
under threat from climate disruption<br />
to marine ecosystems. This has led<br />
organisations such as the Mahar Assahel<br />
Cooperative – set up in 2019 to support<br />
fisherwomen in Tiguert, near Agadir – to<br />
look at adapting the way they work.<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 23
YOUR VIEWS<br />
REI relaunches membership<br />
programme<br />
Same REI which is trying to prevent their<br />
workers from unionising. [Although this<br />
has now gone ahead: p20.) Relaunching<br />
your membership programmes to improve<br />
your PR image is more important than<br />
workers having a right to organise,<br />
apparently.<br />
Sean Farmelo<br />
via Facebook<br />
Lincolnshire Co-op CEO<br />
Ursula Lidbetter to retire<br />
Ursula is the last of the specially<br />
trained co-op chief executives (page<br />
14). Trained by the Co-op College to run<br />
retail consumer co-ops as memberowned<br />
and controlled co-operatives. It<br />
was once almost mandatory to<br />
have the qualification to be<br />
considered <strong>for</strong> senior management<br />
positions. The training scheme was<br />
wound up long ago. Most senior<br />
executives now were trained at normal<br />
business schools which have no co-op<br />
culture whatsoever.<br />
Bob Cannell<br />
via Facebook<br />
It should be noted that Ursula<br />
was previously an undergraduate<br />
in Operational Sciences and<br />
Management at Hull University be<strong>for</strong>e<br />
she attended the Co-operative College.<br />
If I recall correctly Ursula attended the<br />
Management Training Scheme at the Cooperative<br />
College which was designed<br />
specifically <strong>for</strong> graduates or <strong>for</strong> those<br />
worthy applicants sponsored by cooperative<br />
societies. Robert Marshall,<br />
the college Principal, and Bill<br />
Shearer, the course tutor, were<br />
excellent teachers, not only in co-op<br />
but also in management. They were able<br />
not only to see the many failings in the<br />
operations of co-operative societies but<br />
also the potential within them.<br />
Brian Taylor<br />
via Facebook<br />
Like Graham Melmoth, Ursula was the<br />
Secretary of her Society be<strong>for</strong>e becoming<br />
CEO, and so had a thorough understanding<br />
of the importance of membership. I think<br />
she was also the first female CEO of a<br />
major society.<br />
Martin Meteyard<br />
via Facebook<br />
Have your say<br />
Add your comments to our<br />
stories online at thenews.<br />
coop, get in touch via social<br />
media, or send us a letter.<br />
If sending a letter, please<br />
include your address and<br />
contact number. Letters may<br />
be edited and no longer than<br />
350 words.<br />
Preston Council transfers<br />
Travellers’ site to co-op<br />
Travellers and Roma face discrimination<br />
and racism every day (page 15). I really<br />
hope this is all good and the Travellers<br />
organisations are fully behind this<br />
development. They are treated appallingly<br />
by councils up and down the country.<br />
Niall Mulholland<br />
via Facebook<br />
A long struggle but it’s happened. Praise<br />
<strong>for</strong> the residents and the committed/<br />
determined support group.<br />
Gareth Nash<br />
via Facebook<br />
SWIFT action from bankers’<br />
co-op on Russia<br />
SWIFT functions as much as co-op as IMF.<br />
Co-operative News, Holyoake<br />
House, Hanover Street,<br />
Manchester M60 0AS<br />
letters@thenews.coop<br />
@coopnews<br />
Co-operative News
Several private banks created their own<br />
private venture as an alternative to the<br />
public LIBOR rate, and their paid services<br />
are open to the other clients.<br />
Private co-ops are the opposite of<br />
workers run and workers owned coops.<br />
Libor Von Schonau<br />
via Facebook<br />
Libor Von Schonau It is true. But if SWIFT<br />
was owned only one person the result<br />
could be different. The team is more<br />
resistant to undemocratic decisions.<br />
Zuzana Fabianová Lukácová<br />
via Facebook<br />
So was it the SWIFT exec that decided t<br />
kick out Russia or was it imposed on them?<br />
Joe Baker<br />
OBITUARY<br />
Joe Russo<br />
1984 – <strong>2022</strong><br />
Jim Lee, <strong>for</strong>mer chair of the Co-op Party<br />
(1996 – 2001), remembers Joe Russo,<br />
a tireless worker <strong>for</strong> the Co-op Party in<br />
Scotland.<br />
Many young co-operators, and some of<br />
us who are not so young, were shocked<br />
to hear of the death of Joe Russo at the<br />
tragically early age of 38.<br />
Joe was a strong character who<br />
touched the hearts of many co-operators<br />
during his time in the movement.<br />
His focus on young people and his<br />
determination to introduce them to the<br />
values and principles of the co-operative<br />
business model brought many people of<br />
his generation into the Movement.<br />
I first met Joe when he appeared at a<br />
Co-op Party Summerfest in St Andrews<br />
when he was in his early twenties.<br />
Despite his youth, he was already the<br />
manager of a small credit union in south<br />
Ayrshire and spoke with great authority<br />
about the challenges facing a community<br />
credit union serving a post-industrial<br />
community. His grasp of the intricacies<br />
of managing a credit union, and the no<br />
nonsense approach he portrayed, would<br />
give you the impression that he had<br />
been doing the job <strong>for</strong> decades rather<br />
than a couple of years.<br />
Having become active in the Co-op<br />
Party, Joe went on to work <strong>for</strong> the Party<br />
concentrating on its youth strategy.<br />
When Joe started working <strong>for</strong> the party,<br />
you could count the number of young<br />
members on one hand. By the time he<br />
had moved on, it counted thousands of<br />
young people in its membership. This<br />
remains the case and is Joe’s greatest<br />
legacy <strong>for</strong> the Party and the movement.<br />
Joe was supposed to work in the London<br />
office but resisted that vehemently<br />
and under great pressure from people<br />
who hadn’t realised the world had<br />
changed. Instead, he worked out of the<br />
Co-op Group’s Glasgow office. With the<br />
addition of Joe, there were eight of us<br />
in the room but only seven desks. The<br />
charm he used to ensure he was never<br />
without a desk endeared him to all of us.<br />
Joe quite rightly argued that in the<br />
modern world you can work from<br />
anywhere. While the rest of us spent<br />
hours preparing mailings, Joe sat in<br />
the corner appearing to play computer<br />
games. Those of us who were only<br />
beginning to appreciate the wonders of<br />
the internet slowly realised that there<br />
was something called social media and<br />
Joe was using this to communicate and<br />
campaign. The proof of his success was<br />
when, at the first Summerfest after he<br />
began to work <strong>for</strong> the Party, dozens of<br />
young people appeared to hear about<br />
the Co-operative Movement, reducing<br />
the average age of Summerfest attendees<br />
by around 40 years.<br />
Joe’s father is American and Joe held<br />
dual British and American citizenship.<br />
He spent a great deal of time in the<br />
United States and knew the country<br />
very well. He also spent some time in<br />
Germany and spoke fluent German.<br />
His language skills were so good that<br />
he was accepted <strong>for</strong> a PhD in German<br />
language at Glasgow University after he<br />
ceased working <strong>for</strong> the Party and went<br />
on to teach German at the university.<br />
In the summertime, he augmented his<br />
income by acting as a representative<br />
<strong>for</strong> a German tour company. One of the<br />
last times I met Joe be<strong>for</strong>e the pandemic<br />
was when I bumped into him by chance<br />
in the Scottish Highlands rounding<br />
up a group of elderly German tourists,<br />
prompting them, in what seemed like<br />
perfect German, to get back on the<br />
coach.<br />
Joe had so much more to give and<br />
those of us who knew him well mourn<br />
his passing and the fact that life’s<br />
journey came to such an abrupt end<br />
<strong>for</strong> such a brilliant young man. He will<br />
always remain in our hearts.<br />
Joe Fortune, general secretary of the<br />
Co-op Party, adds: “It was with shock<br />
and sadness that we learnt that Joe had<br />
passed on. Joe was a <strong>for</strong>mer member of<br />
Co-operative Party staff, and he worked<br />
hard to ensure there was a growing<br />
voice <strong>for</strong> younger members in the Party.<br />
He bought great passion and fun to his<br />
work, and was a real advocate <strong>for</strong> the cooperative<br />
and credit union movements.<br />
“I worked with Joe and I know that his<br />
<strong>for</strong>mer colleagues from those years will<br />
have happy memories of their work with<br />
him, and, of course, our thoughts will be<br />
with his friends and family.”<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 25
<strong>2022</strong> Co-operative<br />
Retail Conference<br />
ON 11-13 MARCH, LEADERS,<br />
MANAGERS AND DIRECTORS<br />
FROM THE UK’S RETAIL<br />
SOCIETIES GATHERED FOR<br />
THE CO-OPERATIVE RETAIL<br />
CONFERENCE ORGANISED<br />
BY CO-OPERATIVES UK AND<br />
SPONSORED BY VME CO-OP.<br />
HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED ...<br />
Rebecca Harvey<br />
and Alice Toomer-<br />
McAlpine<br />
p Rhian Thomas,<br />
head of shopper<br />
insight at the<br />
Institute of Grocery<br />
Distribution (IGD)<br />
RETAIL TRENDS AND ANALYSIS<br />
“The retail landscape has changed rapidly<br />
over recent years” said Rhian Thomas, head<br />
of shopper insight at the Institute of Grocery<br />
Distribution (IGD), sharing key insights and<br />
predictions at the opening session of the<br />
Co-operative Retail Conference. “We have<br />
seen changes in weeks and months that would<br />
normally take years.”<br />
Ms Thomas said that while some shopper<br />
behaviours have returned to pre-Covid levels,<br />
other changes may be permanent – such as more<br />
time spent on meal planning (and there<strong>for</strong>e<br />
fewer impulse purchases). People are shopping<br />
around <strong>for</strong> the best grocery deals and two thirds<br />
of those surveyed by IGD said they were cutting<br />
down on out of home spending, such as dining<br />
out, creating opportunities <strong>for</strong> retailers to offer<br />
‘dine-in’ alternatives. There is also likely to be<br />
a division in how shoppers are coming out of<br />
Covid-19, she said, with a stark rise in meal<br />
skipping seen in families with children.<br />
When it comes to sustainability, IGD has<br />
identified a heightened awareness from shoppers<br />
of food waste, which Ms Thomas believes is a<br />
result of people spending more time eating at<br />
home during the pandemic and there<strong>for</strong>e seeing<br />
how much food gets thrown into their own bins.<br />
IGD’s research has identified that around a third<br />
of shoppers want to do more to reduce their<br />
impact on the environment, but don’t know what<br />
they should do, and want guidance from their<br />
retailers; Ms Thomas said that one growing area<br />
of interest <strong>for</strong> IGD is environmental labelling.<br />
Changes in technology, such as ‘just walk out’<br />
tech used by the likes of Amazon Go, and facial<br />
recognition, which is starting to be used in retail<br />
in countries such as China, were also discussed.<br />
Considering how co-ops might make the most of<br />
this innovation whilst being mindful of ethical<br />
values around privacy and data ownership is<br />
likely to be an ongoing conversation <strong>for</strong> co-ops.<br />
NAVIGATING THE POST-COVID<br />
LANDSCAPE:<br />
Also presenting analysis at the event was<br />
Professor Jonathan Reynolds from the Saïd<br />
Business School at the University of Ox<strong>for</strong>d.<br />
He explored the challenges and opportunities<br />
<strong>for</strong> co-ops – particularly around the economy,<br />
technology and place.<br />
He highlighted how the legacies of Covid,<br />
Brexit and the war in Ukraine each contributed<br />
to the accumulating impacts of inflation,<br />
disrupting supply chains and increasing energy<br />
costs – in turn impacting businesses, the labour<br />
26 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
market and the ability of consumers to reach<br />
those businesses and trade with them.<br />
“Nobody has had a good pandemic either<br />
from a trading or a human point of view,” he<br />
said, but added that the impacts will be different<br />
depending on where a business is in relation to<br />
consumers and channels.<br />
He believes there are also lessons to be<br />
learned, particularly around online trading<br />
and the role of technology, and he echoed Ms<br />
Thomas’ assessment of the rapid advances in<br />
e-commerce during the pandemic.<br />
“Retailing has always been driven in part<br />
by technological change … but look around<br />
the world, there are places where the future is<br />
already happening,” Prof Reynolds said, citing<br />
some of the advanced AI, VR and volumetric<br />
telepresence (holographic) capabilities being<br />
tested to resolve different customer problems,<br />
from queuing to sustainability and food waste.<br />
In most places, though, the focus is on “finding<br />
a way of reviving communities who have been<br />
badly affected by Covid” and looking at how to<br />
reimagine retail in this new economic reality.<br />
“Post-pandemic there’s been a redistribution<br />
of demand, which is not economic from a<br />
commercial point of view – but there’s a social<br />
angle to this which is really important, and<br />
which co-operatives can address.”<br />
PRINCIPLE 6: SOLIDARITY AMONG<br />
RETAIL SOCIETIES<br />
The sixth co-operative principle (co-operation<br />
among co-ops) is a key part of the co-operative<br />
movement, and yet UK law is not set up to<br />
support this way of working. This is particularly<br />
evident when looking at competition law, which<br />
creates a difficult environment <strong>for</strong> retail coops<br />
wishing to work together. Aaron Stewart<br />
(VME Coop) and Linda Barlow (Co-operatives<br />
UK) spoke about the newly <strong>for</strong>med Co-op Law<br />
Association (CLA) and how, when it comes to<br />
co-operatives working together, competition law<br />
risk may require a pause, but doesn’t need to be<br />
a full stop.<br />
Competition law exists to try to maintain an<br />
even playing field among businesses: though<br />
it is important <strong>for</strong> co-ops to be mindful of<br />
competition law, “we shouldn’t let fear paralyse<br />
us”, said Mr Stewart, adding that there are<br />
ways co-ops can practise principle 6 without<br />
contravening competition law.<br />
This includes contributing staff time to other<br />
co-ops through volunteer days that would<br />
normally be spent at charities, or making it a<br />
policy to actively seek co-operative suppliers.<br />
RETAILING HAS ALWAYS BEEN DRIVEN IN<br />
PART BY TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE … BUT<br />
LOOK AROUND: THERE ARE PLACES WHERE<br />
THE FUTURE IS ALREADY HAPPENING<br />
The idea of co-ops lobbying the government<br />
<strong>for</strong> changes to the law which may be more<br />
accommodating <strong>for</strong> the way co-ops work was<br />
also raised, receiving a warm response from a<br />
number of people in the room.<br />
Competition law is just one issue co-ops have<br />
to deal with that could benefit from a dedicated<br />
space <strong>for</strong> legal practitioners. Because of this,<br />
the aim of CLA is to be a place “where lawyers<br />
and practitioners working in co-ops can come<br />
together to bounce ideas around, especially<br />
where the law doesn’t quite fit with the way<br />
co-ops operate and govern themselves”, said<br />
Ms Barlow.<br />
BUILDING A MOVEMENT<br />
Ahead of the Retail Conference, Co-operatives<br />
UK unveiled its new branding and strategy,<br />
and a new aim: By inspiring everyone to be a<br />
member of a co-op, and every co-op to be one<br />
of our members, we will help create a fairer<br />
society together.<br />
Alongside a new logo, the co-op marque is<br />
now being used by the organisation in a badge<br />
to help build a national movement. Continuing<br />
the conversation on ‘Building a movement’,<br />
delegates heard from a number of co-op leaders.<br />
At Lincolnshire, CEO Ursula Lidbetter found<br />
herself being asked why a shop selling milk and<br />
groceries is also building a science park. u<br />
p Aaron Stewart<br />
(VME Coop) and<br />
Linda Barlow<br />
(Co-operatives UK)<br />
spoke about the newly<br />
<strong>for</strong>med Co-op Law<br />
Association (CLA)<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 27
p From left: Don<br />
Morris (Radstock<br />
CEO and CUK<br />
chair), Denise<br />
Scott-McDonald<br />
(Co-op Group NMP<br />
president), Rose<br />
Marley (CUK CEO),<br />
Phil Ponsonby<br />
(Midcounties<br />
Group CEO) and<br />
Ursula Lidbetter<br />
(Lincolnshire CEO)<br />
discuss building<br />
the co-operative<br />
movement<br />
u Debbie Robinson<br />
(Central England<br />
CEO) and Ewan<br />
Vinnicombe-Wallis on<br />
youth engagement<br />
“I could have a 15-minute talk with that person<br />
– and great, they might get it,” she said. “But<br />
my colleagues on the checkout don’t have 15<br />
minutes to explain what the co-op is to people<br />
who might be interested. How can we boil it<br />
down so it’s in the language of someone who is<br />
in our communities, not in co-ops?”<br />
The result at Lincolnshire is a new purpose:<br />
to bring together ideas, energy and resources to<br />
make life better in our communities. “It doesn’t<br />
say co-op, but it explains what a co-op does.”<br />
Lincolnshire has strong roots in the region<br />
and collaborates with local businesses and<br />
institutions. “Co-operation has to happen<br />
because people want and need to come<br />
together,” says Ms Lidbetter. “You need to start<br />
with the urgent need and collaborate in the<br />
right structure to add power to addressing that<br />
need. It’s about bringing people together with a<br />
philosophy of co-operative ef<strong>for</strong>t. By doing that,<br />
you can make a massive change in the world.”<br />
Midcounties CEO Phil Ponsonby believes<br />
that embracing a wider co-operative ecosystem<br />
is a vital part of building co-operation: “It’s<br />
partly about will and desire. We need to think<br />
braver, be a bit more humble and acknowledge<br />
that biggest isn’t always best. We also need to<br />
embrace technology and fix the problem of not<br />
being able to use member cards in other co-ops.”<br />
At Midcounties, the long-term ambition is to<br />
be a member-first organisation. “In reality, most<br />
of a retail co-op’s transactions are with nonmembers,”<br />
he said. “We want to change that.<br />
We’re there with energy and childcare, but not<br />
with food yet.” Alongside this, he adds, there is<br />
space <strong>for</strong> the movement to grow by co-ops being<br />
‘trusted brokers’ <strong>for</strong> goods and services from<br />
other co-ops.<br />
“We’re all trying to recruit members to be part<br />
of our co-op, but what we should be saying is ‘if<br />
you join our co-op, you’re also becoming part of<br />
a co-op movement’.”<br />
For Don Morris (CEO at Radstock and chair of<br />
Co-operatives UK), awareness and collaboration<br />
are key. “Members of Co-operatives UK have<br />
access to services and advice – that’s vital to a<br />
small business,” he said.<br />
Similarly, at Radstock, there is a strong<br />
local presence and good relationships with<br />
local suppliers, but the connection to [coop<br />
buying group] FRTS and other societies<br />
are very important. “We’re part of something<br />
bigger; sometimes we have gone to our larger<br />
neighbours, asking advice from those who have<br />
been there and done what we are trying to do<br />
and have been inspired,” he said, adding that<br />
co-operation among co-operatives is critical <strong>for</strong><br />
building a strong movement together.<br />
Cllr Denise Scott-McDonald was elected<br />
president of the Co-op Group’s National Members<br />
Council in 2021, and also serves as the deputy<br />
leader of Greenwich Council. “Education is so<br />
important to the co-op movement,” she said,<br />
highlighting the Co-op Group’s activity around<br />
co-operative member education, training and<br />
in<strong>for</strong>mation (CMETI). “Ordinary people can<br />
do extraordinary things in a co-op, but it’s a<br />
question of how we have all those conversations<br />
in the first place.”<br />
PLANTING TREES YOU’LL NEVER SEE:<br />
HOW TO ENGAGE YOUNG PEOPLE<br />
Former Blue Peter producer, Ewan Vinnicombe-<br />
Wallis, shared insights into how he breathed new<br />
life into the Blue Peter Badge scheme through<br />
competitions and campaigns. He described the<br />
excitement he felt as a child receiving a badge<br />
and a letter, and how he wanted to recreate that<br />
experience <strong>for</strong> his young audiences.<br />
Despite being in an increasingly digital age, Mr<br />
Vinnicombe-Wallis saw the value of the personal<br />
touch a paper letter can bring and during his<br />
time at Blue Peter increased the amount of<br />
physical post the show received.<br />
28 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
COMMUNICATE YOUR GREAT<br />
ACHIEVEMENTS – YOU’RE NOT<br />
BRAGGING, YOU’RE TELLING<br />
PEOPLE ABOUT IT, AND THEN<br />
OTHER PEOPLE BRAG<br />
Central England Co-operative CEO Debbie<br />
Robinson also shared experiences of working in<br />
the community with children and their families,<br />
including a community garden, art projects<br />
and outdoor events. Central England runs over<br />
500 community events every year, which Ms<br />
Robinson highlighted as a key part of getting<br />
young people and families to build a relationship<br />
with the stores and the society as a whole.<br />
Mr Vinnicombe-Wallis stressed that coops<br />
don’t need to be shy about blowing their<br />
own trumpet: “Communicate your great<br />
achievements – you’re not bragging, you’re just<br />
telling people about it, and then other people<br />
brag.”<br />
THE APPRENTICESHIP LEVY<br />
Russell Gill, head of community delivery at<br />
the Co-op Group, shared how the organisation<br />
is working with other employers to bring<br />
together funding to support thousands of<br />
apprenticeships.<br />
“It’s a real co-operative success story coming<br />
as a result of trying to solve a real-world<br />
problem,” he said. “It fundamentally gives more<br />
opportunities <strong>for</strong> young people and underrepresented<br />
people in the work<strong>for</strong>ce.”<br />
The Apprenticeship Levy is an amount paid at<br />
a rate of 0.5% of an employer’s annual pay bill if<br />
that bill is more than £3m. Employers can spend<br />
the levy on apprentice training and end-point<br />
assessment – but must do so within two years.<br />
The Co-op Levy Share Initiative brings together<br />
pledges of otherwise expired levy contributions<br />
from donating employers and matches them to<br />
suitable requests, with a specific focus on underrepresentation.<br />
A criterion of the scheme is that<br />
any employer has to be paying the national<br />
living wage.<br />
So far, the scheme has attracted pledges of<br />
£9.75m from 34 organisations, with 503 matched<br />
apprenticeship opportunities.<br />
“The organisations participating are a real<br />
mix,” adds Mr Gill. “We’ve got support from the<br />
mutual sector, from the public sector, from major<br />
corporates and co-operatives: an effective bunch<br />
of employees all recognising that we can all play<br />
our part by co-operating and working together<br />
to provide opportunities <strong>for</strong> young people to<br />
participate.”<br />
CAMPAIGNING FOR SHOP WORKERS<br />
In the final session of the day, Co-operative Party<br />
general secretary, Joe Fortune, highlighted how<br />
the organisation campaigned co-operatively<br />
<strong>for</strong> the greater protection of retail workers. “We<br />
were motivated to see what we could do to bring<br />
change to an awful set of circumstances. It really<br />
was a collective ef<strong>for</strong>t that the co-operative<br />
movement came together <strong>for</strong>,” he said.<br />
In 2018, the Co-op Group launched its Safer<br />
Colleagues, Safer Communities campaign to<br />
address violence and crime affecting colleagues.<br />
As the pandemic unfolded, violence against<br />
shopworkers increased, and the Co-op Party,<br />
co-operatives, other retailers and trade unions<br />
came together to raise awareness, incentivise<br />
police action and strengthen existing laws.<br />
“We knew there was an opportunity <strong>for</strong><br />
change, but we needed to ensure that we<br />
used all the networks we could to bring about<br />
those changes,” said Mr Fortune. “We worked<br />
together. We didn’t work on our own, in silos,<br />
or as individuals within independent societies,<br />
we worked all together and showed co-operative<br />
leadership.”<br />
WHAT ELSE HAPPENED?<br />
A raffle was held with prizes donated by cooperatives,<br />
including hampers and a new<br />
Fairphone, which raised over £1,000 <strong>for</strong><br />
Kandoroo – a co-operative addressing food<br />
poverty by working with care professionals<br />
to distribute electronic vouchers through an<br />
app or card <strong>for</strong> eligible clients to use within<br />
participating stores. Kandoroo wanted to raise<br />
£100,000 and asked <strong>for</strong> pledges, with Central<br />
England Co-operative making the first pledge.<br />
On the Sunday, Liz McIvor presented the work<br />
of the Co-operative Heritage Trust and a new<br />
35 minute film, supported by Co-op News, that<br />
gives a whistle-stop tour of the movement.<br />
Sunday morning also saw delegates take<br />
part in a workshop on Innovation and growth.<br />
A 90-minute design sprint was led by Naomi<br />
Timperly of Growth Strategy Innovation and<br />
Tech North Advocates on themes including<br />
Principle 6, engaging young people and<br />
digital inclusion.<br />
p The Co-op Group’s<br />
Russell Gill on the<br />
Co-op Levy Share<br />
Initiative<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 29
NEW LANARK CONFERENCE EXPLORES<br />
Robert Owen’s role within<br />
the co-operative movement<br />
Anca Voinea and<br />
Alice Toomer-McAlpine<br />
When it comes to Robert Owen’s legacy, the<br />
co-operative movement is split. Some see the<br />
Welsh manufacturer and social re<strong>for</strong>mer as the<br />
founder of co-operatives while others attribute<br />
that role to the Rochdale Pioneers.<br />
Trust manager Liz McIvor and archivist Sophie<br />
McCulloch from the Co-operative Heritage Trust<br />
tried to shed some light on this debate during<br />
a session at the conference New Lanark: A<br />
living legacy. Held on 1-3 March, the conference<br />
celebrated the 250th anniversary of the birth of<br />
Robert Owen, born in 1771.<br />
The session looked at the influence of Owen’s<br />
ideas on the Rochdale Pioneers and the wider<br />
co-operative movement. While co-op ideas were<br />
something that preceded Owen, he brought<br />
them back into discussion, said Ms McIvor.<br />
Letters sent by Charles Howarth, one of the<br />
founding Rochdale Pioneers, suggest that he<br />
had been influenced by Owen’s writing. Howarth<br />
wrote the Rochdale Society of Equitable<br />
Pioneers’ rule book, which included its objects<br />
and its “Law First”.<br />
There were also differences of opinion between<br />
utopian communities like Owen’s and those<br />
trading with capital, such as Rochdale Society<br />
of Equitable Pioneers. “A lot of the utopian<br />
communities didn’t survive whereas consumer<br />
co-ops did,” said Ms McIvor.<br />
“People influenced by Owen failed because<br />
of infighting, they couldn’t agree how things<br />
should be run,” added Ms McCulloch.<br />
In the 1830s Owen was in New Harmony,<br />
Indiana, USA, where he attempted to create<br />
a new utopian community based on “unity<br />
and co-operation”. During this time other<br />
communities across the UK tried to set up cooperatives<br />
but failed to sustain their projects. As<br />
a result, co-operation became more industrial,<br />
separate from Owen. His followers moved on<br />
from utopian ideas into something that worked<br />
far more integrally with the economy and social<br />
systems through which they lived.<br />
Later on, George Jacob Holyoake re-established<br />
Owen after getting hold of his letters, which are<br />
now part of the Co-operative Heritage Trust’s<br />
archives. A co-operator and editor, Holyoake<br />
presented Owen as an influential figure within<br />
the movement partly to suit his own purposes of<br />
explaining what a co-op is. Holyoake reclaimed<br />
u Liz McIvor and<br />
Sophie McCulloch<br />
from the Co-operative<br />
Heritage Trust<br />
30 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
the narrative, using what suited the co-op<br />
movement at the time to help shape the still<br />
developing co-operative identity.<br />
So where should the movement stand with<br />
regards to Owen’s legacy?<br />
“He doesn’t need to be the father of the<br />
movement, he’s part of the story, of what makes<br />
co-op history,” said Ms McIvor.<br />
“Because we have Robert Owen’s collection<br />
[of letters] and we have George Jacob Holyoake’s<br />
collection, both provide context to each other.<br />
And we think that actually he’s been able to<br />
be used by Holyoake to be more significant<br />
throughout the history of our movement. He is<br />
someone who is used as a cornerstone to go back<br />
to,” she added, explaining that Owen’s views<br />
were controversial at the time of his writing<br />
but were rescued and presented back to the<br />
movement by Holyoake.<br />
Owen’s ideas also continue to influence<br />
modern day worker co-operatives, social<br />
co-operatives and social enterprises.<br />
OWEN AND CO-OPERATIVE<br />
EDUCATION<br />
Owen also had a huge influence on education<br />
both in the co-operative movement and wider<br />
society. New Lanark’s Institute <strong>for</strong> the Formation<br />
of Character was one of a number of programmes<br />
set up by Owen to provide free education <strong>for</strong><br />
young people and adults, who stated: “It is…the<br />
interest of all, that everyone, from birth, should<br />
be well educated, physically and mentally, that<br />
society may be improved in its character”.<br />
The co-operative movement has placed a<br />
similar emphasis on the role of education<br />
throughout its history, with education being<br />
one of the key co-operative principles. Although<br />
Owenism and co-operativism share a history<br />
when it comes to education, it is a history that<br />
contains conflict in both ideas and practice.<br />
Professor Tom Woodin explained in his talk<br />
on Resuscitating Cooperative Traditions of<br />
Education that while “Owenite influences<br />
suffused co-operative activities”, there were<br />
tensions over the idea of agency. Whereas Owen<br />
favoured grand, paternalistic schemes designed<br />
on behalf of the working classes, co-operators<br />
that came later were more focused on workers<br />
taking ownership of these programmes, as<br />
reflected in the Rochdale Pioneers’ objectives<br />
which state: “this society shall proceed to<br />
arrange the powers of production, distribution,<br />
education and government or in other words<br />
to establish a self-supporting home colony of<br />
united interests”.<br />
OWEN HAD ‘A VISION OF A NEW SOCIETY,<br />
ONE BASED ON HUMAN DIGNITY AND<br />
EQUALITY’ WHICH HE KEPT ALIVE AND<br />
IN FRONT OF EVERYTHING HE DID<br />
“The Rochdale Pioneers saw themselves as a<br />
very practical group of men”, said Prof Woodin;<br />
but, he argued, their practice was rooted in the<br />
utopian ideals of Owen. Both Owen and later<br />
co-operators promoted learning in both adults<br />
and young people as an intrinsic good, but the<br />
Pioneers saw education as a pathway to equity.<br />
Prof Woodin shared this quote from Pioneer<br />
Abraham Greenwood: “Some approximation<br />
to intellectual equality, by the extension to the<br />
many of the knowledge and tastes developed<br />
amongst the comparatively few, so that a cooperation<br />
<strong>for</strong> common purposes has been<br />
rendered possible”, to demonstrate this point,<br />
and added that the early co-operators aimed to<br />
distribute knowledge much in the same way they<br />
distributed profits. u<br />
p Robert Owen<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 31
NEW LANARK IS REGARDED AS A ONCE<br />
LIVING EXAMPLE OF OWEN’S UTOPIAN<br />
SOCIALISM, PUTTING INTO PRACTICE HIS<br />
IDEAS OF WORKERS’ DIGNITY, WELFARE<br />
AND EDUCATION<br />
p New Lanark Mill<br />
(Photo: Scotland By<br />
Camera/CC BY-ND 2.0)<br />
LESSONS FROM NEW LANARK<br />
The conference took place at New Lanark, a<br />
purpose-built 18th century mill village, which<br />
was at one time one of the largest cotton mills in<br />
the UK and the largest in Scotland. New Lanark<br />
is regarded as a once living example of Owen’s<br />
utopian socialism, putting into practice his ideas<br />
of workers’ dignity, welfare and education. Owen<br />
described his work at New Lanark as “the most<br />
important experiment <strong>for</strong> the happiness of the<br />
human race that has yet been instituted in any<br />
part of the world”. It influenced the co-operative<br />
movement too – the village store set up by Owen<br />
at New Lanark is said to have laid the basis <strong>for</strong><br />
the retail co-operative movement which came<br />
later with the Rochdale Pioneers.<br />
In his talk, “Changing the World One Step at<br />
a Time by Example”, Professor Morris Altman<br />
explored the legacy left by the New Lanark<br />
project. He explained that New Lanark may<br />
be able to teach us something we can apply to<br />
today’s conversations around sustainability,<br />
when thinking about the topic in a broad sense:<br />
“When we talk about sustainability, what’s left<br />
out of the equation is actually workers and their<br />
level of wellbeing.”<br />
Prof Altman said that Owen’s ideas and work<br />
around engaging with workers and their families<br />
has a lot of implications <strong>for</strong> contemporary<br />
investor-owned corporations as well as co-ops<br />
and mutuals. But he was also keen to emphasise<br />
that New Lanark was not a co-op, and Owen was<br />
not a co-operator.<br />
“In New Lanark, workers’ and their families’<br />
wellbeing was very much at the discretion of this<br />
paternalistic, yet humanistic, investor-owner,<br />
Robert Owen”, said Prof Altman.<br />
The key lesson from New Lanark, he said, was<br />
that investor-owned firms could be run in a way<br />
that treated workers more humanely, and still be<br />
financially viable, though this is still a marginal<br />
idea in much economic thought. Education<br />
through business and economic institutions can<br />
change this, he added.<br />
Prof Altman talked about the need <strong>for</strong><br />
“practical utopias” – that is, real life examples<br />
32 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
of how doing things differently can work in<br />
practice, of which New Lanark is one. “New<br />
Lanark is not this weird idea, it’s an example<br />
of how we can improve the real world market<br />
economy one step at a time. It’s practical, and it<br />
should in<strong>for</strong>m economic theory.”<br />
NEW LANARK – A PART OF SOCIAL<br />
AND CO-OPERATIVE HISTORY<br />
New Lanark’s legacy is now preserved in the<br />
New Lanark World Heritage Site, which was<br />
granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2001.<br />
The final day of the conference was dedicated<br />
to conversations around the restoration<br />
and preservation of New Lanark and other<br />
historical sites.<br />
New Lanark meets a number of the criteria<br />
needed <strong>for</strong> its status as a UNESCO World Heritage<br />
Site, including criterion vi, which requires<br />
the site to “be directly or tangibly associated<br />
with events or living traditions, with ideas, or<br />
with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of<br />
outstanding universal significance”.<br />
The way in which New Lanark meets this<br />
criterion is stated in its listing: “The name of<br />
New Lanark is synonymous with that of Robert<br />
Owen and his social philosophy in matters<br />
such as progressive education, factory re<strong>for</strong>m,<br />
humane working practices, international<br />
cooperation, and garden cities, which was<br />
to have a profound influence on social<br />
developments throughout the 19th century<br />
and beyond.”<br />
In her presentation on New Lanark and<br />
Scotland’s World Heritage, head of archaeology<br />
and world heritage at Historic Environment<br />
Scotland Dr Rebecca Jones highlighted New<br />
Lanark as a site which acts as a “milestone in<br />
social and industrial history”.<br />
Speaking about New Lanark’s relation to<br />
the work of Robert Owen and the co-operative<br />
movement, she added: “In many ways, across<br />
all the sites in Scotland, it’s New Lanark that<br />
really embodies the intangible evidenced in the<br />
tangible.”<br />
NOW AND THEN<br />
The conference also explored Owen’s legacy in<br />
the context of today’s global challenges, looking<br />
at how co-operative solutions could help to<br />
address issues such as climate change or tackle<br />
inequalities.<br />
Ed Archer, chair of the Lanarkshire Heritage<br />
Forum Archaeology, pointed out that while<br />
not all of Owen’s endeavours were “a startling<br />
success”, important lessons could be learnt from<br />
his New Harmony or Orbiston projects.<br />
“What he did was to sort of trail blaze and<br />
inspire other people as we’ve seen today.<br />
Personally, I think there’s a lot of need these<br />
days <strong>for</strong> working in a co-operative sense and to<br />
have more ethically directed businesses whether<br />
it is your Scotmid supermarkets and stores or<br />
energy,” he said.<br />
Martin Meteyard, a co-op development<br />
consultant in Scotland, said that Owen had “a<br />
vision of a new society, one based on human<br />
dignity and equality” which he kept alive and in<br />
front of everything he did.<br />
“He emphasised the necessity of education,<br />
and how it’s most important, he emphasised<br />
practical endeavour,” said Mr Meteyard. “To<br />
own his legacy the co-operative movement<br />
added democracy, which wasn’t necessarily<br />
one of his strengths; he was a bit dismissive in<br />
later years of the abilities of ordinary working<br />
people to take charge of affairs themselves.<br />
But despite Owen’s opinions, the co-operative<br />
movement in the UK and elsewhere showed<br />
that it was possible <strong>for</strong> ordinary working<br />
IT IS…THE INTEREST OF ALL, THAT<br />
EVERYONE, FROM BIRTH, SHOULD BE WELL<br />
EDUCATED, PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY,<br />
THAT SOCIETY MAY BE IMPROVED IN ITS<br />
CHARACTER – ROBERT OWEN<br />
people to come together and to make huge<br />
strides <strong>for</strong> a new mode of existence under their<br />
own control.”<br />
Owen’s approach can still serve as an<br />
example <strong>for</strong> co-ops, added Mr Meteyard. Today’s<br />
challenges may be different from those of 250<br />
years ago, but co-ops can still be involved in<br />
trans<strong>for</strong>ming human society in a positive way.<br />
Issues co-ops can aim to address could include<br />
promoting racial justice, gender equality, LGBTQ<br />
inclusion, or engaging with young people,<br />
he said.<br />
“To go back to Robert Owen,” he added,<br />
to reiterate, “precept upon precept, however<br />
excellent, without decisive measures, to put<br />
them into practice, is a waste of time. It is far<br />
more necessary to act than to speak.”<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 33
THE CHALLENGES FACING SMALL CO-OPS<br />
– AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM<br />
A bumpy road<br />
to co-operation?<br />
Rebecca Harvey and<br />
Miles Hadfield<br />
q Oli Sylvester-Bradley<br />
and Alex Lawrie<br />
There are over 5,000 co-ops in the UK; 3 million<br />
around the world. But how easy is it to set up<br />
a new one, and find the right support? We’ve<br />
spoken with four co-op development workers<br />
and three regional organisations who are often<br />
the first port of call. What support and funding is<br />
available, and what are the biggest challenges?<br />
According to Oliver Sylvester-Bradley of<br />
The Open Co-op, setting up a small co-op<br />
is fundamentally easy. “People waste huge<br />
amounts of time worrying about their legal<br />
structure, but you can set up a simple co-op<br />
by <strong>for</strong>ming a co-operative association between<br />
a few founding members in minutes, by<br />
agreeing to follow the co-operative principles,”<br />
he says.<br />
“It’s very easy if you are of the DIY persuasion,”<br />
adds Alex Lawrie of Somerset Co-operative<br />
Services. “A very basic legal structure can be<br />
set up <strong>for</strong> £30 or so using free guides available<br />
online; and of course, an unincorporated group<br />
can (<strong>for</strong> a small scale, simple activity) can just<br />
start trading with no legal costs at all, and no tax<br />
to pay if it is fully mutual.”<br />
Cath Muller of worker co-op support agency<br />
Radical Routes agrees: “It’s easy to register a<br />
company <strong>for</strong> £15 with a mate, copy the Articles<br />
of Association from Radical Routes’ How to Set<br />
Up a Workers Co-op and start advertising your<br />
services on social media. How far that gets you in<br />
terms of generating a liveable income is another<br />
matter! But <strong>for</strong> many who are already working in<br />
a gig way, slowly ramping a business organically<br />
is doable. The financial problems come with<br />
licences, permits, equipment, premises, safety<br />
procedure and GDPR etc.”<br />
But others warn that setting up a co-op is<br />
harder than it should be.<br />
“The people I help to set up small co-ops<br />
have usually spent days, months or even years<br />
searching the internet <strong>for</strong> in<strong>for</strong>mation on how<br />
to set one up; there is in<strong>for</strong>mation out there,<br />
but it doesn’t solve their problem,” says Phil<br />
Beardmore, who has been helping to set up coops<br />
in the West Midlands <strong>for</strong> around 25 years.<br />
For a start, the different legal and governance<br />
options can be overwhelming.<br />
“Most people will need expert help from a cooperative<br />
development worker,” he adds, “but<br />
the problem people have is finding one – the<br />
coverage of co-operative development agencies<br />
(CDAs) is uneven and patchy across the country.”<br />
In Mr Beardmore’s region, there is a small fund<br />
administered by Co-operatives West Midlands,<br />
from Central England Co-operative, which offers<br />
half a day with a CDA to help with legal and<br />
governance options. There is also a national<br />
network of support run by and <strong>for</strong> emerging<br />
worker co-ops.<br />
“I would always recommend joining the<br />
Worker Co-op Loomio group and Facebook page,<br />
and Worker Co-op Solidarity Fund,” says Ms<br />
Muller. “These are good places to garner crowd<br />
wisdom, make connections and possibly get a<br />
tiny bit of funding.”<br />
Mr Lawrie highlights how Co-operatives<br />
UK provides a nationwide service through<br />
its website, but organisations rooted in local<br />
regions differ greatly in terms of what they can<br />
34 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
do – and who pays <strong>for</strong> it. “Some are funded to<br />
provide free advice (eg Co-op Futures and the<br />
Wales Co-operative Centre), some aren’t funded<br />
but offer some free advice anyway (us), and<br />
others are consultancies that can only help once<br />
a source of funding has been identified.”<br />
He adds: “CDAs have been through two<br />
decades of a catastrophic decline in which their<br />
business models have been disrupted by political<br />
change in local authorities and by the internet.<br />
They have failed to work together to develop<br />
new business models – despite promising<br />
experiments such as Stirchley Co-operative<br />
Development’s ultra-localism, our use of social<br />
investment, Co-operative Assistant Network’s<br />
suite of models and diagnostics, Co-op Futures<br />
‘strong relationship with Midcounties, or HCED’s<br />
property development.<br />
“The result has been that the co-op sector in<br />
the UK has contracted every year <strong>for</strong> at least the<br />
last five years and maybe longer, with market<br />
share leaking away to <strong>for</strong>-profit businesses.”<br />
SMALL CO-OPS, BIG<br />
CHALLENGES<br />
Making the transition from a group of volunteers<br />
with a good idea to a trading and sustainable<br />
co-operative business is another challenge.<br />
“It’s a big threshold to cross from your existing<br />
world to something that might be economically<br />
riskier,” says Mr Beardmore. “But we know that<br />
co-ops are more likely to survive than other<br />
social business models.”<br />
These challenges vary by sector, he says.<br />
“Among small energy co-ops, <strong>for</strong> example,<br />
those that thrive have scaled up, employed<br />
staff, and collaborated with other co-ops. Those<br />
who haven’t moved beyond small projects, that<br />
are heavily reliant on volunteers, are prone to<br />
burnout.”<br />
“Fundamentally, the challenges usually<br />
depend on existing levels of resource, time,<br />
capabilities and the capacity <strong>for</strong> risk,” says<br />
Ms Muller. “It also depends on the nature of<br />
the business and whether people are starting<br />
something new to them or transitioning from<br />
an existing business. Some people are able<br />
and willing to borrow to fund the set-up and<br />
development period, some are not. Some models<br />
are easy to copy, others are pioneering.<br />
“Working across cultural differences is<br />
difficult – that’s true whether it’s a co-op or not.<br />
But it does exacerbate the difficulties of creating<br />
a well-functioning collective – non-hierarchy<br />
requires very good communication and value<br />
CDAS HAVE BEEN THROUGH TWO DECADES<br />
OF A CATASTROPHIC DECLINE ... THE<br />
RESULT HAS BEEN THAT THE CO-OP<br />
SECTOR IN THE UK HAS CONTRACTED<br />
EVERY YEAR FOR AT LEAST THE LAST FIVE<br />
YEARS AND MAYBE LONGER<br />
alignment.” Because of this, one of the biggest<br />
challenges she sees is a group learning “how<br />
to work collectively and managing different<br />
expectations”.<br />
The lack of funding at different stages is<br />
another recurring theme: “Without investment<br />
to help get off the ground small co-ops usually<br />
rely on the sweat equity of their founders, who<br />
can often get burned out or demoralised be<strong>for</strong>e<br />
the co-op is generating enough income to pay<br />
fair wages,” says Mr Sylvester-Bradley. “This<br />
capital conundrum is one of the issues we are<br />
aiming to solve at coopdata.club, by providing<br />
a mechanism <strong>for</strong> co-ops to leverage other coops’<br />
email lists <strong>for</strong> cross-promotion. Co-ops<br />
want to help other co-ops, so it makes sense <strong>for</strong><br />
them to promote each other to reduce customer<br />
acquisition costs.”<br />
People’s personal situations also make it<br />
more of a challenge, adds Cath Muller. “It is<br />
harder [to set up a co-op now] than it was pre-<br />
Universal Credit,” she says. “It was harder on<br />
JSA than it was on Unemployment Benefit u<br />
p Phil Beardmore<br />
and Cath Muller<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 35
e<strong>for</strong>e that. It’s been getting harder over the<br />
years as the government makes it more difficult<br />
or more time-consuming to not have an income<br />
from employment, which is a common way that<br />
small co-ops manage to develop their co-ops,<br />
particularly if they don’t have a good credit rating<br />
or can’t risk borrowing money. And undoubtedly<br />
the sky-rocketing cost of housing is making<br />
everything harder that involves life changes and<br />
risking one’s income.”<br />
TO CO-OP OR NOT TO CO-OP?<br />
With patchy support and challenges to face, is<br />
the co-op model always the best option?<br />
“If you have a group of people with a good<br />
idea to create economic or social value, who<br />
want to co-operate with each other, then there<br />
is usually a co-operative model that will fit, but<br />
there are times when the choice between a coop<br />
and another model is very difficult,” says Mr<br />
Beardmore.<br />
Ms Muller agrees. “It’s really tempting if you’ve<br />
got a co-op and community empowerment<br />
mindset to think that co-ops are the solution<br />
<strong>for</strong> everything, but trying to help other people is<br />
basically charitable.<br />
“Unless you’re able to do enough education,<br />
persuasion and inspiration to get people to<br />
want to help themselves and to find the capacity<br />
<strong>for</strong> that, the chances of a co-op (particularly<br />
a workers’ co-op) succeeding with extremely<br />
limited resources is low. Co-ops in those<br />
circumstances often need funding to get to a<br />
secure position and often it’s easier as a charity.”<br />
For a small business owner looking to move on,<br />
they would be giving up a lot if they transferred<br />
their business to a worker co-op rather than to<br />
an employee benefit trust model, where tax<br />
breaks mean they get paid back in five years,<br />
adds Ms Muller. “Hopefully that will change, as<br />
Co-operatives UK is lobbying <strong>for</strong> an extension<br />
to the tax incentive to cover worker co-ops. On<br />
the other hand, if you want to do anything with<br />
a group of freelancers or anything collective with<br />
an app, a co-op is the absolute no-brainer way to<br />
go. There is a huge amount of goodwill around<br />
and some actual mutual aid and support through<br />
CoTech, through UnFound, through the Plat<strong>for</strong>m<br />
Co-operativism Consortium.”<br />
Mr Lawrie sees a lack of awareness of co-ops<br />
as part of the problem. “Most people who are<br />
open-minded [are] unaware that co-ops exist –<br />
so they start a company by default. A great many<br />
people wish to not share control or profits fairly<br />
and so a company is the only option <strong>for</strong> them.<br />
And charities are a better bet when the intended<br />
beneficiaries of the activity are not realistically<br />
capable of directing it (eg a wildlife sanctuary).”<br />
Another issue he sees is co-op culture – or<br />
the lack of it. “The co-op movement itself is<br />
divided between huge retail co-ops prone to<br />
conglomeration and executive capture, and<br />
tiny co-ops fuelled by individual ego,” says<br />
Mr Lawrie. “Although progress has been made<br />
connecting social investors to emerging co-ops,<br />
this is only really working in low-risk sectors.<br />
It adds up to a business culture that is lacking<br />
in confidence and dynamism, unable to adapt<br />
quickly to threats and opportunities, and falls<br />
under the sway of accountants and consultants<br />
with no interest in co-op values. Worst of all,<br />
the inherent advantages available to a director<br />
of a co-op are routinely neglected in favour of<br />
half-hearted attempts to ‘be more like a proper<br />
business’.”<br />
SO WHAT’S THE SOLUTION?<br />
“Firstly develop a range of equity investment<br />
funds so more ordinary people can make taxadvantaged<br />
investments spread across a number<br />
of co-ops generally, but early-stage co-ops and<br />
CDAs especially,” says Alex Lawrie. “Describe the<br />
business model and professional practice of cooperative<br />
development work in a standard and<br />
replicable <strong>for</strong>mat. And identify sectors where<br />
opportunities <strong>for</strong> growth overlap with concern<br />
<strong>for</strong> the community (eg advanced recycling;<br />
low-input farming; autonomous rail and water<br />
vehicles; integrated transport services; social<br />
purpose AI; heat pumps) and incentivise the<br />
<strong>for</strong>mation of new co-ops in those sectors.”<br />
Collaboration is also key. Phil Beardmore gives<br />
the example of fuel and energy co-ops: “We are<br />
seeing millions of households thrown into fuel<br />
poverty <strong>for</strong> the first time. There are co-ops doing<br />
great work to help people in fuel poverty, but it<br />
is difficult to sustain this activity. We don’t have<br />
co-operative models to help the fuel-poor that<br />
are easily replicable; community energy models<br />
that are focused on generating renewable energy<br />
or retrofit, haven’t fully crossed over into helping<br />
the fuel-poor.<br />
“A lot of the best work in fuel poverty is<br />
delivered not by energy experts, but by advocates<br />
working <strong>for</strong> locally based community anchor<br />
organisations. These organisations are charities,<br />
but of the entrepreneurial kind, and they are well<br />
placed to help with fuel poverty because they<br />
can attract charitable funding that co-ops can’t<br />
because fuel poverty alleviation is essentially<br />
36 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
philanthropic. We need to explore collaboration<br />
between charities and co-ops.”<br />
Plenty of small co-ops thrive (see more case<br />
studies on page 42-43). In Northern Ireland, craft<br />
beer co-ops like Lacada and Boundary have<br />
worked very well and the Belfast Food Co-op is an<br />
emerging consumer co-op working to establish<br />
a strong membership in north Belfast. Rabble<br />
is a worker co-op with a strong ethos in human<br />
rights and activism that offers IT solutions to<br />
like-minded campaigning organisations. Jubilee<br />
Farm is a successful community benefit society<br />
using a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)<br />
model, and NICE is a community energy solar<br />
bencom created in 2014.<br />
In Wales, Arfon Timber Co-operative is<br />
another great example of a flourishing smaller<br />
worker co-op, designing and building resilient<br />
timber structures, fusing traditional techniques<br />
with contemporary eco-building technology. All<br />
the timber is sourced locally and processed at its<br />
own sawmill.<br />
“As a collective, we found we were able to<br />
go <strong>for</strong> bigger, more interesting contracts and<br />
invest in better tools and infrastructure,” says<br />
Jane Davidson, one of the co-op’s six worker<br />
members. “We are able to team up on some of<br />
the necessities of running a business – things<br />
like insurance, administration and advertising,<br />
which frees up more time and resources to do<br />
what it is we actually do. We find we work in less<br />
of a hand-to-mouth way – allowing us to take<br />
a step back and look at where the business is<br />
going – and where we would like it to go.”<br />
NORTHERN IRELAND<br />
We also spoke with regional organisations in<br />
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.<br />
“Economic development is now a power<br />
partially devolved to local authorities but out<br />
of the 11 council areas in NI, only the Belfast<br />
City Council explicitly mention co-operative<br />
development in their strategy and have allocated<br />
resources <strong>for</strong> the support of new co-ops in<br />
the area,” says Tiziana O’Hara, who heads up<br />
Northern Ireland’s Co-operative Alternatives, a<br />
CDA based in Belfast. “The Department of the<br />
Economy and Invest NI do not have any strategy<br />
to grow the co-operative sector in NI, nor to<br />
financially support and resource a co-operative<br />
development agency <strong>for</strong> the region, although we<br />
asked repeatedly and publicly.”<br />
Co-operative Alternatives sustains itself mostly<br />
through resources from outside the region (such<br />
as Co-operatives UK’s The Hive and the Co-op<br />
Group’s charity arm, the Co-op Foundation) or<br />
direct payments from its members. The only<br />
programme of support that was funded by NI has<br />
been the Community Shares Ready! programme<br />
between 2013-2018; this was £300,000 and it<br />
raised in excess of £950,000 shares from local<br />
people.<br />
“Currently, the hard-won support <strong>for</strong> cooperatives<br />
from Belfast City Council consists of<br />
a limited amount of mentoring days (in average<br />
3-4 days per emerging co-op), with seed funding<br />
to pay <strong>for</strong> the registration fees and the use of<br />
model rules and, in the past two years only,<br />
some additional support <strong>for</strong> raising awareness<br />
of the co-operative model,” she says.<br />
“In addition, we have also secured a Co-op<br />
Foundation grant <strong>for</strong> a two-year project called<br />
‘Cultivating Community Farming’. We will work<br />
with 10 groups and organisations helping them<br />
to develop communities interested in farming<br />
and farmers interested in communities.”<br />
She adds: “There are some development gaps<br />
– <strong>for</strong> instance, lack of skills in democratic u<br />
p The six members<br />
of the Arfon Timber<br />
Co-operative<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 37
CONSUMERS ARE THINKING MORE ABOUT<br />
HOW THEY SPEND THEIR MONEY. THEY WANT<br />
TO BUY THINGS IN A WAY THAT DOESN’T<br />
HARM THE PLANET<br />
p From left: Tiziana<br />
O’Hara (Co-operative<br />
Alternatives); Clare<br />
Alexander (Co-op<br />
Development<br />
Scotland); Glenn<br />
Bowen (Wales<br />
Co-operative Centre)<br />
governance and decision making, membership<br />
engagement, capital raising etc. but also<br />
barriers such as access to land and no seed and<br />
development funding to support early stages.”<br />
Ms O’Hara believes there is an opportunity <strong>for</strong><br />
co-ops to create a model of growth that would<br />
connect well-established co-operatives with<br />
emerging co-ops and more collaborations across<br />
the sector. But she is wary of too much scaling<br />
up. “‘Scaling up’ enterprises may distract from<br />
the opportunities that co-operation can offer<br />
and the development of value-driven supply<br />
chains,” she adds.<br />
SCOTLAND<br />
Clare Alexander at Co-op Development Scotland<br />
sees the start-up stage as “quite straight<strong>for</strong>ward”,<br />
but here too the issue is funding: “Co-ops can<br />
face difficulty accessing capital as their structure<br />
means there isn’t always clear ownership,<br />
making it more difficult <strong>for</strong> traditional lenders<br />
to invest. Achieving scale is another reason<br />
that some co-ops fail. It can be challenging<br />
making sure that they have enough production<br />
to feasibly and consistently supply markets.<br />
Keeping the membership engaged after a co-op<br />
is set up is also a challenge we see.”<br />
She adds: “Co-ops exist to serve their members,<br />
whether they are customers, employees or the<br />
local community. Because they do not need to<br />
bring benefits to outside shareholders, co-ops<br />
focus on making sure members get the best<br />
service. The model is ideal <strong>for</strong> groups looking<br />
<strong>for</strong> a fairer, more just and ethical way to trade<br />
or communities looking <strong>for</strong> a way to collectively<br />
buy into a project to help their local area.<br />
“The pandemic generated further interest<br />
in alternative business models as many of our<br />
norms were questioned and there was a desire to<br />
live differently. As we look to economic recovery,<br />
Scotland’s National Strategy <strong>for</strong> Economic<br />
Trans<strong>for</strong>mation (see news, page 11) seeks to<br />
reorient our economy towards wellbeing and fair<br />
work, delivering more employment and better<br />
wages. Inclusive models such as co-operatives<br />
have a critical role to play in this.<br />
WALES<br />
The Wales Co-operative Centre delivers Social<br />
Business Wales (SBW), which provides support<br />
to new and established social businesses – coops,<br />
social enterprises and employee-owned<br />
businesses. Groups are allocated a business<br />
adviser who will help them look at strategic and<br />
business planning and the right structure.<br />
“Funding is still a challenge,” says enterprise<br />
programme director Glenn Bowen, who notes<br />
that many traditional lenders still require<br />
personal guarantees. “Blended finance options<br />
are available through Social Investment Cymru<br />
that is run by Wales Council <strong>for</strong> Voluntary Action<br />
(WCVA) and we also work with a number of<br />
other funding bodies, including Co-operative &<br />
Community Finance.<br />
“Time is also a barrier. If you are setting up<br />
as a sole trader the individual is able to make<br />
decisions and act very quickly. Within a co-op,<br />
we have to keep all our stakeholders aligned.”<br />
He believes there is an opportunity <strong>for</strong> co-ops<br />
“as consumers are thinking more about how they<br />
spend their money. More and more they want to<br />
buy things in a way that doesn’t harm the planet,<br />
consumers want to use their purchasing power<br />
to improve their communities. The challenge will<br />
be the funding needed to scale up – particularly<br />
around digital and plat<strong>for</strong>m co-ops.”<br />
In Wales, many will register as a company but<br />
will use specialist articles that include co-op<br />
principles. Others starting out will choose the<br />
charity model. “One big advantage that charities<br />
have is rate relief (80% mandatory rate relief<br />
and a 20% discretionary rate relieve). Charitable<br />
Community Benefit Societies are also eligible<br />
but many local authorities are not aware of this.”<br />
38 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
Community pubs<br />
still going strong<br />
AFTER TWO YEARS OF LOCKDOWNS<br />
Anca Voinea<br />
p Exelby Green<br />
Dragon Community<br />
Pub<br />
Small community pubs have had two difficult<br />
years with several en<strong>for</strong>ced closures and<br />
lockdowns. While this fluctuating trading model<br />
brought new challenges <strong>for</strong> the hospitality trade<br />
sector, it also enabled community businesses to<br />
show their resilience.<br />
Chris Cowcher, head of policy at the Plunkett<br />
Foundation says that only one community<br />
owned pub closed during the pandemic with the<br />
rest proving to be “remarkably resilient”.<br />
“What’s even more amazing is that there have<br />
been new pubs opening,” he says. “In 2021, 15<br />
new community pubs and 11 new community<br />
shops opened their doors. Despite all the<br />
challenges facing these communities, groups<br />
are still finding a way of coming together, raising<br />
funds and pursuing community leadership on<br />
behalf of their community.”<br />
The Plunkett Foundation is a charity that<br />
helps rural communities in the UK create and<br />
run community-owned businesses. While these<br />
businesses are now trading as usual, the losses<br />
and debts incurred over the last two years<br />
and rising costs will continue to impact their<br />
operations.<br />
“Local engagement and community<br />
consultation remains key to making sure their<br />
services remain relevant, supported and used by<br />
the local area,” says Mr Cowcher.<br />
One of the advantages community businesses<br />
had was having reserves in the bank at the<br />
beginning of the pandemic, which enabled some<br />
of them to cope with the loss of income.<br />
“These businesses are owned and run by local<br />
residents, <strong>for</strong> local revenue, which means that<br />
there was a willingness to adapt immediately,”<br />
explains Mr Cowcher. Some pubs started offering<br />
deliveries and takeaway services while others<br />
ran micro shops and repurposed themselves.<br />
“While there are some amazing examples<br />
of privately owned pubs also doing this, those<br />
that are community owned and run have that<br />
direct link with the local residents, which then<br />
becomes the customer base,” he says. “[These<br />
enterprises] made sure that the most vulnerable<br />
in the community were being supported u<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 39
LOCAL ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNITY<br />
CONSULTATION REMAINS KEY TO MAKE SURE<br />
THEIR SERVICES REMAIN RELEVANT AND<br />
SUPPORTED AND USED BY THE LOCAL AREA<br />
p Winter fire and<br />
bedroom at the Exelby<br />
Green Dragon<br />
to live independently, particularly if they were<br />
shielding from Covid-19. And these people<br />
were more easily identified because within that<br />
customer base, and within the shareholding of<br />
the business, are community representatives<br />
and residents that are likely to know who needs<br />
the support services most.”<br />
The Plunkett Foundation was affected by<br />
the pandemic as well, with some of its funding<br />
programmes being paused by funders. However,<br />
it continued to work with community businesses<br />
whilst working remotely. In March 2020 it ran a<br />
training hub with webinars and various activities<br />
to enable community businesses to deal with<br />
issues such as short-term cash flows or how to<br />
access government support.<br />
“That kind of remote working led to us<br />
engaging even more communities than we<br />
would normally – in fact, we saw a 49% rise in<br />
calls to our inquiry line from groups wanting to<br />
access advice and support.”<br />
It also meant the organisation could operate in<br />
extended geographic areas. “Pre-pandemic there<br />
were times when we might be limited in reaching<br />
the highlands and the islands, <strong>for</strong> example,<br />
through not having that capacity,” says Mr<br />
Cowcher. “But connecting online has made sure<br />
that we have truly served business across all four<br />
UK nations, and connected groups.”<br />
Plunkett also convenes and administers<br />
Facebook groups <strong>for</strong> community-owned shops<br />
and pubs, which over lockdown witnessed an<br />
increase in engagement among members, who<br />
were exchanging in<strong>for</strong>mation and supporting<br />
each other.<br />
“The peer support and mutual aid that<br />
community businesses have af<strong>for</strong>ded one<br />
another have been an absolutely integral part of<br />
how the sector has responded to and navigated<br />
the last two years,” said Mr Cowcher.<br />
And the pandemic led Plunkett to engage even<br />
more with the government, funders and local<br />
councils to make the case <strong>for</strong> small community<br />
businesses, particularly those in rural areas.<br />
The charity has also recently launched an<br />
online business appraisal tool, which enables<br />
community businesses to assess their strengths<br />
and weaknesses. The tool, which is available<br />
<strong>for</strong> free, asks community businesses a series of<br />
questions and based on their answers issues a<br />
report with recommendations on how to take<br />
things <strong>for</strong>ward.<br />
“For some it will be just keep doing what<br />
you are doing. For others, it might suggest<br />
considering bringing in new share finance or<br />
diversifying your delivery services,” explains<br />
Mr Cowcher.<br />
“It also means that we’re being much smarter<br />
in terms of understanding the needs of the<br />
businesses that we work with, because we’re<br />
reviewing those appraisal tools. And actually<br />
it gives us an opportunity to offer bespoke and<br />
unique training opportunities.”<br />
40 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong><br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 40
He adds that the tool also enabled Plunkett to<br />
have “much more current and relevant evidence<br />
to support our advocacy and representational<br />
activities”.<br />
In 2001 there were just four community pubs<br />
across the UK. By 2021 there was 147. Likewise,<br />
the number of community shops increased from<br />
67 in 2001 to over 400 by the end of 2021.<br />
So what might the future bring to the sector?<br />
“I think the reality is that these sectors are going<br />
to continue growing,” says Mr Cowcher, adding<br />
that community ownership was particularly<br />
appropriate in rural settings.<br />
“If a community doesn’t come together and use<br />
a community-led or community-owned solution,<br />
then that service is lost. In a rural setting,<br />
that may well impact not only the immediate<br />
community, but a number of surrounding<br />
areas too.”<br />
Mr Cowcher believes the scarring of the<br />
pandemic is something that is going to be seen<br />
<strong>for</strong> many years to come.<br />
Plunkett will be launching a new strategy<br />
this year, which will aim to ensure community<br />
ownership plays a responsible role in making<br />
the countryside accessible and available to<br />
everybody. Other areas of focus will be ensuring<br />
community businesses are “inclusive, innovative<br />
and impactful”.<br />
The charity will also continue to work closely<br />
with Co-operatives UK, the Wales Co-operative<br />
Centre and other bodies across the UK to<br />
make sure UK legislation around community<br />
ownership supports a community first approach.<br />
“The community right of first refusal or a<br />
right to buy that exists in Scotland has some<br />
faults in its current <strong>for</strong>m, but is definitely the<br />
principle that we would want to see replicated<br />
across all four nations” says Mr Cowcher. “So<br />
if communities want to bring an asset or a<br />
business into collective community hands, the<br />
legislation is there to empower them to pursue<br />
that project.”<br />
At the moment in England, such projects are<br />
supported only to the point of creating a bid<br />
on an asset; the bid could potentially be turned<br />
away by a vendor that is not supportive of<br />
community ownership.<br />
One of the community businesses that have<br />
received support from the Plunkett Foundation<br />
is Exelby Green Dragon Community Pub in North<br />
Yorkshire. The pub had been a focal point <strong>for</strong><br />
the community <strong>for</strong> many years until it was sold<br />
to the Ei Group (Enterprise Inns) in 2016. The<br />
new owner was considering selling the pub to<br />
housing developers, but local residents stepped<br />
in to save it.<br />
Purchase negotiations with Ei lasted 18<br />
months. “We made the offer in conjunction<br />
with a local developer to buy the pub and<br />
land associated with it,” says John Walker, the<br />
secretary of the pub, which was purchased in<br />
2018 and is now a registered community benefit<br />
society. “Now we not only have a community<br />
pub, we also have a café, shop and the space to<br />
be that vibrant community hub once more.”<br />
The local community raised the capital<br />
required to purchase the pub through a<br />
community share offer. They benefited from<br />
advice from the Plunkett Foundation, who<br />
supported them in the process. They also<br />
received a grant from the local authority, and<br />
Pub is The Hub, a not-<strong>for</strong>-profit organisation,<br />
which helped them set up an audiovisual suite<br />
in the venue. And they were able to access some<br />
funding from Power to Change.<br />
In addition to the café, shop, and bed and<br />
breakfast businesses, the pub also purchased a<br />
small cottage, which was turned into af<strong>for</strong>dable<br />
housing. They chose the community benefit<br />
society model due to its democratic structure.<br />
“We wanted all of our shareholders to have an<br />
input and a say into what we’re doing. And what<br />
we’re doing is <strong>for</strong> the benefit of the community.<br />
It does what it says on the tin really, ‘community<br />
benefit’ society. And that structure has been<br />
really, helpful. It’s a democratic structure where<br />
every shareholder has a say,” adds Mr Walker.<br />
One of the main challenges faced in the early<br />
stages was getting the word out there. They used<br />
social media and the local press and were able to<br />
attract the attention of the local MP, Rishi Sunak,<br />
who became its first shareholder and helped to<br />
raise the pub’s profile.<br />
While the pandemic posed many challenges,<br />
Mr Walker says the local community behind the<br />
pub was able to pull together and help each other.<br />
The pub was even able to launch a community<br />
garden. It also runs a community library and a<br />
community safe space, where locals can go <strong>for</strong><br />
some peace and quiet.<br />
“The whole period saw the community coming<br />
together and learning the value of working<br />
together and working with each other,” adds<br />
Mr Walker.<br />
As to the future, the Exelby Green Dragon<br />
Community Pub plans to refurbish one of its<br />
dining rooms.<br />
Their advice <strong>for</strong> other groups looking to<br />
acquire local pubs is to persevere.<br />
“Perseverance is key. If you have the conviction<br />
and commitment towards your project, just<br />
persevere,” says Mr Walker.<br />
“There’s lots of help out there. Come and visit<br />
us! We welcome visitors all the time on their<br />
journey. And also seek help from people that<br />
have specialist resources <strong>for</strong> helping people in<br />
that situation.”<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 41
SIGNALISE (MERSERYSIDE, UK)<br />
What is Signalise?<br />
A multi-stakeholder plat<strong>for</strong>m coop<br />
that provides sign language<br />
interpreting and other communication<br />
professionals to services who need to<br />
communicate with Deaf people.<br />
Founded: 2019<br />
Number of members: 315 in total,<br />
including 192 investor members, 82<br />
worker members and 41 user members.<br />
What challenges or opportunities<br />
have you faced as a small co-op?<br />
The challenges we have faced have<br />
included operating as a bilingual coop,<br />
engaging with as many members as<br />
possible, especially in a pandemic, and<br />
not always being recognised <strong>for</strong> the<br />
special set up we have as a co-op - i.e.<br />
being community owned.<br />
As <strong>for</strong> opportunities, there are<br />
many! This includes creating a shared<br />
understanding and shared goals of how<br />
we want a co-op to be run, involving<br />
all users in the co-op, including Deaf<br />
people <strong>for</strong> the very first time, and<br />
moving towards a business model that<br />
is created by, owned by and enhanced<br />
by everyone involved.<br />
Do you wish to grow your co-op? If<br />
so, to what size, and why?<br />
We would like to expand to other<br />
regions and bring the same benefits<br />
to workers, users and customers of<br />
services. As we rely on technology, the<br />
larger we are, the more we can share<br />
the benefits of community ownership<br />
as well as the tech and keep business<br />
costs down.<br />
We are stronger together!<br />
COLNE VALLEY CARE CO-OP (WEST YORKSHIRE, UK)<br />
What is Colne Valley Care Co-op?<br />
A multi-stakeholder co-op established<br />
to provide both high-quality<br />
domiciliary care <strong>for</strong> older and disabled<br />
people in the Colne Valley, and fair<br />
and proper terms and conditions of<br />
employment <strong>for</strong> care staff.<br />
Founded: 2019. In March <strong>2022</strong> we<br />
celebrate our first year anniversary<br />
of offering care and support in Colne<br />
Valley.<br />
Number of members: As a<br />
multistakeholder co-op we’re currently<br />
setting up systems so that our staff,<br />
user members and family and friends<br />
can become members <strong>for</strong>mally while<br />
already embedding co-operation,<br />
co-production and consultations as<br />
key ways of working. At the moment,<br />
we have eight staff, support 16 user<br />
members and there are eight board<br />
members. We have just over 100<br />
investor members who have financially<br />
supported us to set-up and get the care<br />
co-op off the ground.<br />
What challenges or opportunities<br />
have you faced as a small co-op?<br />
Being an emerging care co-op has<br />
been really challenging – the ongoing<br />
pandemic, staff shortages and rising<br />
living costs have all added to the<br />
already complex environment in the<br />
care sector that does not work <strong>for</strong><br />
anyone. Generally, apart from a few<br />
amazing places and areas, those who<br />
need support are not getting it in such<br />
a way that supports living good lives,<br />
and the staff are not being treated<br />
with respect and don’t get the pay and<br />
recognition they deserve. We have been<br />
working hard and learning loads about<br />
how we can start changing this and<br />
share the learning with others too.<br />
Despite all this, it has been amazing<br />
to witness that it is possible to offer<br />
great care and support, that people can<br />
thrive, that the staff team appreciate<br />
being listened to and are able to<br />
influence how the co-op is run.<br />
Do you wish to grow your co-op? If<br />
so, to what size, and why?<br />
We do believe that small is beautiful<br />
and at the same time we would love<br />
<strong>for</strong> everyone to live their lives well and<br />
get great care and support when it’s<br />
needed. We plan to grow similarly to<br />
strawberry plants - there are a lot of<br />
them alongside one another. We can<br />
and will support groups, communities,<br />
local authorities to set up care co-ops<br />
in their areas/localities. This way we<br />
could share resources and support<br />
mutual learning and development.<br />
42 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
UNICORN<br />
(MANCHESTER, UK)<br />
What is Unicorn?<br />
A worker-owned, ‘bricks and mortar’,<br />
grocery co-op in South Manchester.<br />
Running since: 1996<br />
Number of members: We currently<br />
have 67 co-op members. We’re a<br />
workers’ co-operative with a pretty flat<br />
structure – members are all workers<br />
and also directors.<br />
What challenges or opportunities<br />
have you faced as a small co-op?<br />
Twice named the nation’s ‘Best Food<br />
Retailer’ at the BBC Food & Farming<br />
Awards, we offer our Manchester<br />
customer-base an unbeatable range of<br />
af<strong>for</strong>dable, fresh and wholesome food<br />
with an emphasis on organic, fair-trade<br />
and local produce.<br />
We’re the size of a supermarket but<br />
run as a workers’ co-operative, owned<br />
and democratically controlled by the<br />
staff you see here in the shop. Although<br />
we’ve grown a lot since 1996, those<br />
things remain true today. We’re proud<br />
to have proven that we can compete<br />
with national chains and provide a<br />
genuine alternative to the supermarket.<br />
In recent years we’ve been named<br />
the Soil Association’s 2018 Best<br />
Independent Retailer, followed<br />
in 2019 by Lancashire Life’s<br />
Independent Retailer of the Year<br />
award and Manchester Food & Drink<br />
Festival’s Food & Drink Retailer of the<br />
Year. Oh and we came top of Ethical<br />
Consumer’s national supermarket<br />
ranking.<br />
We’re not in it <strong>for</strong> the glory but<br />
we are proud to demonstrate what a<br />
worker-owned business with values<br />
can achieve ... and not despite those<br />
factors, but because of them.<br />
Do you wish to grow your co-op? If<br />
so, to what size, and why?<br />
On the whole we’re not looking to grow<br />
our own co-op past this size, but we are<br />
pretty passionate about growing the<br />
worker co-op economy as a whole!<br />
We hope to inspire and support others<br />
to use what we’ve learned to set up or<br />
develop their own co-ops; to that end<br />
we have a guide to our business model<br />
– Grow a Grocery – that is completely<br />
free to access, and (capacity allowing)<br />
we can offer support on the phone or<br />
host visits from people who are further<br />
along in the journey. We are also active<br />
members of Solidfund – the UK’s worker<br />
co-op solidarity fund – and we’ve sat<br />
on the Worker Co-op Council <strong>for</strong> almost<br />
a decade. We bang on about worker<br />
co-ops in the shop all the time - we want<br />
customers to know how important it is<br />
to us!<br />
VICTORY GARDENS (VANCOUVER, CANADA)<br />
What is Victory Gardens?<br />
A worker co-op that trans<strong>for</strong>ms urban<br />
environments into food-focused<br />
ecological landscapes.<br />
Running since: 2013.<br />
Number of members: Three<br />
What challenges or opportunities<br />
have you faced as a small co-op?<br />
As a small *seasonal* co-op, we<br />
have struggled in the past with<br />
maintaining income through the<br />
winter months and retaining seasonal<br />
staff year over year.<br />
However, we also find that<br />
as a small co-op, we are able to<br />
adapt more quickly (especially to<br />
changing factors like a pandemic!),<br />
collaborate as a team in a meaningful<br />
and productive way, and keep our<br />
operations efficient.<br />
Do you wish to grow your co-op? If<br />
so, to what size, and why?<br />
We are interested in growing our coop,<br />
but only to a “medium size”.<br />
We find we need more members<br />
in order to keep the business<br />
sustainable in terms of the services<br />
we offer and to capitalise on sales<br />
opportunities.<br />
Victory Gardens is exploring<br />
options <strong>for</strong> membership in different<br />
sectors of the business (ie operations,<br />
sales), so that our board of directors<br />
can remain focused on management<br />
and long-term vision.<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 43
The Hive and<br />
Community Shares<br />
Booster Programme<br />
Alice Toomer-McAlpine<br />
p Growing the<br />
community: Sutton<br />
Community Farm<br />
Co-ops looking to grow face a number of<br />
challenges: not least, raising funds, finding<br />
the right skills and responding to changing<br />
circumstances. In the UK, one of the places they<br />
can look to is The Hive, a support programme<br />
delivered by Co-operatives UK with funds from<br />
the Co-op Bank.<br />
Petra Morris, co-op development manager at<br />
Co-operatives UK, says that although The Hive is<br />
open to any co-op or business wishing to convert<br />
to a co-op, it tends to be smaller business who<br />
find it most useful: “I think generally because<br />
they’re either new or they haven’t got that access<br />
to their own resources, they tend to come to us as<br />
a first port of call.”<br />
The Hive offers up to 10 days of bespoke<br />
support, training and mentoring <strong>for</strong> groups who<br />
want to set-up a co-op, existing co‐operatives in<br />
need of support or businesses looking to convert<br />
to co-op or community ownership.<br />
“We try to be quite tailored and specific, and<br />
quite flexible, according to the needs of each<br />
co-operative,” says Ms Morris. “But it’s often<br />
around finance and strategy and continuing to<br />
be sustainable good businesses going <strong>for</strong>ward.”<br />
For start-ups, the focus is often around<br />
registering, getting set up and developing a<br />
business plan. But existing co-ops can also get<br />
support, including help with strategy, marketing<br />
or member engagement, or anything else that<br />
might help them be more sustainable.<br />
In 2020, Northern Irish brewery co-op Lacada<br />
sought help to reinvigorate their business after<br />
five years’ trading and received advice around<br />
governance and membership engagement.<br />
“Now our margins are better, our meetings are<br />
much shorter and our board members are much<br />
happier,” they reported.<br />
Many co-ops who seek help from The Hive<br />
are pursuing some <strong>for</strong>m of growth. But that can<br />
mean a number of things. “It doesn’t necessarily<br />
mean it has to be about greater profits or higher<br />
turnover or more employees,” says Ms Morris,<br />
“because growth <strong>for</strong> co-ops often is different<br />
from traditional businesses. So we emphasise<br />
that growth can be about changing the business<br />
model, going into new markets, developing new<br />
products, it can be about more members, it can<br />
be about better engagement.<br />
“Co-operatives are there to serve their<br />
members and they have a purpose. And some<br />
are very geographical and community based…<br />
so growth <strong>for</strong> them is more about the quality of<br />
the service they are providing.”<br />
Co-operatives UK also delivers the Community<br />
Shares Booster Programme, which supports<br />
44 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
groups in England looking at community share<br />
offers with development grants and matched<br />
funding. Community shares is a <strong>for</strong>m of equity<br />
only available to co-operative and community<br />
benefit societies. It enables the co-op to raise<br />
flexible finance and gives members a stake in the<br />
business, on the basis of one member, one vote,<br />
regardless of how much they put in.<br />
“Community shares is very patient, flexible<br />
finance,” says Isla McCulloch, community<br />
shares standards manager at Co-operatives UK.<br />
“You’ve got access to capital that’s not on strict<br />
repayment terms and you can spend it how you<br />
like, within the parameters of your business.<br />
Access to that kind of money is really difficult<br />
to find in the third sector and the social sector.<br />
You’ve either got grants with lots of conditions or<br />
you’ve got loans which are often quite expensive.<br />
So the nature of the money is appealing.”<br />
But it also requires community buy-in, says Ms<br />
McCulloch: “The asset, whether it’s a skate park<br />
or a pub, needs to be something that people feel<br />
strongly about enough as a community that they<br />
want to be maintained <strong>for</strong> generations.”<br />
In 2017, Sutton Community Farm launched a<br />
community share offer with the support of the<br />
Booster Programme, raising almost £100,000,<br />
with nearly £50,000 coming from the Booster<br />
match. The funds enabled it to build a barn and<br />
increase its membership from 141 to 408.<br />
While many community co-ops have small<br />
staff and less than a £1m turnover, they are larger<br />
when it comes to membership. “It’s all about<br />
lots of people putting in a little bit of money and<br />
getting this big total that enables them to buy the<br />
pub or community hub or whatever it is. You’re<br />
talking about small co-ops that have hundreds,<br />
potentially thousands, of members.”<br />
Many of these groups are also volunteer-led,<br />
meaning that the economic transaction of the<br />
co-op is less than that of a traditional business.<br />
“It’s driven by passion, it’s driven by this real<br />
care <strong>for</strong> community,” says Ms McCulloch. “But<br />
it has certain challenges associated with that.”<br />
Where societies have board members with<br />
the required skills, knowledge and time to run<br />
a business, things progress much faster. But this<br />
can mean that some members of the community,<br />
such as parents or young people juggling work<br />
commitments, may find it harder to get involved,<br />
she warns. “And that’s the point in the fund and<br />
the grant, to try to augment that capacity, bring<br />
in external expertise so they don’t have to have it<br />
all in house, and really help move groups along<br />
and help take them to the next level.”<br />
While launching a community shares offer can<br />
be a boost, it is easier in certain sectors.<br />
“[When it comes to shops and pubs] co-ops<br />
can better exist in that ecosystem, because<br />
there’s a precedent <strong>for</strong> other small, ethical or<br />
independent businesses to operate. But there are<br />
sectors of our life where that’s very hard,” says<br />
Ms McCulloch, citing energy and care as two of<br />
these particularly challenging sectors.<br />
“With a lot of the community shops and pubs,<br />
there’s market failure, so communities and coops<br />
are stepping into address market failure,<br />
and the co-operative model has a competitive<br />
advantage, either through things like volunteer<br />
time or community buy-in, that then enables<br />
the business to succeed and provide the service<br />
that’s required. Whereas in [other sectors] there<br />
is competition with private finance backing.”<br />
One opportunity <strong>for</strong> growth that is seen across<br />
the co-operative movement, is replicability – one<br />
of the reasons that the “community shop and<br />
pub model has just boomed” says Ms McCulloch.<br />
There is evidence it works, and guides on what to<br />
do and how to do it.<br />
The word replicate “is the key to cooperatives”,<br />
says Ms Morris. She explains that<br />
this is where The Hive’s peer mentoring work<br />
comes in, embodying the sixth co-operative<br />
principle of co-operation among co-ops. “I<br />
think this distinguishes co-ops from traditional<br />
businesses … co-operatives are always keen to<br />
see more co-ops in their sector and are keen to<br />
support them and share their knowledge and<br />
experience.”<br />
Ms McCulloch adds, “It’s the most satisfying<br />
thing to help others set up, and then they make<br />
it their own,” adding “I think running any kind<br />
of co-op business is hard work so you don’t really<br />
want to keep growing and keep growing.”<br />
“What I’m excited to see is new sectors coming<br />
through like housing, and other community<br />
hubs. And you see it in parts like West Yorkshire,<br />
or even Manchester, and the South West as well,<br />
there’s a lot of community activity and there’s a<br />
snowball effect. Where there’s been successful<br />
ones, people are like, ‘yes, we can do the same’.<br />
And then they work with each other to make<br />
it happen.”<br />
p Top: Nudge<br />
Community Builders<br />
secured £206,750<br />
with 165 investors<br />
in 67 days to bring<br />
<strong>for</strong>mer pub The<br />
Clipper back into use<br />
<strong>for</strong> community benefit<br />
p Above: FC United<br />
of Manchester – a<br />
community owned<br />
football club<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 45
When small<br />
means strong:<br />
COMMUNITY POWER AT COOPERATION TOWN<br />
Miles Hadfield<br />
Launched in Camden, north London, in<br />
2019, Cooperation Town is a network of small<br />
community co-ops that organise hyper-local<br />
neighbourhoods into food-buying clubs.<br />
The scheme means members can save 30-40%<br />
on food bills through shared bulk purchasing,<br />
but it is also leveraging its small-scale model to<br />
empower working class neighbourhoods through<br />
non-hierarchical, autonomous, collective action.<br />
It has 14 co-ops in operation, with another 10<br />
ready <strong>for</strong> launch and many more in the pipeline.<br />
The team has also produced its Starter Pack, a<br />
guide <strong>for</strong> people looking to set up a co-op, and<br />
has so far distributed around 1,000 copies.<br />
Organisers are working on a drive to see one<br />
running in every neighbourhood in Camden,<br />
which will also be the site of a new logistics hub.<br />
Cooperation Town hopes this warehouse can<br />
help them achieve greater economies of scale<br />
without individual co-ops having to get too big.<br />
“A 20 household co-op can buy a big bag of<br />
rice and share it, which brings savings <strong>for</strong> each<br />
member – but at the warehouse, we can buy<br />
five tons of rice,” says co-founder Shiri Shalmy.<br />
“It’s almost like a co-op of co-ops, but there’s no<br />
membership relationship to us – the individual<br />
co-ops are not members of our co-op. They’re<br />
autonomous. The reason that we’re able to do<br />
that is because we were able to secure funding<br />
from the Lottery and from the Joseph Rowntree<br />
Charitable Trust, and from local authorities.<br />
That means we’re not reliant on our members<br />
to sustain the network or ourselves as an<br />
organisation – that would not be okay.”<br />
New co-ops on the Cooperation Town model<br />
are <strong>for</strong>med in two different ways – people hear<br />
of it through word of mouth and approach the<br />
group. “Or we might be working with another<br />
organisation like a local food network, a<br />
community group or a local authority and reach<br />
out to people already in those networks – it could<br />
be a tenants and residents’ association (TRA), a<br />
faith group, the users of a community centre. We<br />
present the idea and support them in organising.”<br />
The small scale works because it keeps the<br />
model to “people who already have some link<br />
between them,” adds Ms Shalmy. “It could be<br />
just that they live on the same street or estate.<br />
But they’re small <strong>for</strong> different reasons; one is<br />
that we don’t want to make people’s lives more<br />
difficult, it shouldn’t be about having to travel<br />
somewhere far to be part of a food co-op.<br />
“And we want everyone to have a role in the<br />
co-op; keeping it to 20 members means that<br />
everyone gets to do something – at least on<br />
rotation, it could be picking stuff up, it could be<br />
unpacking, it could mean being the treasurer.”<br />
Limiting the size helps keep decision making<br />
and communication “democratic, open and<br />
inclusive,” she says. “Some co-ops are bigger<br />
than 20 households, some are smaller. We don’t<br />
tell people what to do, but we do suggest that,<br />
once they get to, say 25 or 30, they split. So we<br />
end up with more co-ops, and more people who<br />
have developed the confidence to organise as a<br />
co-op, who are feeling that they have the skills<br />
and experience to share with new neighbours.<br />
They don’t need us anymore, because they are<br />
already community organisers.”<br />
This is hopefully a way of building local power,<br />
she adds. “It’s people on the same estate, the<br />
46 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
same street, organising around something that<br />
is very low risk, that everyone needs. It’s multigenerational,<br />
it’s multicultural, it’s people from<br />
different backgrounds who had been connected<br />
only by a postcode. They’re now sourcing quality<br />
food <strong>for</strong> less money, sharing recipes but also,<br />
crucially, learning to solve problems together.<br />
“It’s a kind of power that is transferable to<br />
other issues – we’re already seeing our members<br />
incorporate co-ops organising around other<br />
things, like childcare, gardening or housing,<br />
because they have learned to build power around<br />
something very easy. To me, this is something<br />
that needs to be practised on a hyper-local<br />
level. These are local issues that affect people<br />
immediately. They’re not big campaigns. They’re<br />
not national policy changes. This is building<br />
power with our neighbours.<br />
“We are seeing people getting involved in other<br />
things because they have met their neighbours<br />
and realised there are other common issues<br />
beyond af<strong>for</strong>dable food. The best example is<br />
members of Cooperation Walthamstow in north<br />
London, one of the members was being evicted<br />
from her house with three children. She’s not<br />
a political organiser, not somebody who knew<br />
how to resist this, but her co-op rallied around<br />
her and defended her. There was an eviction<br />
resistance and the bailiffs did not enter this<br />
house. This member and her children got to<br />
stay in their house that day because her co-op<br />
organised the neighbourhood to defend her.”<br />
The hyper-local model also means things<br />
don’t get too bureaucratic, says Ms Shalmy,<br />
with little scope <strong>for</strong> management capture or one<br />
individual taking too much power. Meanwhile,<br />
the co-op structure elevates members who<br />
would otherwise be marginalised. “When we<br />
first started organising, some people said,<br />
‘where’s the manager?’ Then we talked about it<br />
and realised that we don’t need one. These are<br />
the things co-op members are learning together,<br />
talking about ownership and collective decision<br />
making; allowing room <strong>for</strong> mistakes and<br />
learning from those.”<br />
She adds: “Our own organisation, which is a<br />
worker co-op, is quite small. We have four core<br />
members and at the moment, we’re employing<br />
three other people on a project basis. We are<br />
looking to grow, but we’re trying to grow slowly.<br />
We get calls from local authorities, probably once<br />
a week, asking to roll out the model, but we’re<br />
not going to do it right now, because we want to<br />
grow slowly. We want to make sure we’re doing<br />
it well. Councils come to us because we provide<br />
a solution that doesn’t cost a lot of money; it’s<br />
basically the cost of a part time organiser, and<br />
“WHEN WE FIRST STARTED ORGANISING,<br />
SOME PEOPLE SAID, ‘WHERE’S THE<br />
MANAGER?’ THEN WE TALKED ABOUT IT AND<br />
REALISED THAT WE DON’T NEED ONE<br />
it is sustainable, it’s long term. You can build it<br />
and then you can let it replicate and grow. We’re<br />
in this weird place where local authorities love<br />
us, without us hiding our politics. We’re really<br />
open about our politics, we’re talking about the<br />
real problem being poverty wages on the one<br />
hand and parasite landlords on the other. We’re<br />
working with Co-operate Islington, which is the<br />
first co-op development agency set up since 1974,<br />
and we’re pushing to set another up in Camden.<br />
“And if someone else has come up with<br />
something that can work well within the model,<br />
we’ll be happy to work with them. If you’re a<br />
childcare co-op, or a food-growing co-op, we<br />
would work with you where we already have<br />
food co-ops organising, be<strong>for</strong>e we work with<br />
another local authority.”<br />
Food and energy prices are rising – but, says<br />
Ms Shalmy, “poverty was there already. We hear<br />
people talking about energy costs and food costs<br />
and that could mean more people who haven’t<br />
so far felt squeezed – we might see middle class<br />
people looking <strong>for</strong> a collective solution.”<br />
But Cooperation Town does not want to dilute<br />
its purpose. “If it means there are more co-ops,<br />
that’s a good thing, as long as the structure is<br />
robust enough to make sure that there isn’t a<br />
middle-class takeover. We’re very clear about<br />
our politics, that this is a working class project,<br />
we’re organising <strong>for</strong> power in our class.”<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 47
COOPERATE ISLINGTON<br />
Collaborating<br />
<strong>for</strong> co-operation<br />
Susan Press<br />
q Tenants meeting at<br />
Space4<br />
A radical wave of co-operative initiatives is<br />
aiming to trans<strong>for</strong>m life <strong>for</strong> local people in<br />
Islington. The ambitious plans are inspired by<br />
innovative ideas on community wealth building<br />
which made Preston and its council a beacon of<br />
hope, despite over 10 years of economic austerity<br />
<strong>for</strong> local government.<br />
What became known as the ‘Preston Model’<br />
offered new opportunities <strong>for</strong> businesses to play<br />
an active role in shaping their local economy,<br />
working with the local authority to supply<br />
goods and services so money stayed in the local<br />
economy <strong>for</strong> those who needed it most.<br />
The recent launch of Cooperate Islington<br />
offers more opportunities. Here, a consortium<br />
of co-operatives and community organisers is<br />
working in partnership with Islington Council<br />
to build a local authority-funded co-operative<br />
development agency (CDA) – the first of its<br />
kind <strong>for</strong> 40 years – offering funding, advice,<br />
workspace and other resources, working with<br />
some of the biggest institutions in the borough<br />
and helping them adapt supply chains to buy<br />
goods and services locally from ethical providers.<br />
Stir to Action, a long-established co-operative<br />
supporting economic change and strategic<br />
development, is closely involved in the<br />
partnership.<br />
Jonny Gordon-Farleigh, Stir To Action cofounder,<br />
says: “Many people have been looking<br />
at how the Preston Model might apply in a<br />
different context, such as a metropolitan borough<br />
where there are immense levels of private capital<br />
coexisting with areas of deprivation. This is<br />
the culmination of a lot of work supporting the<br />
co-operative, inclusive economy and we’re in<br />
position to continue to build on it. This is a big<br />
moment – there hasn’t been a new CDA funded<br />
by a council <strong>for</strong> a few decades.”<br />
In 2010, Islington Council’s Fairness<br />
Commission took serious steps to tackle stark<br />
inequalities. Statistics showed Islington might<br />
be home to some of the wealthiest people in the<br />
country, but it was also an area where over half<br />
its children were growing up in poverty.<br />
Islington Council became one of the first<br />
boroughs to pay the London Living Wage. It<br />
introduced free school meals <strong>for</strong> all nursery and<br />
primary school children, and created a new inhouse<br />
employment services team – iWork – that<br />
has supported 5,500 people back into work.<br />
The social impact was impressive but fast<br />
<strong>for</strong>ward to <strong>2022</strong> and the figures show there is still<br />
a massive disconnect between the big flows of<br />
capital and multi-national businesses and small<br />
businesses facing the impact of rapidly rising<br />
prices <strong>for</strong> office space.<br />
Islington’s new Community Wealth Building<br />
directorate has been tasked with ensuring things<br />
become more inclusive and that money stays in<br />
the local economy.<br />
A driving <strong>for</strong>ce behind it is Cllr Asima Shaikh,<br />
executive member <strong>for</strong> inclusive economy<br />
and jobs. With a background in international<br />
economic development and a previous role<br />
in the Economic Unit of the Greater London<br />
Authority, she is passionate about improving<br />
lives, particularly <strong>for</strong> the borough’s working<br />
class and BAME communities.<br />
“By traditional measures Islington is wealthy<br />
– but this supposedly successful and wealthy<br />
economy doesn’t work <strong>for</strong> many local people. We<br />
needed to look at how we can have an economy<br />
48 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong>
which delivers the best <strong>for</strong> local people, spending<br />
resources on the poorest. Everything we did had<br />
that lens to it, targeting communities where help<br />
is needed.”<br />
The council is using its £1.2 m funding from the<br />
mayor’s Good Growth Fund (which it matched<br />
with another £1m) to intervene in a number of<br />
ways, including increasing the amount of social<br />
values expected from procurement – doubled<br />
from 10 to 20%.<br />
It is also working with anchor institutions<br />
– large social buyers and employers – like the<br />
Whittington Hospital and City University to<br />
maximise employment opportunities.<br />
Among the five social value indicators that<br />
feature in the bidding process is the extent to<br />
which providers plan to support women and<br />
unemployed residents to get back into work,<br />
and how many disabled, young ex-offenders,<br />
and black or minority ethnic staff they expect to<br />
employ. To date, the programme has generated<br />
over £1m of additional value.<br />
Af<strong>for</strong>dable Workspaces, a council-led market<br />
intervention, already offers long-term leases of<br />
10-20 years on peppercorn rents to create office<br />
space <strong>for</strong> co-operatives, social enterprises and<br />
other entrepreneurs. It has now delivered more<br />
than 2,520sqm of space and secured a further<br />
2,824sqm from new developments to deliver in<br />
the next five years.<br />
In 2019, the first tender was awarded to<br />
Outlandish, a local tech co-operative, which is<br />
now managing Space4 as a co-working space <strong>for</strong><br />
pro-social tech businesses. The anchor tenant is<br />
Founders & Coders, a tech non-profit that offers<br />
training programmes in web development.<br />
The space is operated on a ‘pay what you can’<br />
model, with 50% benefiting from a partial or full<br />
discount. Outlandish is also at the <strong>for</strong>efront of<br />
the development of the new CDA.<br />
One of the initiatives benefiting from the<br />
scheme is Wings, an ethical courier co-operative,<br />
launched in July 2021, with many riders who<br />
were part of an initiative to deliver emergency<br />
food parcels during the first Covid-19 lockdown.<br />
It’s currently the only food courier business that<br />
guarantees the London Living Wage, offering sick<br />
pay and benefits, unlike most other competitors<br />
in the gig economy.<br />
Similarly, a disused retail space in Fonthill<br />
Road, Finsbury Park, is now home to the FC<br />
Designer Collective, a partnership between<br />
Islington Council, local communities and<br />
garment industry co-operative Fashion-Enter,<br />
providing local designers with a high street<br />
outlet to sell their work. In lieu of rent, it provides<br />
business mentoring and training in tailoring and<br />
needlework to local creatives and community<br />
groups, to help kick-start their careers in the<br />
garment industry.<br />
In late autumn 2021, Islington council granted<br />
£250,000 to Outlandish and Hackney Cooperative<br />
Development, in partnership with<br />
Stir to Action and Principle Six, to launch an<br />
advice and grants programme – with at least<br />
40% of beneficiaries from women and BAME<br />
backgrounds – and to support the development<br />
of the new CDA.<br />
The plan is to launch an independent body<br />
in Autumn <strong>2022</strong>, working with the council’s<br />
Community Wealth Building directorate, the<br />
council’s partnerships, and networks within<br />
Islington to build new capacities and create a<br />
pipeline of co-operatives.<br />
It is still early days but so far, over 250 people<br />
have been supported into employment through<br />
new job opportunities, overcoming previous<br />
barriers in the process.<br />
And it is hoped the new CDA will be a real<br />
game-changer, inspiring other local authorities<br />
across the country to follow suit.<br />
Councillor Shaikh said: “All the initiatives<br />
mentioned are attempting to get benefits <strong>for</strong><br />
local residents. We want to support co-ops to<br />
link in with our procurement team and would<br />
love to commission them to develop services that<br />
are currently outsourced.<br />
“We have a good track record but now in the<br />
context of the post-Covid world, we need to look<br />
again at how you restructure the economy and<br />
make things different, challenging ourselves to<br />
have more grassroots, community-based co-ops<br />
in poorer communities.”<br />
p Top: Wings<br />
co-founder Rich<br />
Mason and Cllr Asima<br />
Shaikh launch the new<br />
ethical food delivery<br />
co-op<br />
p Above: Jannaty<br />
women’s group, led by<br />
Majida Sayam (in the<br />
white hijab). is one of<br />
the groups using the<br />
shared space<br />
APRIL <strong>2022</strong> | 49
DIARY<br />
Do you have a co-operative<br />
event – taking place in<br />
person, online, or as a<br />
hybrid – to be featured?<br />
Tell us at:<br />
events@thenews.coop<br />
UK Worker Co-op Weekend<br />
29 <strong>April</strong>-1 May (Devon, England)<br />
A weekend <strong>for</strong> worker co-ops to learn,<br />
share and be inspired – and take part in<br />
a conversation about the future of the<br />
worker co-op movement.<br />
bit.ly/3Ibil78<br />
Cooperatives Europe General Assembly<br />
24-25 May (Cardiff, Wales)<br />
The General Assembly will open the<br />
first day with a conference on youth and<br />
sustainable business in coordination with<br />
the Youth European Cooperative Network<br />
(YECN). The second day will be dedicated<br />
to statutory business and by-elections.<br />
The GA will be an opportunity to exchange<br />
in a dynamic way on its vision <strong>for</strong> the next<br />
four years.<br />
bit.ly/3vbPXxX<br />
ICA General Assembly<br />
20 June (Seville, Spain)<br />
The next ICA General Assembly will be<br />
hosted by the Spanish Confederation of<br />
Worker Cooperatives (COCETA) in Seville,<br />
Spain, and will include the elections <strong>for</strong><br />
the ICA President and board of directors.<br />
bit.ly/3IhUvqu<br />
50 | APRIL <strong>2022</strong><br />
UK Co-operative Congress<br />
24- 25 June (Birmingham, UK)<br />
Details tbc.<br />
International Day of Co-operatives<br />
2 July<br />
Playground <strong>for</strong> the New Economy<br />
12-14 July (Devon)<br />
Stir to Action’s Playground <strong>for</strong> the New<br />
Economy Festival is returning to its<br />
residential campus at Selgars Mill in Mid<br />
Devon <strong>for</strong> three days of panels, workshops,<br />
open space, virtual reality experiences,<br />
sustainable food, and live music.<br />
stirtoaction.com/festival<br />
World Credit Union Conference<br />
17-20 July (Glasgow)<br />
The World Council of Credit Unions will cohost<br />
its conference with the Association of<br />
British Credit Unions Limited (ABCUL).<br />
Speakers include cyber security analyst<br />
Keren Elazari and behavioural science<br />
expert Belinda Parmar.<br />
wcuc.org<br />
Co-op Party Conference<br />
8-9 October (Leeds)<br />
The Co-operative Party’s showcase of<br />
co-operative politics and the largest<br />
political online gathering of the year <strong>for</strong><br />
the UK co‐operative movement.<br />
party.coop/event/annconf022<br />
ICMIF Centenary Conference<br />
25-28 October <strong>2022</strong> (Rome)<br />
The ICMIF Centenary Conference will be<br />
an event that stimulates original ideas <strong>for</strong><br />
better business per<strong>for</strong>mance; that offers<br />
clear insights into the trends that are<br />
shaping the future of our industry; that<br />
provides a full and clear understanding<br />
of the powerful role that the sector too<br />
can play in redesigning insurance. The<br />
Centenary Conference will be hosted<br />
by the Unipol Group, one of ICMIF’s<br />
founding members, in Rome, where the<br />
organisation was founded 100 years ago.<br />
icmif.org/icmif-conference/
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Plus … Launch of the 10th<br />
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lenging<br />
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Interview with Rob Harrison,<br />
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MPs debate debate the<br />
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news news Issue #7327 JANUARY 2021<br />
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THE FUTURE OF<br />
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news news Issue #7327 JANUARY 2021<br />
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THE FUTURE OF<br />
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SEPTEMBER 2021<br />
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CONGRESS 2021:<br />
CO-OPS ARE THE<br />
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JANUARY 2021<br />
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