Co-op News June 2022
The June edition of Co-op News: connecting, challenging and championing the global co-operative movement. This issue we look at co-ops in the leisure sector, from tourism options offered by the movement to the fan-led rescue of Bury Football Club. There's a look at how co-ops interact with the music festival sector and a preview of one of the movement's own festivals, Stir To Action's Playground for the New Economy. And we meet French performing arts co-op Ulysse Maison d’Artistes. We also cover two conferences for the credit union movement – from Abcul and the Swoboda Research Centre – as well as the the Co-op Group's AGM, along with a round-up of the latest financial results from the UK retail co-ops. And there's news of a new independent federation being set up for the UK's worker co-ops.
The June edition of Co-op News: connecting, challenging and championing the global co-operative movement. This issue we look at co-ops in the leisure sector, from tourism options offered by the movement to the fan-led rescue of Bury Football Club. There's a look at how co-ops interact with the music festival sector and a preview of one of the movement's own festivals, Stir To Action's Playground for the New Economy. And we meet French performing arts co-op Ulysse Maison d’Artistes. We also cover two conferences for the credit union movement – from Abcul and the Swoboda Research Centre – as well as the the Co-op Group's AGM, along with a round-up of the latest financial results from the UK retail co-ops. And there's news of a new independent federation being set up for the UK's worker co-ops.
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JUNE <strong>2022</strong><br />
CO-OPS COME<br />
TOGETHER FOR<br />
WORK AND PLAY<br />
Plus … Credit union<br />
conference from Abcul and<br />
Swoboda ... Latest results<br />
from the retail sector ... ICA<br />
presidential candidates<br />
present their pitches<br />
ISSN 0009-9821<br />
770009 982010<br />
01<br />
£4.20<br />
www.thenews.co<strong>op</strong>
The <strong>2022</strong> <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Press<br />
Annual General Meeting<br />
We will be convening a virtual AGM in <strong>2022</strong>.<br />
6-7.30pm, Monday 25 July<br />
In accordance with Rule 20 of the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Press Rules, any member may submit a<br />
pr<strong>op</strong>osal to the Annual Meeting of members in writing to the Secretary.<br />
The timetable is as follows<br />
5pm, Monday 13 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />
Closing Date for Receipt of Pr<strong>op</strong>osals<br />
Monday 27 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />
Agenda and Pr<strong>op</strong>osals sent out to members<br />
5pm, Monday, 11 July <strong>2022</strong><br />
Closing date for receipt of amendments to Pr<strong>op</strong>osals.<br />
Tuesday, 12 July <strong>2022</strong><br />
Notice of the final Agenda and the Annual Accounts sent out to members<br />
and made available online.<br />
With regard to amendments to any pr<strong>op</strong>osals (as stated in Rule 21), any member may send to<br />
the directors any amendment to any pr<strong>op</strong>osal appearing on the agenda or any amendment<br />
to any matter forming part of the business of the meeting, and provided such amendment be<br />
received by the secretary prior to the Annual Meeting, it shall be circulated to members as<br />
soon as is practicable as an additional business paper for consideration at the meeting.<br />
Please note that by submitting a pr<strong>op</strong>osal, members are committing themselves to attend the<br />
Annual Meeting if their pr<strong>op</strong>osal is accepted onto the Agenda.<br />
For further updates on the AGM, please visit www.thenews.co<strong>op</strong>/AGM<strong>2022</strong><br />
The Secretary<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Press Ltd, Holyoake House,<br />
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secretary@thenews.co<strong>op</strong>
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>s at play – putting their<br />
values and principles to work<br />
CONNECTING, CHAMPIONING AND<br />
CHALLENGING THE GLOBAL CO-OP<br />
MOVEMENT SINCE 1871<br />
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Secretary: Richard Bickle<br />
Established in 1871, <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
<strong>News</strong> is published by <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
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@co<strong>op</strong>news<br />
co<strong>op</strong>erativenews<br />
CBP009222<br />
Summer’s here – if a little on the chilly side, as you’d expect in the UK – and<br />
after two years of <strong>Co</strong>vid disruption pe<strong>op</strong>le are ready to enjoy it, with<br />
retail society results noting the effect on their travel businesses (p6-8).<br />
So what better time to take a look at how co-<strong>op</strong>s provide leisure activity?<br />
Festivals have now moved from the counter culture to become a firm fixture<br />
in the calendar. We take a look at how retail societies like Radstock and<br />
the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group are interacting with these events, plus some co-<strong>op</strong>run<br />
festivals (p42-43). Stir To Action is also delivering a festival to<br />
facilitate new economy thinking (p36-37), while last month’s Worker <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong><br />
Weekend laid the groundwork for a new UK federation for the sector<br />
(p26-27).<br />
The festival sector is h<strong>op</strong>ing for a revival after two fallow years under<br />
the pandemic, and the performing arts were hit hard by lockdown<br />
measures. Among the organisations getting back on its feet is French<br />
co-<strong>op</strong> Ulysse Maison d’Artistes, which shares its story with us (p38-39).<br />
We also take a look at some of the co-<strong>op</strong> holiday <strong>op</strong>tions on offer<br />
(p40-41) or, if sport’s more your thing, catch up with Bury AFC, which<br />
has brought its club back from financial disaster by forming a community<br />
benefit society (p44-45).<br />
Last month, <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> <strong>News</strong> attended two important conferences for the<br />
credit union movement – organised by Abcul in Manchester and the<br />
Swoboda Research Centre in Dublin. Abcul’s event heard some<br />
important reform pr<strong>op</strong>osals from treasury minister John Glen (p12) and<br />
discussed challenges around mergers, fintech and the cost of living<br />
crisis (p28-30) while the sector researchers gathered by Swoboda<br />
looked at ways to support the green transition (p31-33).<br />
We also take a look at the forthcoming national and international co<strong>op</strong><br />
celebrations (p34-35) and hear pitches from the three candidates for<br />
this year’s election for the post of ICA president (p46-48).<br />
MILES HADFIELD - DIGITAL EDITOR<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative <strong>News</strong> 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 />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 3
ISSN 0009-9821<br />
9 770009 982010<br />
01<br />
THIS ISSUE<br />
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:<br />
The <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group announces its latest<br />
plans for home delivery expansion (p10);<br />
Spanish co-<strong>op</strong> Granissat celebrates the<br />
International Day of <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives (p14);<br />
the Iguanodon Restaurant at the<br />
Radstock Arts Festival (p42-43); the<br />
Worker <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Weekend planned a new<br />
federation (p26-27); Midcounties’ Sara<br />
Dunham (p22-23)<br />
22-23 MEET ... SARAH DUNHAM<br />
The head of travel at Midcounties <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong><br />
<strong>Co</strong>llective tell us about the three-day<br />
Playground for the New Economy<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong><br />
CO-OPS STAND<br />
TOGETHER FOR<br />
UKRAINE<br />
Plus … The benefits and<br />
challenges of small-scale co<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
... Report from the<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Retail <strong>Co</strong>nference ... A<br />
look back on the life and work<br />
of social reformer<br />
Robert Owen<br />
£4.20<br />
www.thenews.co<strong>op</strong><br />
COVER: EAST QUAY<br />
This sustainable building in Watchet,<br />
Somerset, shows what the next<br />
economy could look like in practice,<br />
says Onion <strong>Co</strong>llective, one of the co-<strong>op</strong><br />
organisations at this year’s Playground<br />
for the New Economy<br />
Read more: p36-37<br />
25 BIRMINGHAM FILM CO-OP FESTIVAL<br />
Preview from co-<strong>op</strong> chair Kate Palser<br />
26-27 NEW DAWN FOR WORKER CO-OPS<br />
Siôn Whellens tells us about plans for a<br />
new UK federation of worker co-<strong>op</strong>s<br />
28-33 CONFERENCES<br />
28-30 ABCUL CONFERENCE<br />
British credit unions met in Manchester<br />
to discuss the challenges of growth,<br />
fintech and the cost of living crisis<br />
31-33 SWOBODA RESEARCH CENTRE<br />
Credit union experts gathered in Dublin<br />
to look at the transition to sustainability<br />
34-35 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY<br />
A look ahead to the International Day of<br />
<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives, <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Fortnight and <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong><br />
<strong>Co</strong>ngress – which marks the centenary of<br />
<strong>Co</strong>ngress’s first female chair<br />
36-45 CO-OPERATIVES AT PLAY<br />
36-37 NEW ECONOMY FESTIVAL Jonny<br />
Gordon-Farleigh of Stir to Action and<br />
Jessica Prendergrast of Onion<br />
38-39 CO-OP TAKES THE STAGE<br />
French performing arts co-<strong>op</strong> Ulysse<br />
Maison d’Artistes takes us through<br />
its journey<br />
40-41 TIME FOR A HOLIDAY<br />
Need to take a break? Here’s some<br />
<strong>op</strong>tions for holidays that stick to the<br />
values of the co-<strong>op</strong> movement<br />
42-43 FESTIVAL SEASON<br />
From the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group’s on-site presence<br />
to co-<strong>op</strong>-run music festivals in Scotland<br />
and the USA<br />
44-45 FOOTBALL COMES HOME<br />
How supporters formed a community<br />
benefit society to bring Bury AFC back<br />
from the brink<br />
46-47 ICA ELECTIONS<br />
The three presidential candidates make<br />
their pitches<br />
REGULARS<br />
5-13 UK news<br />
14-21 Global news<br />
24 Letters<br />
50 Events<br />
4 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
NEWS<br />
RETAIL<br />
Drivers for logistics giant supplying <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group stores take strike action<br />
Trade union Unite says members working<br />
for logistics giant GXO, which runs an<br />
outsourced delivery contract for the<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group, are to strike over pay.<br />
More than 330 drivers and transport<br />
clerks based at the company’s depot in<br />
Elton Head Road, St Helens, are involved<br />
in the dispute. The workers recorded a<br />
97% vote in favour of strike action.<br />
Unite says the drivers deliver to 466<br />
Group stores, from the Lake District in<br />
the north, Leeds in the east, as far south<br />
as Hereford and Aberystwyth in the west.<br />
It warns that the strike action “will<br />
have an immediate effect on supplies”,<br />
although the Group says it is taking steps<br />
to minimise disruption for sh<strong>op</strong>pers.<br />
In total 40 days of strike action have<br />
been announced between the end of May<br />
and the end of August. This will comprise<br />
20 separate, 48 hour strikes, with the<br />
first strike beginning on Wednesday 31<br />
May, which coincides with the jubilee<br />
celebrations.<br />
The union says drivers are currently<br />
paid a standard rate of £14.77 an hour, and<br />
claims drivers employed on comparable<br />
contracts are often paid over £17 an hour.<br />
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham<br />
said: “GXO’s refusal to pay our members<br />
the rate for the job means <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> stores will<br />
now be short of goods. This is a wealthy<br />
company that has no excuse not to pay<br />
pr<strong>op</strong>er wages. GXO needs to get real and<br />
make an offer that meets our members’<br />
expectations. Unite will be giving these<br />
workers its full support until this dispute<br />
is resolved.”<br />
Unite regional officer Kenny Rowe said:<br />
“Strike action will undoubtedly cause<br />
disruption to <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> stores but this dispute<br />
is entirely of GXO’s own making. Even<br />
at this late stage strike action and the<br />
ensuing disruption can still be avoided,<br />
but GXO has to make an improved offer.”<br />
A spokesperson for GXO said: “We are<br />
committed to being an employer of choice<br />
for our employees and our customers.<br />
Discussions are ongoing in order to reach<br />
agreement with all parties involved.”<br />
A spokesperson for the Group said: “We<br />
are very sorry it has got to this point. We<br />
are working closely with GXO who employ<br />
the drivers, as they seek to continue<br />
discussions to try and resolve the dispute.<br />
Sh<strong>op</strong>pers should rest assured that we are<br />
also taking extensive steps and putting<br />
plans in place to minimise disruption and<br />
ensure customers can get the products<br />
they want and need.”<br />
The Group outsourced much of its<br />
logistics <strong>op</strong>eration in 2016 and at the time<br />
held discussions with Unite to avoid an<br />
industrial dispute.<br />
The strike comes on the heels of last<br />
year’s supply chain issues – felt across<br />
the grocery sector – after <strong>Co</strong>vid-19 and<br />
Brexit sparked a labour shortage in the<br />
haulage industry. In response the Group<br />
worked with GXO to devel<strong>op</strong> a driver<br />
apprenticeship scheme.<br />
u Group AGM, p9; online plans, p10<br />
POLITICS<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Party hails string of successes in local elections<br />
Last month’s local elections were hailed<br />
as a success by the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Party, which<br />
said it had a record number of over 1,200<br />
councillors return to office.<br />
In Scotland and Wales it doubled its<br />
number of councillors, following on from<br />
record parliamentary <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative groups<br />
elected last year.<br />
“Every candidate can be proud of the part<br />
they played in promoting our movement,”<br />
said assistant general secretary Emma<br />
Hoddinott. “Even if not elected, our<br />
candidates took the co-<strong>op</strong>erative message<br />
out into their community through leaflets,<br />
media and thousands of conversations.<br />
Thank you to everyone who proudly stood<br />
as a candidate.”<br />
Ms Hoddinott said that in every nation<br />
and region the Party increased its overall<br />
number of councillors, including all 14 of<br />
its candidates in Barnet, its largest group<br />
of councillors in Birmingham and 49<br />
councillors in Greenwich.<br />
The mayoral elections saw the reelection<br />
of Damien Egan in Lewisham,<br />
Philip Glanville in Hackney and Rokhsana<br />
Fiaz in Newham. They were joined by<br />
Oliver <strong>Co</strong>ppard who became the new<br />
mayor of South Yorkshire with a majority<br />
of over 80,000 over the <strong>Co</strong>nservatives.<br />
“The hard work starts now to stand<br />
alongside residents through what will be a<br />
difficult year,” said Ms Hoddinott.<br />
From a <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> <strong>Co</strong>uncils Innovation<br />
Network perspective, Labour lost in Hull<br />
to the Lib Dems – although the CCIN<br />
is non-partisan and has one Lib Dem<br />
member. And Arooj Shah, leader of CCIN<br />
member Oldham <strong>Co</strong>uncil, lost her seat.<br />
Voters in Bristol voted to scrap the metro<br />
mayor system; Labour’s Marvin Rees will<br />
serve the remainder of his term until 2024.<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 5
RETAIL SOCIETY RESULTS<br />
Supply disruptions and cost of living crisis run through society reports<br />
More financial results have come in from<br />
the UK retail movement, with co-<strong>op</strong>s<br />
noting a tough trading environment.<br />
Supply chain disruptions have affected<br />
<strong>op</strong>erations, and the reports warn that the<br />
ongoing effects of the pandemic and the<br />
cost of living squeeze continue to make<br />
business uncertain. But most societies<br />
returned profits and are continuing<br />
investment, alongside measures to<br />
support their communities.<br />
Midcounties<br />
Midcounties announced <strong>op</strong>erating profits<br />
before significant items of £7.4m and a<br />
14.6% increase in gross sales in its report<br />
for the year ending 22 January.<br />
Gross sales were £912.9m (2020/21:<br />
£796.9); revenue was £676.5m (2020/21:<br />
£693.2m) and EBITDA was £26.6m<br />
(2020/21: £31.2m). The society has reduced<br />
its net debt to £40.5m (2020/21: £64.9m).<br />
Travel was hit by <strong>Co</strong>vid restrictions<br />
although gross sales rose £165m.<br />
Food retail saw a reduction in sh<strong>op</strong>ping<br />
trips to smaller stores, which make up<br />
the bulk of its estate, while “sector-wide<br />
labour shortages resulted in difficulties<br />
around the supply of products during key<br />
trading through the national distribution<br />
network <strong>op</strong>erated by the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group.<br />
“As a result, food retail saw a 6% decline<br />
in gross sales from the previous year,<br />
although this represents a 4.5% increase<br />
on 2019’s pre-pandemic figures.”<br />
The society made some major changes<br />
to its business, taking its healthcare<br />
business online by completing its disposal<br />
of community pharmacies. It transferred<br />
most of its funeral business to Central<br />
England <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> and a small number to other<br />
providers within the co-<strong>op</strong> movement, in<br />
“a strategic exit of the sector that ensured<br />
customers can continue to be served by a<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>erative funeralcare provider”.<br />
It added: “These decisions formed part<br />
of a prudent and balanced approach to<br />
the society’s finances that saw debt levels<br />
reduce by more than 37%.”<br />
Investments brought seven new food<br />
retail stores and 46 store devel<strong>op</strong>ments,<br />
with 10 new stores planned for <strong>2022</strong> at a<br />
total investment of more than £5m. The<br />
society also <strong>op</strong>ened two new childcare<br />
sites, with a further site planned for <strong>2022</strong>,<br />
as part of its plans to double the size of its<br />
nursery estate over the next five years.<br />
A new members app was launched<br />
which has been downloaded by almost<br />
60,000 members.<br />
The society says it continued to support<br />
the vulnerable pe<strong>op</strong>le through its home<br />
delivery service in partnership with local<br />
volunteers and community groups, which<br />
has now made over 150,000 deliveries.<br />
In terms of sustainability, the utilities<br />
business launched a climate positive<br />
broadband tariff and launched Younity,<br />
the joint venture with Oct<strong>op</strong>us Energy to<br />
support community energy suppliers.<br />
East of England<br />
East of England <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>’s results for the<br />
year to 22 January saw trading profit fall to<br />
£1.5m from £7.5m in 2021.<br />
Overall, pre-tax profits rose to £7.6m,<br />
following a loss of £1.7m during the<br />
previous year. This was down to an<br />
increase in the value of the society’s<br />
investment pr<strong>op</strong>erty portfolio and not<br />
having the one-off costs it saw in 2020/21.<br />
Turnover fell slightly by 0.3% as food<br />
sh<strong>op</strong>ping habits returned to normal after<br />
the pandemic. But food sales were 5.9%<br />
higher than in 2019/20, the pre-pandemic<br />
year taken as a comparable benchmark<br />
by much of the retail industry, and the<br />
decline was partially offset by an increase<br />
in sales of more than 50% at the society’s<br />
petrol stations.<br />
The society reported a 1.2% rise in the<br />
number of funeral services, an increase<br />
in income from its investment pr<strong>op</strong>erties<br />
and an 18.3% growth in sales through<br />
its stonemasonry business, H L Perfitt,<br />
generating sales in excess of £2m.<br />
Joint CEO Doug Field said the society<br />
has “a strong balance sheet and sound<br />
finances, and we have the funds and<br />
resources to continue to invest in growing<br />
our business”.<br />
During the year, the society awarded<br />
more than £200,000 worth of grants to<br />
local voluntary, community and social<br />
enterprise organisations through its<br />
<strong>Co</strong>mmunity Cares Fund. And it donated<br />
more than £22,000 to 25 food banks across<br />
Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk.<br />
Southern<br />
Southern <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> reported an <strong>op</strong>erating<br />
profit of £4.3m for the year to 30 January,<br />
up from £2.8m the previous year.<br />
The society’s preferred profit measure<br />
of EBITDA increased 3% to £19.2m, and<br />
profit before tax rose by £1.2m to £3.3m.<br />
Total income reached £494m – an<br />
increase of £4m on 2021, which the<br />
report says is driven by rising coffee sales<br />
which were helped by a combination of<br />
fewer interrupted trading hours, and the<br />
<strong>op</strong>ening or acquisition of new sites.<br />
The funeral business completed fewer<br />
client arrangements than were planned for<br />
the year, 1% lower than the 2020-21 figure.<br />
Measured against the comparable<br />
pre-pandemic year of 2019, total society<br />
income was £27m, 6% higher, including<br />
a two year like-for-like increase of +3.3%<br />
in food sales and a 9% increase from<br />
comparable coffee stores.<br />
CEO Mark Smith said: “Toward the end<br />
of 2021, interruptions in supply into our<br />
stores intensified for a period of time,<br />
resulting in shelf availability impacts on<br />
certain lines. This has since eased, but I<br />
would like to apologise for this temporary<br />
worsening of supply caused by IT system<br />
issues at our logistics provider.”<br />
Mr Smith said there were also<br />
<strong>op</strong>erational challenges from labour<br />
shortages, with higher colleague turnover<br />
and vacancy rates in the second half of<br />
the year. “It remains a priority to further<br />
improve our touchpoints with colleagues<br />
and to build on the attractiveness of our<br />
brand as an employer,” he added.<br />
Southern has also been working to<br />
increase growth and resilience, he said,<br />
adding the Starbucks franchise to 20 new<br />
stores, bringing the total to 50, with a<br />
target of 100 by 2025.<br />
End of Life Services grew, with three<br />
new woodland burial ground businesses,<br />
and six new funeral homes.<br />
In food, growth continued with 13 new<br />
stores <strong>op</strong>ened by independent partners<br />
under the Welcome franchise format. For<br />
Southern’s managed food estate, 15 stores<br />
were added to its online rapid grocery<br />
delivery service, bringing the total to<br />
43. One new Southern <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> food store<br />
<strong>op</strong>ened, in Basingstoke.<br />
6 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
p The year brought challenges but the retail sector continued to expand, including new stores for Midcounties (left) and Southern<br />
The report also documented the society’s<br />
efforts on sustainability, including the trial<br />
of soft plastics recycling bins, work with<br />
franchise partner Starbucks to reduce<br />
waste, water and carbon, and a climate<br />
action pathway, with targets including<br />
a 50% cut in absolute greenhouse gas<br />
emissions by 2030 compared to 2019.<br />
Heart of England<br />
Heart of England <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> announced a<br />
trading profit of £4m (previous year £4.6m)<br />
in its report for the year to 22 January.<br />
Operating profit was £5.8m (£3.3m) and<br />
pre-tax profit was £5.7m (£3.2m).<br />
Turnover across Heart of England’s<br />
food and funeral businesses was £90.9m<br />
– a decrease of 1.3% compared with the<br />
previous 52 weeks, which saw record<br />
trading because of the pandemic.<br />
Food sales dipped by 1.72% compared<br />
with the previous year. Heart of England<br />
said this was in part down to increased<br />
competition but also as a result of supply<br />
chain problems.<br />
Margins were also under pressure, said<br />
the report, not only as a result of increased<br />
competition locally but also due to a dr<strong>op</strong><br />
in income against the previous year from<br />
the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>’s FRTS central buying group.<br />
But the society continued its investment<br />
programme, completing significant<br />
capital projects at its food stores in<br />
Bulkington and Harbury.<br />
Investments continue this year; in<br />
March the society <strong>op</strong>ened its £2.7m store<br />
at Lower Heathcote in Warwick, which<br />
will be followed by refurbishments of the<br />
Hillmorton and Balsall <strong>Co</strong>mmon stores<br />
later this year. Balsall <strong>Co</strong>mmon will have<br />
a new coffee sh<strong>op</strong>, while next year will see<br />
the <strong>op</strong>ening of a drive-through coffee unit<br />
in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.<br />
The society’s funeral business posted<br />
a 2.59% increase in sales, although the<br />
number of funerals in that time fell by<br />
4.79%. The dr<strong>op</strong> comes against an extra<br />
ordinarily high number of funerals in<br />
2020, brought about by <strong>Co</strong>vid-19.<br />
Heart of England says it invested in<br />
a new funeral home in Brackley, south<br />
Northamptonshire, taking the business<br />
over from Midcounties. The move saw the<br />
funeral division to extend its footprint<br />
south and followed the <strong>op</strong>ening of its<br />
Towcester funeral home in 2019. All<br />
funeral homes were rebranded as Heart of<br />
England <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Funerals.<br />
The society’s net worth now stands at<br />
£52.8m – an increase of 15.4% on 2020.<br />
Its bank balance is now at £16.4m, with<br />
a further £5.3m spent on new projects<br />
throughout the year.<br />
Membership has increased to 166,000<br />
from 162,500 last year, while the member<br />
rewards earned in Food stores over the<br />
year t<strong>op</strong>ped £367,000.<br />
CEO Ali Kurji said: “We face an extremely<br />
challenging and very uncertain <strong>2022</strong> and<br />
all the economic indicators are pointing<br />
towards a slowdown in the economy ...<br />
compounded by the increase in the living<br />
wage and national insurance.”<br />
Chelmsford Star<br />
Essex-based Chelmsford Star reported a<br />
trading profit of £493,000 for the year to 29<br />
January, a two-year decrease of £200,000.<br />
Gross takings fell by 3.2% (on a 52-<br />
week comparison) or by 12.7% across<br />
two years, the report says. After meeting<br />
the costs of all distributions, the society<br />
posted a retained profit of £341,000,<br />
which compares to losses of £3,546,000<br />
last year and £617,000 two years ago. The<br />
performance is ahead of the expectation<br />
of the business plan, the report says.<br />
The board will be recommending a<br />
dividend rate of £4 per 1,000 points<br />
earned up to 29 January <strong>2022</strong>.<br />
Chelmsford Star’s food business saw<br />
gross takings of core products rise by<br />
4.4% on a year-on-two-year like-forlike<br />
basis, helped by <strong>Co</strong>vid restrictions<br />
keeping sh<strong>op</strong>pers local. Trading profit<br />
of the food business has increased 24%<br />
over two years. The society says its food<br />
business was hampered by supply issues,<br />
resulting from <strong>Co</strong>vid related shortages in<br />
food supplies and the availability of HGV<br />
drivers. Stock availability over more recent<br />
weeks has gradually improved, it adds.<br />
The society is working to mitigate losses<br />
at its department stores, looking for new<br />
concession partners and devel<strong>op</strong>ing its<br />
online sh<strong>op</strong>ping offer.<br />
But trading losses in the division<br />
increased to 6.87%, compared to 3.09%<br />
two years ago, and the board continues to<br />
monitor its performance.<br />
Gross takings for the travel amounted<br />
to £1,389,000, a decline in turnover across<br />
two years of £9,010,000 (86.6)%. “Given<br />
the impact of <strong>Co</strong>vid-19 on international<br />
travel,” says the report, “the society’s<br />
travel business generated a trading loss<br />
of £120,000, which compares to a trading<br />
profit two years ago of £201,000”.<br />
This year, the business is launching<br />
an online <strong>op</strong>tion for customers to book a<br />
selection of Eur<strong>op</strong>ean holiday packages.u<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 7
p Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey (fourth from left) with CEO Don Morris (fifth from left) on a visit to Radstock <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>’s dairy farm<br />
u At the funeral division, takings rose 1%<br />
on a year-on-two-year basis. The society<br />
will <strong>op</strong>en its ninth funeral site this year in<br />
Basildon, and is also devel<strong>op</strong>ing its online<br />
funeral planning <strong>op</strong>tions.<br />
During the year, the society achieved<br />
the Fair Tax accreditation. Its charity<br />
partnership with Essex <strong>Co</strong>mmunity<br />
Foundation’s <strong>Co</strong>ronavirus Fund raised<br />
£20,355, and the society’s <strong>Co</strong>mmunity<br />
Fund gave £9,000 to four Essex charities.<br />
Channel Islands<br />
Channel Islands <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> saw trading profits<br />
for the year to 9 January fall 16.7% to<br />
£6m (2020/21: £7.2m). Turnover dr<strong>op</strong>ped<br />
to £181.6m (2020/21: £185m), with food<br />
and fuel sales of £169.7m affected by<br />
falling trade at its petrol stations as home<br />
working continued.<br />
The society wrote down the value<br />
of its Leale’s Yard site in Guernsey in<br />
preparation for a redevel<strong>op</strong>ment, which<br />
together with the supply chain costs<br />
generated a £6.7m loss.<br />
“Availability shortages and increased<br />
costs from our main UK supplier cost<br />
£4.4m in lost sales and additional costs,”<br />
said CEO Mark <strong>Co</strong>x.<br />
Mr <strong>Co</strong>x bemoaned a “disappointing<br />
but not unsurprising performance when<br />
considered against the head winds of<br />
significant availability challenges in the<br />
second half of the year and increased<br />
costs from our main UK supplier … We<br />
sought to limit cost increases to customers<br />
and members whenever possible.<br />
“Driver shortages in the UK and<br />
significant ongoing <strong>Co</strong>vid-19 absences<br />
throughout our UK supply chain combined<br />
to leave shelves looking empty at times.”<br />
The food business is continuing to seek<br />
new products and suppliers to offer more<br />
choice build greater resilience into the<br />
supply chain, added Mr <strong>Co</strong>x.<br />
The society’s seven pharmacies had<br />
performed well, he added, with sales<br />
of £10.3m, and there was a positive<br />
performance from its funeral businesses,<br />
De Gruchy’s in Jersey and Argents in<br />
Guernsey, providing 398 services in the<br />
year with a turnover of £1.8m.<br />
Almost £50,000 was donated from the<br />
society’s new <strong>Co</strong>mmunity Fund to local<br />
projects, shared out among 173 charities.<br />
After writing down the value of its<br />
Leale’s Yard site, the society has submitted<br />
a planning application for over £50m of<br />
capital investment providing 320 homes,<br />
a retail store, car park, green and civic<br />
space to be available within five years.<br />
This year, the co-<strong>op</strong> is also <strong>op</strong>ening of a<br />
new store at Five Oaks, Jersey, rolling out<br />
new branding and new uniforms across<br />
its estate and introducing a new loyalty<br />
pr<strong>op</strong>osition for members.<br />
The year will see the society publish its<br />
first formal sustainability strategy “which<br />
will lay the groundwork for us to measure,<br />
report and set targets in each area”.<br />
The co-<strong>op</strong> continues to have a strong<br />
balance sheet, added Mr <strong>Co</strong>x, with<br />
member’s funds of £177.6m. Membership<br />
grew by 1,048 to 129,249, and the cash<br />
balance is £45.2m.<br />
The society is also revising its<br />
approach to its annual evaluation of<br />
governance, with a new approach to<br />
be introduced in <strong>2022</strong>. The board is<br />
pr<strong>op</strong>osing a reduction in the maximum<br />
term for directors from 12 years to nine.<br />
Radstock<br />
Radstock <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative reported a trading<br />
surplus of £158,444 for the year ending 26<br />
February, down from £644,22 the previous<br />
year. Gross sales were £43.5m, down from<br />
£48m, and retail turnover fell to £39m<br />
from £43m. Pre-tax surplus was £576,904,<br />
down from £661,252.<br />
Dividends of £66,550 were distributed<br />
to members, and the society partnered<br />
with charities Bath Mind and Age UK<br />
Bath and North East Somerset, donating<br />
£1,100 to each. Donations and colleague<br />
fundraising in stores raised another<br />
£8,500 for good causes.<br />
In the annual report, CEO Don Morris<br />
echoed comments by the other retail<br />
societies in their reports about supply<br />
chain issues, adding that these “are not<br />
yet behind us but as we progress into <strong>2022</strong><br />
availability of product is improving”.<br />
Increased costs of goods, material and<br />
fuel has hit profits, he warned, but the<br />
society has “carefully managed” these<br />
and “it is pleasing to note that all trading<br />
<strong>op</strong>erations were profitable in the year.”<br />
Other news for the society in 2021<br />
included the purchase of the freehold of<br />
its Highbridge, Somerset store, which<br />
<strong>op</strong>ened in February 2020, from a joint<br />
venture with its devel<strong>op</strong>ment partners.<br />
Radstock’s dairy farm also had a<br />
year of consolidation following a £3m<br />
devel<strong>op</strong>ment and made a surplus for the<br />
year. The farm, which contributes to the<br />
National <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> milk supply, installed a<br />
70-point rotary carousel, which the report<br />
says creates a calmer environment for the<br />
cows, and brought a visit from Bank of<br />
England governor Andrew Bailey.<br />
8 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
RETAIL<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group AGM<br />
The UK’s largest co-<strong>op</strong>erative retail<br />
society hosted its <strong>2022</strong> AGM on Saturday<br />
21 <strong>June</strong>, at Manchester Central, with<br />
senior staff presenting an overview of the<br />
organisation’s activities and performance.<br />
“The last couple of years have been<br />
tough for all co-<strong>op</strong>eratives and members,<br />
but colleagues have done an amazing job,”<br />
said chair Allan Leighton, introducing<br />
the morning. He paid tribute to the<br />
“commitment, passion and leadership” of<br />
outgoing CEO Steve Murrells, and also to<br />
secretary Helen Grantham, who is retiring<br />
this summer.<br />
“I may be leaving the co-<strong>op</strong>, but the co<strong>op</strong><br />
will never leave me, it’s become a core<br />
part of who I am,” said Mr Murrells. “Our<br />
vision of ‘<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erating for a Fairer World<br />
has been our north star and it has shone<br />
brightly at a time when the country is<br />
crying out for businesses with purpose.”<br />
Mr Murrells, who has been with the<br />
Group for 10 years, also paid tribute to<br />
the organisation’s staff: “We are a pe<strong>op</strong>le<br />
business and I’m so proud of how our<br />
colleagues have risen and shone over the<br />
last decade. They always answer the call<br />
to deliver more for our members and their<br />
communities. Without their endeavours,<br />
we would never have got through some<br />
of the biggest challenges over the last<br />
10 years: the horse meat scandal, the<br />
banking crisis, Brexit, and of course the<br />
<strong>Co</strong>vid crisis.”<br />
He added: “I may be leaving the co<strong>op</strong>,<br />
but the co-<strong>op</strong> will never leave me, it’s<br />
become a core part of who I am.”<br />
Interim CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq<br />
highlighted the challenges of the last few<br />
years, but added “there’s so much to be<br />
proud of – our community partnerships<br />
fund; our colleague networks; our<br />
campaigns; and our ongoing commitment<br />
to climate action.”<br />
Delegates heard presentations and<br />
conversations led by colleagues from<br />
different parts of the business, including<br />
food, funeralcare, legal and insurance.<br />
Customer director Ali Jones gave an<br />
overview of the media coverage the Group<br />
had received for its campaigns work,<br />
including its activity on sustainability,<br />
and campaigns and public affairs director<br />
Paul Gerrard set out how the organisation<br />
uses its assets in service of members and<br />
communities to tackle inequality and<br />
drive social mobility.<br />
“Tackling inequalities is what co<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
businesses should do and<br />
what our <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> does,” he said. “We’re<br />
establishing our <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> as a leader in this.”<br />
Looking at the financials for the<br />
year, finance director Surojit Majumder<br />
said that behind all the organisation’s<br />
community and member activity has been<br />
“an incredibly successful organisation;<br />
if we aren’t commercially successful we<br />
can’t do all of the things we want to do<br />
… this was a year of investment in our<br />
business and our colleagues.”<br />
Steve Spring, <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group director and<br />
chair of the Remuneration <strong>Co</strong>mmittee,<br />
presented the remuneration report. She<br />
described how the “physical, mental<br />
and financial health” of colleagues was<br />
a priority, and how pay ratios had been<br />
reduced to 39-1 from 48-1 five years ago.<br />
But she acknowledged there was still<br />
work to be done. “Last year we moved<br />
33,000 colleagues onto the real living<br />
wage recommended by the Real Living<br />
Wage Foundation,” she said. “This is a<br />
significant, permanent investment: for<br />
every 15p we increase, that’s a £10m extra<br />
on our wage bill.”<br />
Denise Scott-MacDonald, who was<br />
elected president of the Group’s National<br />
Members’ <strong>Co</strong>uncil, spoke about the<br />
<strong>Co</strong>uncil’s three-year plan as an effective<br />
voice for members.<br />
Looking to the future Shirine Khoury-<br />
Haq said: “We owe it to our members and<br />
our colleagues the respect to spend every<br />
penny of our profit wisely.” Plans this<br />
year are to reduce <strong>op</strong>erating costs; reduce<br />
debt (which she said had increased last<br />
year as additional stock was purchased<br />
in anticipation of supply chain concerns,<br />
but which would be sold this year); and a<br />
flattened management structure.<br />
The event gave a comprehensive<br />
overview of the organisation’s commercial<br />
and community activity, but on the floor,<br />
there was frustration at the format (over<br />
three and a half hours without a break<br />
and no seating outside the theatre-style<br />
auditorium), the lack of subtitles on films<br />
(although BSL interpreters were present),<br />
the emphasis on colleagues over members,<br />
the lack of time for member questions, and<br />
how fast voting took place – with none of<br />
the motions being pr<strong>op</strong>osed, seconded<br />
or debated, low voting numbers and<br />
no voting figures given for the membernominated<br />
director election results.<br />
Sarah McCarthy Fry and Paul Chandler<br />
were re-elected as member-nominated<br />
directors, and all motions were carried.<br />
u For full details of the motions and<br />
voting figures, visit s.co<strong>op</strong>/2zwzh.<br />
u To re-watch the AGM in full, visit<br />
s.co<strong>op</strong>/2zwzq<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 9
RETAIL<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group drafts Shanks’s pony and delivery bots for latest online push<br />
The <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group is introducing on-foot<br />
deliveries and extending its use of robot<br />
couriers in a bid to expand its online<br />
grocery business by 50% to £300m by the<br />
end of the year.<br />
The Group h<strong>op</strong>es to take advantage<br />
of the rise of quick commerce, which<br />
offers delivery in less than an hour and is<br />
transforming the retail industry. Worth up<br />
to £3.3bn in UK sales, quick commerce is<br />
now recognised by retail analysts IGD as a<br />
separate grocery channel.<br />
Home deliveries are already available<br />
at more than 2,000 of the Group’s stores<br />
across the UK, and it has recorded more<br />
than 36 consecutive months of online<br />
growth since entering the market in 2019.<br />
It uses its stores as distribution hubs for<br />
fresh groceries, and is expanding its offer<br />
through its online sh<strong>op</strong> and partnerships<br />
with Amazon Prime and Deliveroo –<br />
where it is the most widely available<br />
supermarket, with over 1,000 stores on<br />
the app.<br />
Now the Group plans to be the first UK<br />
supermarket to launch ‘walking deliveries’<br />
for customers based within a 15-minute<br />
walk of its stores. This service, which has<br />
been trialled in <strong>Co</strong>rnwall, is expected to<br />
<strong>op</strong>erate from 200 stores this year with<br />
the rollout including smaller towns and<br />
villages, which are often ignored by rapid<br />
home delivery providers.<br />
Robot deliveries continue to figure in<br />
the Group’s plans, with automated home<br />
deliveries coming to Cambridge in May in<br />
partnership with Starship Technologies,<br />
which already works with the retailer in<br />
p The collection hatch for customers at the Lewes Road store<br />
p Robots arrive to begin delivery services from a Group store in Cambridge<br />
Milton Keynes and Northampton.<br />
The Group says the service, running<br />
from its Mosquito Road store and<br />
available to 5,000 homes in the Lower<br />
and Upper Cambourne districts, is in line<br />
with Cambridgeshire <strong>Co</strong>unty <strong>Co</strong>uncil’s<br />
environmental agenda which has a<br />
focus on reducing short car journeys and<br />
improving air quality.<br />
Cllr Peter McDonald, chair of the<br />
council’s Highways and Transport<br />
<strong>Co</strong>mmittee, said: “The partnership<br />
between the council and Starship is<br />
tremendously exciting and has the<br />
potential to make life easier for thousands<br />
of residents while also reducing<br />
congestion. H<strong>op</strong>efully the trial will be a<br />
success which would allow us to extend<br />
the benefits of quick and easy deliveries to<br />
more pe<strong>op</strong>le across the county.”<br />
Andrew Curtis, Starship’s UK <strong>op</strong>erations<br />
manager, said: “We have had extremely<br />
positive feedback from pe<strong>op</strong>le using our<br />
service regularly in Milton Keynes and<br />
Northampton who have embraced the<br />
robots as part of their local communities.<br />
We’re looking forward to working closely<br />
with the council in Cambridgeshire and<br />
h<strong>op</strong>efully expanding the sc<strong>op</strong>e of this<br />
initial project.”<br />
E-<strong>Co</strong>mmerce director Chris <strong>Co</strong>nway<br />
said: “Making sh<strong>op</strong>ping quick, easy<br />
and convenient for our members and<br />
customers is at the very heart of our<br />
approach – our aim is to be the most<br />
convenient home delivery service and we<br />
continue to innovate to meet the needs of<br />
consumers.<br />
“<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> stores across the country are<br />
well placed to serve sh<strong>op</strong>pers locally and<br />
a key part of our strategy is to devel<strong>op</strong> our<br />
e-commerce offer, using the competitive<br />
advantage of our store footprint to provide<br />
fast home deliveries, click and collect and<br />
added services.<br />
“We know that as a convenience retailer,<br />
the ability to p<strong>op</strong> into a local <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> will<br />
always be important to customers, but we<br />
also know that they want flexible <strong>op</strong>tions<br />
online, and so we continue to work to meet<br />
customer needs, however, and wherever<br />
they choose to sh<strong>op</strong> with us.”<br />
Earlier this month, the Group began the<br />
trial of an external service hatch for click<br />
and collect customers to pick up their<br />
sh<strong>op</strong>ping more quickly, without having to<br />
enter the store or queue. It is running the<br />
trial at its store in Lewes Road, Brighton,<br />
which has one of its busiest click and<br />
collect services.<br />
10 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
DEVELOPMENT<br />
<strong>Co</strong>mmunity share issues in the UK pass the £200m landmark<br />
Efforts to drive economic empowerment<br />
through community share offers have just<br />
passed the £200m mark.<br />
And a grant support scheme which has<br />
played a key role in driving the model has<br />
just been re-launched to generate further<br />
investment in community businesses.<br />
The <strong>Co</strong>mmunity Shares Booster Fund<br />
offers business devel<strong>op</strong>ment grants and<br />
match funding to community businesses<br />
in England wanting to raise finance<br />
through community share offers.<br />
It is delivered by the <strong>Co</strong>mmunity Shares<br />
Unit at <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives UK, in partnership<br />
with Locality, Plunkett Foundation and<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative and <strong>Co</strong>mmunity Finance.<br />
It is funded by Power to Change and the<br />
Architectural Heritage Fund.<br />
<strong>Co</strong>mmunity shares are a way for groups<br />
of pe<strong>op</strong>le to come together and take<br />
ownership of local buildings and land,<br />
or to devel<strong>op</strong> projects and services that<br />
benefit their community. Individuals<br />
purchase shares – from as little as £10 –<br />
and receive a financial return as well as a<br />
stake in the business.<br />
Businesses can set the terms for payback<br />
dates and interest rates, which can help<br />
keep their finances on a sustainable<br />
footing. Figures released in October 2020<br />
show that of the businesses that have<br />
raised finance through community shares<br />
since 2012, 92% are still trading.<br />
To date, there have been 126,340<br />
investors in community shares, allowing<br />
pe<strong>op</strong>le to take ownership of the services<br />
and spaces that matter most to them. It<br />
helps empower pe<strong>op</strong>le at grass roots level,<br />
enabling them to have greater control over<br />
what happens in their community.<br />
Leeds Action To Create Homes (Latch)<br />
is one of those organisations. Latch, a<br />
Locality member, refurbishes derelict and<br />
run-down pr<strong>op</strong>erties in Leeds to provide<br />
supported housing for pe<strong>op</strong>le in housing<br />
need. Their community share offer raised<br />
£550,000 – which included match funding<br />
from the <strong>Co</strong>mmunity Shares Booster Fund<br />
– to enable them to provide more muchneeded<br />
homes.<br />
“That money will now transform lives,”<br />
said Latch CEO James Hartley. “When<br />
the profile of investors came in, there’s a<br />
significant amount of pe<strong>op</strong>le from Leeds.<br />
They’ve seen the juxtaposition of empty<br />
p A team from Latch renovates a pr<strong>op</strong>erty<br />
houses and homeless pe<strong>op</strong>le. They know<br />
we’ll use the money to create positive<br />
change. There are 150 investors. They’re<br />
the pe<strong>op</strong>le of Latch now.”<br />
The re-launched <strong>Co</strong>mmunity Shares<br />
Booster Fund is <strong>op</strong>en to new and existing<br />
community businesses in England that<br />
want to explore a share offer or are<br />
already devel<strong>op</strong>ing one. They can apply<br />
for a devel<strong>op</strong>ment grant for preparing a<br />
community share offer to fund activities<br />
to get the business investment ready. This<br />
may include work on the business plan,<br />
community engagement work, devel<strong>op</strong>ing<br />
the share offer document, promotional<br />
campaigns or costs associated with<br />
obtaining the <strong>Co</strong>mmunity Shares Standard<br />
Mark (an accreditation awarded to offers<br />
that meet national standards).<br />
They can also apply for Match funding<br />
for upcoming or current share offers in<br />
the form of equity investment from the<br />
Booster Fund. Businesses can apply for<br />
an equity match of up to £25,000 for a<br />
community share offer. This means that<br />
the Booster Fund could potentially match<br />
every £1 invested by the community, up<br />
to £25,000.<br />
Rose Marley, CEO, <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives UK<br />
said: “We’re proud to be launching the<br />
<strong>Co</strong>mmunity Shares Booster Fund, which<br />
will enable more communities to take<br />
control of the spaces and services that are<br />
important to them. <strong>Co</strong>mmunity ownership<br />
via community shares has been one of<br />
the biggest democratising forces in our<br />
economy of recent years.<br />
“We’re keen to spread the word and<br />
reach groups that are currently less well<br />
represented in the community shares<br />
market – younger pe<strong>op</strong>le, minoritised<br />
ethnicities and those based in areas<br />
of greatest disadvantage. We’re also<br />
keen to support pr<strong>op</strong>osals that focus<br />
on digital inclusion and tackling the<br />
climate crisis.”<br />
Tim Davies-Pugh, interim CEO at Power<br />
to Change, said: “For communities to<br />
thrive, local pe<strong>op</strong>le need to feel consulted<br />
and have a sense of self-determination.<br />
Taking ownership of the spaces and<br />
places that matter most is an important<br />
part of taking back control.<br />
“<strong>Co</strong>mmunity shares are an accessible<br />
way for community businesses and<br />
organisations to generate funds, grow<br />
local support and raise the profile of their<br />
organisation, while giving local pe<strong>op</strong>le<br />
an equal stake and say in how things are<br />
run. That’s why we are launching a new<br />
Booster Fund, which will support more<br />
community businesses to secure the longterm<br />
future of their community spaces.”<br />
u To find out more about community<br />
shares and the support available<br />
through the Booster Fund, visit uk.co<strong>op</strong>/<br />
boosterfund<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 11
CREDIT UNIONS<br />
Car loans lead reforms announced by treasury minister at Abcul conference<br />
Treasury minister John Glen announced<br />
a series of reforms at the Association of<br />
British Credit Unions (Abcul) conference<br />
in Manchester in May – including a<br />
lending shake-up that will allow the sector<br />
to offer automobile loans for the first time.<br />
Mr Glen also discussed the pilot of a<br />
no-interest loan scheme, backed with<br />
£3.8m of government money, “which<br />
has been designed for those consumers<br />
in vulnerable circumstances who would<br />
benefit most from affordable credit to<br />
meet unexpected costs”.<br />
The pilot is being run through South<br />
Manchester Credit Union, which Mr Glen<br />
had just visited. “I met with recipients for<br />
whom these loans are providing real-life<br />
impact – covering the costs of new white<br />
goods to keep families running, funerals<br />
for loved ones, and debt consolidation.”<br />
He said the pilot should reach full-scale<br />
rollout in a number of sites across the<br />
country at the start of next year.<br />
The idea is a tough sell for credit unions,<br />
which rely on loan interest for their<br />
income. “I recognise how it is perceived<br />
as compromising the core products and<br />
services that you offer,” Mr Glen admitted<br />
– but, he argued, the initiative could<br />
“provide a gateway product”, bringing<br />
future custom to the sector.<br />
“The challenge now will be to take that<br />
concept pilot to a bigger pilot so that we<br />
can actually look at creating additional<br />
resources. We have £1.2m from JP Morgan<br />
and I see this as something that needs to<br />
be built on by other high street lenders so<br />
that we can actually have the capacity to<br />
provide that gateway entry product into<br />
the use of credit.<br />
“Credit unions will be instrumental in<br />
providing this ongoing support.”<br />
Mr Glen also promised amendments<br />
to the Credit Unions Act to allow the<br />
sector in Great Britain to offer a wider<br />
range of products and services, as part of<br />
the forthcoming Financial Services and<br />
Markets Bill.<br />
This will allow credit unions to offer hire<br />
purchase, conditional sale agreements,<br />
and insurance distribution services to<br />
their members, he said.<br />
“We know that you will have members,<br />
especially key workers or those who work<br />
a shift pattern, for whom having access<br />
p John Glen addresses Abcul members in Manchester<br />
to a reliable car can be essential. And<br />
these changes will mean that you can<br />
offer products such as car finance to your<br />
members, should they wish to choose<br />
them, for the first time.”<br />
The bill will also make minor<br />
amendments to governance, including<br />
a legal requirement for credit unions to<br />
submit annual accounts to the FCA, “and<br />
express permission for credit unions to<br />
temporarily lend to and borrow from<br />
other credit unions, even when there is no<br />
membership link”.<br />
Facing questions from delegates, he<br />
was pressed on the issue of mergers<br />
and acquisitions, a current trend in<br />
the credit union sector which presents<br />
rescue <strong>op</strong>tions for failing entities, and<br />
an important mechanism for growth.<br />
More mergers are expected in the coming<br />
financial crisis but if a credit union is<br />
constricted by a narrow common bond,<br />
this can be a barrier to mergers.<br />
Mr Glen said he was aware this is “an<br />
outstanding matter” but more evidence<br />
is needed and care had to be taken before<br />
changes were made to these rules, adding<br />
that in many common bonds there is<br />
unused spare capacity for growth.<br />
The common bond situation can be<br />
remedied “straightforwardly through<br />
statutory instruments, but I will need<br />
further advice on that,” he added.<br />
In other conference sessions credit<br />
union representatives from the US urged<br />
their UK counterparts to take advantage<br />
of the <strong>op</strong>portunity presented by<br />
vehicle finance.<br />
Scott Butterfield, from US service<br />
organisation Your Credit Union Partner,<br />
said: “Auto lending will give you the<br />
revenue to make more investments, if it’s<br />
right for your credit union.”<br />
Noting comments from delegates that<br />
there is a “cultural aversion” to entering<br />
this market, Mr Butterfield said due<br />
diligence will be vital. “Some of you will<br />
make mistakes; culturally, managing<br />
the risks will be new, you might not<br />
understand why someone wants to buy<br />
that car, and you will need to not be<br />
judgemental.<br />
“The UK is fantastic at savings schemes,<br />
lending not so much. When auto lending<br />
hits … it’s going to be big so be prepared<br />
for it.”<br />
He said US credit unions will be happy<br />
to give advice on the automobile market.<br />
“There’s a lot of sc<strong>op</strong>e for strategic<br />
partnerships. If you’re not ready for it,<br />
is there a partner who can help you be<br />
ready for it? In the US I wish there was a<br />
big market like that where you can just<br />
jump in.”<br />
u Full conference report: p28-29<br />
12 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
DEVELOPMENT<br />
Rochdale draws on<br />
co-<strong>op</strong> heritage for two<br />
pots of arts cash<br />
Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, has<br />
netted more funds from the Arts <strong>Co</strong>uncil,<br />
drawing on its co-<strong>op</strong> heritage.<br />
A £4.2m award from the Department<br />
for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports,<br />
delivered by Arts <strong>Co</strong>uncil England, is part<br />
of a £50m pot being distributed among<br />
galleries, museums, libraries and cultural<br />
venues in parts of the country “where<br />
involvement in creativity and culture is<br />
significantly below the national average”,<br />
with a focus on grassroots activity.<br />
The funding will support a cultural<br />
improvement district in the town centre.<br />
“Building on Rochdale’s place in history<br />
as the birthplace of the global co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
movement the funding will bring a range<br />
of diverse cultural assets and groups<br />
together to tell a more powerful story, with<br />
events and cultural activities across the<br />
borough,” says the council.<br />
The money follows another venture<br />
backed by the Arts <strong>Co</strong>uncil. Culture <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong><br />
is being led by Action Together CIO, with<br />
partners Rochdale Borough <strong>Co</strong>uncil,<br />
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH),<br />
Rochdale Boroughwide Cultural Trust<br />
(Your Trust) and the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group.<br />
Based on the original 1844 Rochdale <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative<br />
principles, it is building cultural<br />
<strong>op</strong>portunities around neighbourhoods<br />
and across communities. “Citizens will<br />
become collaborators, co-designers, c<strong>op</strong>roducers<br />
and protagonists in creating<br />
work that is both neighbourhood driven<br />
and recognised for its quality, local<br />
relevance and artistic ambition,” say<br />
project leaders.<br />
Lincolnshire reports first half lift to sales and surplus<br />
Lincolnshire <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> has issued its interim<br />
report for the six months to 22 March, with<br />
sales up 14.5% to £195.4m. Group trading<br />
surplus rose 8.2% to £8.9m, buoyed by<br />
a post-pandemic revival in the travel<br />
business and increased trade at its petrol<br />
stations. But it warned that “uncertain<br />
economic conditions, inflation and rising<br />
costs mean there are tough times to come”.<br />
Midcounties launches £1m investment in store security<br />
Midcounties <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> is investing £1m in<br />
store security, with a dedicated team being<br />
created. Some stores will be fitted with<br />
new CCTV systems connected to a remote<br />
<strong>op</strong>erator. The society is also introducing<br />
roaming guards and working with a thirdparty<br />
supplier on a crime hub which will<br />
produce incident reports for the police.<br />
Central England launches colleague training platform<br />
Central England <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> has launched<br />
a learning management platform,<br />
Let’s Learn. It follows the launch of a<br />
recruitment platform, careers.co<strong>op</strong>,<br />
which the society says has “revitalised”<br />
its recruitment experience. The society<br />
h<strong>op</strong>es its 8,000 colleagues will “feel more<br />
engaged and empowered in their roles” as<br />
they can find new learning <strong>op</strong>portunities<br />
and track their progression.<br />
Southern <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> raises over £170k for community causes<br />
More than £170,000 has been raised by<br />
colleagues and customers across Southern<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> stores. Thousands of pounds will<br />
be shared between 157 charities and good<br />
causes, which were the 2021 local partners<br />
of the retail society’s food stores. The money<br />
was raised through collection pots and<br />
fundraising activities.<br />
Sh<strong>op</strong>pers donate £33k to in-store Ukraine appeal<br />
East of England <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> has thanked<br />
sh<strong>op</strong>pers for donating more than £33,000<br />
in store to the Disasters Emergency<br />
<strong>Co</strong>mmittee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian<br />
Appeal. The society introduced donation<br />
points to tills at the end of March, with<br />
funds going to DEC’s group of 15 UK<br />
charities.<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 13
GLOBAL UPDATES<br />
GLOBAL<br />
International Day of <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives theme announced<br />
‘<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives build a better world’ is the<br />
theme of this year’s International Day of<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives.<br />
Celebrated on the first Saturday of July,<br />
the annual day promotes awareness of<br />
the co-<strong>op</strong>erative business model. This<br />
year’s theme is the same as that of the<br />
International Year of <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives, which<br />
was celebrated by the United Nations<br />
in 2012.<br />
In choosing this theme, the UN<br />
General Assembly aimed to highlight the<br />
contribution of co-<strong>op</strong>s to socio-economic<br />
devel<strong>op</strong>ment, particularly their impact<br />
on poverty reduction, employment<br />
generation and social integration.<br />
The International Day of <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
has been celebrated by the International<br />
<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative Alliance (ICA) since 1923.<br />
In 1995 the UN also proclaimed the first<br />
Saturday of July to be International Day of<br />
<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives to mark the centenary of the<br />
establishment of the ICA.<br />
Since 1995, the theme for the day<br />
has been chosen by the <strong>Co</strong>mmittee for<br />
the Promotion and Advancement of<br />
<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives (COPAC), made up of the<br />
Food and Agriculture Organization of the<br />
United Nations (FAO), the International<br />
p ICA president Ariel Guarco celebrates the 2021 International Day<br />
Labour Organization (ILO), the UN<br />
Department of Economic and Social<br />
Affairs (UNDESA), the International Trade<br />
Center (ITC) and the ICA.<br />
The ICA is encouraging co-<strong>op</strong>s from<br />
around the world to use this year’s theme<br />
to showcase how human-centred business<br />
models, inspired by the co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
values, are building a better world. The<br />
apex will prepare a range of tools for co<strong>op</strong>s<br />
to use, including a logo, key messages<br />
and other digital resources.<br />
“<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives are answering the wakeup<br />
call of UN secretary general Antonio<br />
Guterres, who warned that the world is<br />
‘on the edge of an abyss — and moving<br />
in the wrong direction’, and exclaimed<br />
that ‘to restore trust, and inspire h<strong>op</strong>e, we<br />
need co-<strong>op</strong>eration, we need dialogue, we<br />
need understanding’,” said ICA director<br />
general Bruno Roelants.<br />
“For nearly two centuries, co-<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
have been pulling in this direction.<br />
This was amply highlighted at the 33rd<br />
World <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative <strong>Co</strong>ngress, held by the<br />
International <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative Alliance in<br />
December 2021, which focused a spotlight<br />
on how their shared identity is moving<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>eratives to take action to address the<br />
world’s problems.<br />
“<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives are the only enterprise<br />
model with globally agreed principles<br />
that rest on a foundation of shared ethical<br />
values.”<br />
p Spanish co-<strong>op</strong> Granissat celebrates the 2021 Day<br />
More information about the<br />
International Day of <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
is available at co<strong>op</strong>sday.co<strong>op</strong><br />
14 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
USA<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> groceries ‘lead the way on ethical produce and labour rights’<br />
A new report from National <strong>Co</strong>+<strong>op</strong> Grocers<br />
(NCG) argues that food co-<strong>op</strong>s in the US<br />
are leading in ethical produce and labour<br />
practices.<br />
In its 2021 Food <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Impact Report,<br />
NCG references its vision for a food system<br />
which prioritises pe<strong>op</strong>le’s wellbeing,<br />
across nine key areas: co-<strong>op</strong>eratives,<br />
inclusive economies, racial equity, food<br />
justice, local food, organic certification,<br />
climate, environment and community.<br />
“We are working towards the day when<br />
everyone can eat delicious, nutritious<br />
food produced and sold in ways that<br />
are good for pe<strong>op</strong>le and restorative to<br />
the environment and our climate”, says<br />
the report.<br />
It found that on average, NCG food co<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
buy from 178 local producers,<br />
accounting for 26% of total sales. This<br />
figure is up from the 22% reported<br />
last year.<br />
This year, NCG reported that 40% of<br />
food co-<strong>op</strong>s’ combined annual US$2.4bn<br />
(£1.9bn) sales come from certified organic<br />
products, which is 7% lower than last<br />
year, and Fairtrade certified products<br />
made up 5% of sales, a slight dr<strong>op</strong> from<br />
last year’s 6%.<br />
NCG’s advocacy manager Mandy<br />
Makinen said: “We know from the Organic<br />
Trade Association that pantry loading<br />
at the start of the <strong>Co</strong>vid-19 pandemic in<br />
2020 boosted organic sales nationwide,<br />
so it’s likely that organic products as a<br />
percentage of sales were up in 2020 due to<br />
this and other supply chain issues. This<br />
is also the most likely reason that we saw<br />
higher sales of all value-added certified<br />
products in 2020 compared with 2021,<br />
including Fairtrade and B <strong>Co</strong>rp.”<br />
Organic as a percent of sales was down<br />
for all channels in 2021, but NCG food<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>s continue to outperform other<br />
grocers when it comes to the sales of<br />
organic, Fairtrade and B <strong>Co</strong>rp products<br />
as a percentage of total sales. NCG also<br />
donated $90,000 (£71,000)towards<br />
organic agricultural projects in 2021.<br />
This year’s report included new insights<br />
on employment, revealing that 58% of<br />
the 148 co-<strong>op</strong>s surveyed pay their staff<br />
the living wage, and 66% contribute<br />
to staff retirement plans, compared<br />
with 40% nationally for private sector<br />
service workers.<br />
The report also found that the average<br />
food co-<strong>op</strong> employs 96 pe<strong>op</strong>le, of whom<br />
57% are eligible for healthcare benefits,<br />
which is 13% higher than the national<br />
coverage rate.<br />
NCG represents 148 food co-<strong>op</strong>s across<br />
38 states in the US, with a combined total<br />
of over 1.3 million members.<br />
NCG says: “We have what it takes<br />
to dream big because food co-<strong>op</strong>s are<br />
grassroots organisations that are powered<br />
by democracy. Each food co-<strong>op</strong> can grow<br />
and change as community needs change,<br />
not when investors change their minds.<br />
Anyone, and everyone, is welcome to sh<strong>op</strong><br />
at the co-<strong>op</strong>, apply for a job and join as<br />
a member.<br />
“<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>s exist to serve their members<br />
and their community — this approach is<br />
our biggest strength. Our annual impact<br />
report reflects the values and goals of the<br />
communities we serve, both as individual<br />
food co-<strong>op</strong>s and through our national<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>erative, National <strong>Co</strong>+<strong>op</strong> Grocers.”<br />
CANADA<br />
The <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erators launches enhanced cyber-insurance coverage<br />
Canadian insurer The <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erators has<br />
revamped its cyber insurance offers for<br />
business policyholders.<br />
The co-<strong>op</strong>erative group says its new<br />
product will protect business owners<br />
for unexpected expenses and/or costs<br />
of complying with privacy laws if their<br />
confidential information is compromised,<br />
and lost income or increased <strong>op</strong>erating<br />
costs due to a privacy breach event.<br />
Cyber Guard Select will be available as<br />
an upgrade to the standard Cyber Guard<br />
coverage and it will provide higher limits,<br />
liability protection against third-party<br />
claims and regulatory penalties, and nine<br />
flexible add-ons to address business risks,<br />
including crisis management, payment<br />
card loss, and cyber extortion threat<br />
coverage.<br />
“Responding to the unique needs<br />
of our clients is central to our holistic<br />
approach and that compelled us to deliver<br />
a solution that addressed the complex and<br />
unpredictable nature of today’s digital<br />
security threats,” said Michael Spadafora,<br />
AVP National Product Portfolio,<br />
<strong>Co</strong>mmercial & Farm Management at <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erators.<br />
“Canadian businesses have to<br />
be vigilant in defending their companies<br />
from any number of vulnerabilities and<br />
Cyber Guard Select empowers them with<br />
flexible <strong>op</strong>tions to meet that objective.”<br />
Set up over 70 years ago, The<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erators has more than CA$61.5bn<br />
(£48.7bn) in assets under administration.<br />
Its members include credit unions and<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>eratives, which will be able to benefit<br />
from the new insurance product.<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 15
IRELAND<br />
Dairygold reports increased profit as it plots roadmap for next 10 years<br />
Farmer-owned co-<strong>op</strong> Dairygold has<br />
announced an <strong>op</strong>erating profit of €30.4m<br />
(£25.6m), an increase of €4.4m on the<br />
previous year.<br />
The Munster-based co-<strong>op</strong>, which has<br />
served thousands of shareholder farmers<br />
for more than 150 years, reported a record<br />
turnover of €1.17bn (£1bn), an increase of<br />
15% on 2020.<br />
It says the results, for the year ending<br />
31 December 2021, reflect a “robust<br />
performance” across all its businesses,<br />
despite the challenges of the pandemic.<br />
2021 EBITDA was €57.6m (£48.5m), an<br />
increase of €3.8m, reflecting the increased<br />
level of profitability in the core business.<br />
The society reported a stronger trading<br />
performance, including increased sales<br />
volumes and improved efficiencies.<br />
Following a decade of significant<br />
capital investment, Dairygold reduced its<br />
bank debt by €11m to €108.2m (£91.1m).<br />
This has resulted in an improved net bank<br />
debt to EBITDA ratio of 1.9:1, a decrease<br />
from 1.22:1 in 2020.<br />
CEO <strong>Co</strong>nor Galvin said: “The Dairygold<br />
business is in a good financial and<br />
<strong>op</strong>erational position. Following a<br />
decade of significant capital investment,<br />
the business has a strong EBITDA,<br />
manageable debt and a successful model<br />
for member funding.<br />
“Our focus has shifted from milk<br />
expansion to creating more value per<br />
litre of milk. We are currently conducting<br />
a businesswide strategy review which<br />
is expected to be completed by the end<br />
of April. This strategy will provide an<br />
updated roadmap for the business for<br />
the next five to ten years, as we seek to<br />
continue to maximise returns for our<br />
members, through higher margin activities<br />
while also clearly focusing on meeting our<br />
crucial greenhouse gas reduction targets.”<br />
Dairy markets remained buoyant<br />
throughout 2021, says the co-<strong>op</strong>, helped<br />
by low global milk supply growth in the<br />
main exporting regions and strong global<br />
demand, particularly from China.<br />
But it warns of disruption for the rest of<br />
this year, with the Ukraine crisis hitting<br />
supplies of inputs including fertiliser,<br />
energy, packaging and raw materials.<br />
“The resulting inflation, which is already<br />
being felt at farm and factory level, will<br />
p Former CEO Jim Woulfe and chair John O’ Gorman launch the annual report<br />
create challenges for profitability in the<br />
entire value chain,” the report adds.<br />
Meanwhile the strategic focus of<br />
the dairy business has shifted from<br />
capacity management and infrastructure<br />
investment to higher margin processing<br />
and adding value to the litre of milk, in as<br />
sustainable a way as possible.<br />
Dairygold’s Health and Nutrition<br />
Business was established to focus on the<br />
delivery of growth and higher margin for<br />
the society, through the devel<strong>op</strong>ment of<br />
“new health and nutrition pr<strong>op</strong>ositions<br />
with strong market appeal”, either through<br />
organic investment or acquisition.<br />
During the year the co-<strong>op</strong> focused on its<br />
two food service businesses in the UK and<br />
Germany, working to mitigate the impact<br />
of the pandemic through streamlining<br />
production, reducing overheads and<br />
improving commercial agreements.<br />
It added: “Dairygold continues to<br />
support its overseas businesses with the<br />
capital investment required to further<br />
devel<strong>op</strong> and grow and as the UK is a net<br />
importer of food, the UK business remains<br />
well placed to continue to grow market<br />
share.”<br />
Dairygold’s Agri Business also grew its<br />
turnover, keeping its network of 26 <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong><br />
stores <strong>op</strong>en during lockdown and working<br />
to improve its customer experience and<br />
invest in store restrictions. This year the<br />
society is investing in the upgrading of<br />
its point-of-sale system to enhance the<br />
customer experience.<br />
The society is also working on<br />
sustainability, with its Food Vision Dairy<br />
Group submitting recommendations to<br />
the government on how the agriculture<br />
industry can meet its emissions targets.<br />
In the meantime, says Dairygold, it<br />
continues to build on its established<br />
emissions reduction, nutrient planning<br />
and watercourse protection programmes<br />
while also launching new programmes<br />
such as the Signpost Farms Programme<br />
in 2021. It says it is working with<br />
stakeholders to meet its target, maintain<br />
profitability “and preserve Ireland’s<br />
reputation as a world leader in grass feddairy<br />
production”.<br />
16 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
EUROPE<br />
Agri co-<strong>op</strong>s pick up awards for innovation<br />
The six winners of the 5th Eur<strong>op</strong>ean<br />
Award for <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative Innovation have<br />
been honoured at a ceremony in Brussels.<br />
The awards, run by the Eur<strong>op</strong>ean Agri-<br />
<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative <strong>Co</strong>nfederation (<strong>Co</strong>geca) and<br />
sponsored by Spanish co-<strong>op</strong>erative bank<br />
Cajamar Caja Rural, celebrate co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
innovation in the Eur<strong>op</strong>ean agriculture,<br />
food, fishery and forestry sectors.<br />
The ceremony, delayed from last year<br />
because of the pandemic, offered a<br />
platform for actions that offer value to<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>erative members, devel<strong>op</strong> new<br />
markets and promote new products and<br />
services from Eur<strong>op</strong>ean co-<strong>op</strong>s.<br />
The main focus of the 5th edition is<br />
sustainability-driven innovation. In<br />
the competition brochure announcing<br />
the winners, <strong>Co</strong>geca highlighted the<br />
importance of creating new market outlets,<br />
products, services or processes driven<br />
by economic, social or environmental<br />
objectives in the current market and<br />
political environment.<br />
The social value creation award went<br />
to Spanish fruit and veg co-<strong>op</strong> Mans, for<br />
its work with pe<strong>op</strong>le facing difficulties<br />
including young pe<strong>op</strong>le at risk of<br />
social exclusion.<br />
The Belgian association of fruit and<br />
vegetable co-<strong>op</strong>s’ Care4Growing digital<br />
platform won the award for traceability<br />
and consumer information, and the Polish<br />
Piatnica co-<strong>op</strong> took home the prize for<br />
innovative product, for its whey protein<br />
consumer cocktail – the only produce of<br />
its kind on the Polish market.<br />
Ireland’s Glanbia won the award for<br />
support to farmer-members for its beef<br />
production project Twenty20 Beef Club,<br />
devel<strong>op</strong>ed to improve the economic,<br />
social and environmental sustainability of<br />
dairy calf-to-beef production.<br />
Spanish co-<strong>op</strong> Càmara Arrossera<br />
del Montsià’s ORYZITE project won<br />
the bioeconomy and circularity prize.<br />
ORYZITE is a rice-based plastic substitute,<br />
created after more than a decade of<br />
research.<br />
The natural resources and biodiversity<br />
award went to Swedish Lantmännen<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>erative’s ThermoSeed project, a<br />
seed treatment which reduces seedborne<br />
infections, reducing the need<br />
for pesticides.<br />
<strong>Co</strong>geca president Ramon Armengol<br />
congratulated the winners and said: “This<br />
5th edition is a special one. It was launched<br />
at the beginning of the pandemic. At the<br />
beginning of a crisis that has required<br />
our enterprises to continue to adjust<br />
their business model. Great innovative<br />
efforts had been put in place to ensure<br />
food security, readjust the mechanisms<br />
of the value chain, remain competitive<br />
on the market, and address the arising<br />
needs of consumers and our food chain<br />
partners. Once again our co-<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
have demonstrated their resilience, their<br />
capacity and their commitment.”<br />
Mr Armengol also pointed to the crisis<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>s are currently facing with the war in<br />
Ukraine and its impact on markets, calling<br />
for more co-<strong>op</strong>eration and innovation<br />
to strengthen the resilience of the co-<strong>op</strong><br />
movement further.<br />
DENMARK<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> retailer<br />
reports DKK 585m net<br />
profit for 2021<br />
Retailer <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong> Denmark announced its<br />
annual results, with a net profit of DKK<br />
585m (£66m; €78.6m).<br />
While this is a 24% decline from the DKK<br />
777m reported in 2020, it is an increase<br />
from DKK 392m in 2019 – the pre pandemic<br />
year being taken as a benchmark by many<br />
retailers. Turnover was up by DKK 1.5bn,<br />
from DKK 44.5bn (£5bn; €5.98bn) to DKK<br />
46bn (£5.2bn; €6.18bn) excluding VAT.<br />
The co-<strong>op</strong> said 2020 had been “an<br />
extraordinarily good year due to the special<br />
circumstances surrounding <strong>Co</strong>vid-19”.<br />
The figure for 2021 “is a satisfactory result<br />
that reflects that it has become everyday in<br />
the grocery trade again,” it added.<br />
Chair Lasse Bolander said: “In 2020, the<br />
borders were closed, most pe<strong>op</strong>le worked<br />
at home and the restaurants were not<br />
<strong>op</strong>en – as you know, this gave a headwind<br />
for the grocery trade. So it is natural<br />
that we do not continue at the same<br />
high level. The result for the year is also<br />
affected by the massive investments in<br />
the digital transformation of the company<br />
and the roll-out of [budget chain] <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong><br />
365discount.”<br />
The co-<strong>op</strong> grew its membership, with<br />
48,633 signing up, and its 1.9 million<br />
members received DKK 283m in dividends<br />
in the form of bonuses, which can be used<br />
directly as payment in stores and online.<br />
Throughout the year the co-<strong>op</strong><br />
also continued its efforts to become<br />
“Denmark’s most sustainable company”.<br />
Initiatives included installing 500 electric<br />
charging stands at its stores throughout<br />
Denmark and devel<strong>op</strong>ing a fleet of 23<br />
electric vans and an electric truck. Since<br />
2019 <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong> Denmark’s solar panels have<br />
generated electricity corresponding to the<br />
annual consumption of 730 households.<br />
p The co-<strong>op</strong>’s Irma chain (Photo: Siine Fiig)<br />
<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong> Denmark expects the year ahead<br />
to be “very challenging” due to rising<br />
costs of energy and the changing sh<strong>op</strong>per<br />
behaviour. It warns that <strong>2022</strong> profits will be<br />
‘significantly lower’. CEO Kræn Østergård<br />
Nielsen said it would focus on rolling<br />
out its new large discount chain, <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong><br />
365discount, which was first launched<br />
in 2010, and offering cheaper and more<br />
responsible product lines. <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong> Denmark<br />
plans to combine its economies of scale<br />
with local ownership, where each store is<br />
adapted to the needs of local customers.<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 17
EUROPE<br />
Eur<strong>op</strong>ean<br />
project to bring<br />
together managers of<br />
agricultural co-<strong>op</strong>s<br />
Romanian co-<strong>op</strong>eratives are coordinating<br />
a Eur<strong>op</strong>ean project focused on helping<br />
managers of co-<strong>op</strong>s to exchange<br />
best practices.<br />
Led by the National Union of Vegetable<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives (UNCSV) the project is<br />
spread across two years and will be run in<br />
partnership with institutions and experts<br />
in France, Greece and Estonia.<br />
The first training session will take place<br />
in Athens, Greece on 20-26 November <strong>2022</strong><br />
and will look at strategic entrepreneurship<br />
and business in agricultural co-<strong>op</strong>eratives.<br />
Estonia will be the host of the second<br />
training session, which will be held<br />
in Tallinn on 12-13 March 2023 and<br />
will explore how to ensure effective<br />
governance in agricultural co-<strong>op</strong>eratives.<br />
The third session will take place in Lille,<br />
France on 26 November – 2 December 2023<br />
and will focus on managing relationships<br />
in agricultural co-<strong>op</strong>eratives.<br />
Photo: iStock<br />
The managers of UNCSV member co<strong>op</strong>s<br />
taking part in the three sessions will<br />
be able to learn from counterparts in the<br />
three host countries and visit local co<strong>op</strong>eratives.<br />
The training programme will conclude<br />
with a conference in Bucharest that is<br />
expected to gather over 100 attendees.<br />
EUROPE<br />
Agri co-<strong>op</strong>s respond to Eur<strong>op</strong>ean Parliament Organic Action Plan report<br />
The Eur<strong>op</strong>ean Parliament has ad<strong>op</strong>ted a<br />
report on the EU’s Organic Action Plan,<br />
which calls for a market-based approach<br />
but does not mention any targets.<br />
The own-initiative report was ad<strong>op</strong>ted<br />
by MEPs during a plenary session in<br />
Strasbourg on 3 May by 611 votes to 14,<br />
with five abstentions. The parliament’s<br />
agriculture committee had already<br />
unanimously approved the report on<br />
6 April.<br />
The text highlights the benefits of<br />
organic farming for climate-change<br />
mitigation, biodiversity and soil<br />
protection but fails to mention the EU’s<br />
target to see 25% of agricultural land<br />
farmed organically by 2030, as previously<br />
outlined in the <strong>Co</strong>mmission’s Farm to Fork<br />
strategy.<br />
“The market should determine the<br />
extent of the growth of the organic<br />
sector, not any pre-set target figure”, said<br />
the Parliament’s rapporteur on the EU<br />
action plan for organic farming, Simone<br />
Schmiedtbauer (EPP, Austria), on 2 May,<br />
ahead of the vote.<br />
The voice of Eur<strong>op</strong>ean farmers and<br />
agricultural co-<strong>op</strong>s, <strong>Co</strong>pa and <strong>Co</strong>geca,<br />
welcomed the report and its inclusion of<br />
“important aspects for Eur<strong>op</strong>ean farmers<br />
and agri co-<strong>op</strong>eratives”.<br />
Photo: iStock<br />
It also noted recognition in the report<br />
for “the vital role of a market-driven<br />
approach in the transition to organic<br />
farming”, and said the report stressed that<br />
the transition should be backed “not only<br />
through the CAP’s support, but also by a<br />
sound devel<strong>op</strong>ment in the quantity and<br />
quality of inputs needed by farmers, such<br />
as seeds and plant protection products, in<br />
line with the organic requirements”.<br />
<strong>Co</strong>pa and <strong>Co</strong>geca says organic farming<br />
is increasingly important in the context<br />
of climate change, <strong>Co</strong>vid-19 and the<br />
invasion of Ukraine by Russia and called<br />
on Eur<strong>op</strong>ean legislators to make swift<br />
progress on use of digital and innovative<br />
technologies.<br />
Lone Andersen, chair of <strong>Co</strong>pa and<br />
<strong>Co</strong>geca’s organic working party, said: “I<br />
am glad the Eur<strong>op</strong>ean Parliament sends<br />
an important message to the organic<br />
farming community. Eur<strong>op</strong>ean organic<br />
farmers and agri co-<strong>op</strong>eratives need a<br />
close and strong collaboration with EU<br />
institutions and stakeholders if we want<br />
to achieve the ambitious targets set out by<br />
the Farm to Fork Strategy. I h<strong>op</strong>e this nonlegislative<br />
report will send a clear message<br />
to legislators for their future work.”<br />
<strong>Co</strong>pa and <strong>Co</strong>geca also welcomed the<br />
request for an impact assessment of the<br />
plan to increase the share of the EU’s<br />
agricultural area under organic farming.<br />
In 2019, the EU’s total agricultural<br />
area under organic farming was 13.8<br />
million hectares and accounted for 8.5%<br />
of the EU’s total utilised agricultural<br />
area. However, this varies significantly<br />
between member states from 0.5% to<br />
26% of agricultural area under organic<br />
farming.<br />
The report is not legally binding.<br />
Own-initiative reports are a tool for the<br />
Eur<strong>op</strong>ean Parliament to request the<br />
Eur<strong>op</strong>ean <strong>Co</strong>mmission to put forward a<br />
legislative pr<strong>op</strong>osal on a certain issue. The<br />
<strong>Co</strong>mmission intends to publish a midterm<br />
review on the Organic Action Plan in 2024.<br />
18 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
IRELAND<br />
Finance minister outlines plans for credit union growth<br />
The Irish government is looking to help<br />
the credit union sector become a strong,<br />
resilient and collaborative movement,<br />
said finance minister Seán Fleming at<br />
the annual general meeting of the Irish<br />
League of Credit Unions.<br />
Mr Fleming – the first minister to be<br />
given direct responsibility for credit<br />
unions – said his portfolio enabling and<br />
supporting the credit union growth;<br />
helping credit unions expand services,<br />
encouraging community devel<strong>op</strong>ment<br />
and enabling the credit union movement<br />
to grow as a key provider of community<br />
banking.<br />
He added that he had worked closely<br />
with the League as part of his review of the<br />
policy framework for the sector. As part of<br />
this, the government wants to recognise<br />
the credit unions’ role in devel<strong>op</strong>ing<br />
volunteers and acknowledge their role as<br />
a large co-<strong>op</strong>erative movement in Ireland.<br />
The Ministry of Finance will also work<br />
to support investment and collaboration<br />
within the sector, added Mr Fleming.<br />
He praised the League for serving credit<br />
unions in both Ireland and Northern<br />
Ireland, says that it provided “an excellent<br />
example of cross border collaborative<br />
initiative”.<br />
He also acknowledged the work of the<br />
League in supporting Credit Unions in<br />
working on SME lending with the Strategic<br />
Banking <strong>Co</strong>rporation of Ireland and<br />
with the Sustainable Energy Authority of<br />
Ireland on funding for retrofit.<br />
He said credit unions, as providers of<br />
unsecured credit, were natural partners of<br />
the government in its initiatives to tackle<br />
climate change.<br />
He gave some examples of collaboration<br />
between government departments and<br />
the credit union sector in devel<strong>op</strong>ing<br />
new products. This includes credit union<br />
investment in approved housing bodies,<br />
collaborating through credit union group<br />
Cultivate which provides agri-lending,<br />
and providing general insurance products<br />
to members through Pe<strong>op</strong>l, an insurer run<br />
on credit union principles.<br />
Mr Fleming said he was looking at<br />
increasing the flexibility of some of the<br />
rules around the common bond to allow<br />
credit unions to provide more products to<br />
more members.<br />
p Finance minister Seán Fleming<br />
Another change will be the introduction<br />
of service level agreements between credit<br />
unions and the Central Bank to help the<br />
sector create better regulatory dialogue,<br />
while respecting the independence of the<br />
Central Bank<br />
“I’m happy to say that these<br />
pr<strong>op</strong>osals got broad support from all<br />
the representative bodies at the recent<br />
stakeholder meeting,” he added. “I would,<br />
however, caution against the temptation<br />
of believing that legislative change alone<br />
will tackle the challenges faced by credit<br />
unions today,<br />
“Legislative amendments to the policy<br />
framework will not solve the financial and<br />
business model challenges arising from,<br />
muted credit demand, strong savings<br />
growth and high <strong>op</strong>erating costs.”<br />
Mr Fleming said he was committed to<br />
cross-border co-<strong>op</strong>eration and praised the<br />
League for encouraging and devel<strong>op</strong>ing<br />
“collaborative ventures in the credit union<br />
sector in the North and South”.<br />
He added that he welcomed the League’s<br />
pr<strong>op</strong>osed transformation plan and said he<br />
looked forward to engaging with the apex<br />
on growing lending, including mortgage<br />
and SME lending.<br />
“It is encouraging to see that loans in<br />
the League’s credit unions here in the<br />
North, were up 2.7% year-on-year in 2021,”<br />
he said. “An increase of 3.3% year-onyear<br />
was recorded in the League’s credit<br />
unions in the South. However, despite<br />
these positive devel<strong>op</strong>ments, loan to asset<br />
ratios in the South are unsustainably low.<br />
The current loan to asset ratio of 27% must<br />
be increased significantly if the sector is to<br />
grow sustainably.<br />
“Without collaboration and growth<br />
in lending credit unions will not be<br />
well placed to take advantage of the<br />
<strong>op</strong>portunity of bank branch closures<br />
without collaboration and increasing<br />
lending. My message to the credit union<br />
sector today is to lend more and keep<br />
building on the good work you have been<br />
doing.”<br />
Mr Fleming recently met with the<br />
Association of British Credit Unions<br />
and credit unions in Manchester, Leeds,<br />
Glasgow and Edinburgh, in addition to<br />
speaking with his UK equivalent, treasury<br />
minister John Glen.<br />
“This gave me insight into the differing<br />
issues at play across the different<br />
legislative and regulatory frameworks,”<br />
he said.<br />
He also touched on the rapid growth<br />
of fintech and digital banking – which, he<br />
said, represents “both an <strong>op</strong>portunity and<br />
a challenge for credit unions”.<br />
In many towns in Ireland, he said,<br />
the local credit union is now the only<br />
remaining financial institution – which<br />
represents “a great <strong>op</strong>portunity to fill the<br />
gap left by bank exits and closures.”<br />
“There is great <strong>op</strong>portunity for credit<br />
unions to harness devel<strong>op</strong>ments in fintech<br />
to broaden membership and grow lending<br />
and many have already begun to do so,”<br />
he added. “There is also the challenge of<br />
balancing the use of new technologies<br />
while still keeping the essence of<br />
providing community banking.<br />
“While the banking sectors North and<br />
South differ, many of the overarching<br />
issues I have noted apply to both<br />
jurisdictions.”<br />
In his concluding remarks, he said he<br />
believed the credit union sector as one of<br />
society’s “most prized possessions”.<br />
“The local credit union and the<br />
role it can play in the economy and in<br />
communities is more important now than<br />
ever before.”<br />
Abcul conference report, p28-30<br />
Swoboda conference report: p30-32<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 19
USA<br />
$1m boost for programme to drive racial equity in credit unions<br />
CUNA Mutual Group Foundation has<br />
committed to invest US$1m in a fund to<br />
build equity in credit unions led by or<br />
serving pe<strong>op</strong>le of colour.<br />
The money is going to the Racial Equity<br />
and Resilience Investment Fund, which is<br />
<strong>op</strong>erated by Inclusiv, the umbrella group<br />
for credit unions working as community<br />
devel<strong>op</strong>ment financial institutions<br />
(CDFI), which has been working to<br />
boost financial inclusion in underserved<br />
communities.<br />
The Foundation says its investment will<br />
facilitate secondary capital investments<br />
in minority designated and community<br />
devel<strong>op</strong>ment credit unions over the next<br />
decade – adding that this marks “an<br />
important next chapter” in its work with<br />
Inclusiv.<br />
“Over the past two decades, CUNA Mutual<br />
Group (CMG) has consistently supported<br />
the mission of Inclusiv promoting financial<br />
inclusion in underserved communities<br />
through credit unions,” says Cedric<br />
Ellis, executive vice president and chief<br />
enterprise services officer of CMG and chair<br />
of the Foundation board.<br />
“With this investment, we will be<br />
aligning the investment strategy of the<br />
Foundation with the DEI goals of the<br />
company and build on the legacy of credit<br />
unions led by leaders of colour.”<br />
The relationship between Inclusiv<br />
and CMG relationship deepened during<br />
the pandemic as the company forged<br />
a strategic partnership with Inclusiv<br />
providing targeted training, technical<br />
assistance, data analytics support to<br />
help credit unions orient their work<br />
and services toward low-income and<br />
communities of colour.<br />
In the past two years, adds CMG, this<br />
collaboration has driven the number<br />
of certified CDFI credit unions to an<br />
all-time high of 476 institutions with<br />
a primary mission and predominant<br />
business activity targeting low-income<br />
and distressed areas. It says this has<br />
unleashed millions of dollars of credit<br />
union lending to pe<strong>op</strong>le and communities<br />
previously excluded from the financial<br />
mainstream.<br />
The Racial Equity Investment Fund,<br />
launched in 2020, deploys secondary<br />
capital to expand economic relief and<br />
to remove barriers to services for credit<br />
unions that are led by and/or serve<br />
communities of colour.<br />
“Secondary capital builds institutional<br />
net worth,” says CMG, “enabling credit<br />
unions to leverage deposits and to<br />
increase lending to minority-owned<br />
businesses, homeowners, and consumers.<br />
Credit unions can expand their impact<br />
in providing access to capital and new<br />
financial <strong>op</strong>portunities to pe<strong>op</strong>le who<br />
are traditionally underserved and<br />
underbanked.”<br />
Cathie Mahon, president and CEO of<br />
Inclusiv, said: “This investment from CMG<br />
Foundation is groundbreaking. Together<br />
we are growing the necessary capital<br />
to help credit unions address systemic<br />
inequity in financial service to low-income<br />
and communities of colour.<br />
“We believe this commitment from CMG<br />
Foundation will pave the way for more<br />
industry secondary capital investments<br />
enabling minority designated and CDFI<br />
credit unions to grow members, lend more<br />
deeply in their communities and grow the<br />
net worth for their institutions and the<br />
members and communities they serve.”<br />
EUROPE<br />
Strasbourg summit explores future of the social economy<br />
Social economy actors met in Strasbourg<br />
last month to discuss the sector’s role in<br />
the future of Eur<strong>op</strong>e.<br />
Organised by the city of Strasbourg, the<br />
conference brought together over 1,000<br />
social economy stakeholders, including<br />
representatives from Social Economy<br />
Eur<strong>op</strong>e (SSE) and <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives Eur<strong>op</strong>e.<br />
The aim of the event was to engage the<br />
sector in the implementation of the Social<br />
Economy Action Plan (SEAP) unveiled in<br />
December 2021.<br />
“The main objective for the social<br />
economy now is to grow and scale up,<br />
making the most of this momentum it is<br />
going through,” said SEE president Juan<br />
Antonio Pedreño. “We now have the<br />
<strong>op</strong>portunity to provide solutions to some<br />
of the issues our society is facing and the<br />
SEAP acknowledges them.<br />
p Juan Antonio Pedreño (Photo: SEE)<br />
“In fact in its 39 pr<strong>op</strong>osals on how to<br />
address the biggest challenges we are<br />
facing, the SEAP mentions these social<br />
and economic issues.<br />
“There are countries in which the social<br />
economy represents 10% of the GDP but in<br />
others it accounts for only 0.5-2%.”<br />
Mr Pedreño added that the social<br />
economy could not grow without<br />
appr<strong>op</strong>riate political and legal<br />
frameworks. Giving his home country<br />
Spain as an example, he said the Social<br />
Economy Law was a big step forward.<br />
“We have the challenge of creating these<br />
legal and political frameworks in those<br />
countries where there are none, The SEAP<br />
explores these possibilities,” he said.<br />
During a session on 6 May participants<br />
heard from Giuseppe Guerini, president of<br />
the Eur<strong>op</strong>ean <strong>Co</strong>nfederation of Industrial<br />
and Service <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives (CECOP). He said<br />
access to financing is crucial for small and<br />
medium-sized enterprises and called for<br />
a Eur<strong>op</strong>ean guarantee fund for SMEs and<br />
a social and environmental supporting<br />
factor in the Eur<strong>op</strong>ean banking system to<br />
guarantee loans to #SMEs.<br />
20 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
POLAND<br />
Polish credit<br />
union welcomes<br />
displaced Ukrainians<br />
p Kasa Stefczyka headquarters (credit: WOCCU)<br />
Poland’s largest credit union, Kasa<br />
Stefczyka, has welcomed 500 new<br />
Ukrainian members since the start of the<br />
war in its neighbouring country.<br />
In response to the Russian invasion of<br />
Ukraine, the Gydnia-based credit union,<br />
which has over 300 branches, has set up<br />
a page on its website in Ukrainian that<br />
includes descriptions of its products and<br />
services. New members can also apply to<br />
join online using the credit union’s website.<br />
The credit union also runs an interactive<br />
voice response (IVR) service that allows<br />
Ukrainian speakers to leave a voice<br />
message and receive a call back from a<br />
customer service representative who can<br />
speak to them in their native language.<br />
Displaced Ukrainians arriving in Poland<br />
can apply for a government identification<br />
number which they can they use to<br />
join credit unions. Before the war Kasa<br />
Stefczyka had around 700 Ukrainian<br />
members – the number has grown to more<br />
than 1,200 following the invasion.<br />
The credit union described some of its<br />
efforts to welcome Ukrainians during a<br />
meeting with Elissa McCarter LaBorde,<br />
president and CEO of the World <strong>Co</strong>uncil of<br />
Credit Unions (Woccu).<br />
Kasa Stefczyka currently provides<br />
uncollateralised loans for members with<br />
a six-month Polish employment history,<br />
but many Ukrainians arriving in Poland do<br />
not have this and are still looking for work.<br />
The credit union h<strong>op</strong>es to address this via<br />
a guarantee fund that would allow it to<br />
provide small loans to Ukrainian refugees.<br />
Woccu will be working with its team to<br />
search for loan guarantee <strong>op</strong>tions. Kasa<br />
Stefczyka executives also told Ms McCarter<br />
LaBorde they foresee a future need for a<br />
guarantee fund that would allow them to<br />
provide small loans to Ukrainian refugees.<br />
US electric co-<strong>op</strong>s to bring power to Guatemalan village<br />
Barcelona housing co-<strong>op</strong> wins Mies van der Rohe award<br />
Credit unions more likely to improve financial wellbeing<br />
Credit: Getty Images<br />
12 linemen from Oklahoma’s electric co<strong>op</strong>s<br />
have been selected to serve on an<br />
electrification project that will bring power<br />
to the remote village of La Montanita de la<br />
Virgen in Guatemala this August.<br />
The volunteers will join four more<br />
lineworkers from <strong>Co</strong>lorado’s electric<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>s to build powerlines, install<br />
transformers and conduct internal wiring.<br />
A Catalan architecture co-<strong>op</strong> has won the<br />
prestigious Mies van der Rohe Award in<br />
Emerging Architecture for its La Borda<br />
housing co-<strong>op</strong>erative devel<strong>op</strong>ment.<br />
Chosen from 532 works across 41<br />
different countries, La Borda’s co-<strong>op</strong><br />
model was a key factor in its selection.<br />
Credit union members across the USA<br />
are more likely to say that credit unions<br />
improve their financial wellbeing<br />
compared to customers of other financial<br />
institutions, according to a new white<br />
paper from the Credit Union National<br />
Association (CUNA).<br />
“We have data that shows credit unions<br />
return billions of dollars to their members<br />
and their communities,” said CUNA’s<br />
chief economist Mike Schenk.<br />
Government gives nod to Fonterra’s new capital structure<br />
New Zealand’s government says it is<br />
working to amend the Dairy Industry<br />
Restructuring Act 2001 (DIRA) to support<br />
Fonterra’s move to a new capital structure.<br />
“The Fonterra co-<strong>op</strong>erative is a key part<br />
of New Zealand’s world-leading dairy<br />
industry and a major export earner for our<br />
economy,” agriculture minister Damien<br />
O’<strong>Co</strong>nnor said on 27 April.<br />
National <strong>Co</strong>+<strong>op</strong> Grocers states support for abortion rights<br />
Credit: Getty Images<br />
US retail co-<strong>op</strong> apex National <strong>Co</strong>+<strong>op</strong><br />
Grocers has made a statement in favour<br />
of reproductive rights after Supreme <strong>Co</strong>urt<br />
signalled its intention to overturn Roe v<br />
Wade and return abortion laws to state<br />
control. The co-<strong>op</strong> said it is extending<br />
health benefits pay transport costs for<br />
staff in states with strict abortion laws.<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 21
MEET<br />
Sara Dunham<br />
Chief officer for Travel and<br />
Leisure at Midcounties<br />
Midcounties appointed Sara Dunham chief officer for Travel and<br />
Leisure services in 2021 during one of the most challenging<br />
times ever for the sector. With over 20 years’ experience in the<br />
travel industry, she previously held a variety of senior roles at<br />
British Airways across the airline and tour <strong>op</strong>erating divisions,<br />
leading devel<strong>op</strong>ment of BA’s direct to consumer business<br />
with responsibility for BA.com, mobile, contact centres and<br />
BA Holidays – the UK’s fifth-largest tour <strong>op</strong>erator. She is now<br />
responsible for further growing the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Travel and <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong><br />
Holidays tour <strong>op</strong>erator business, comprising 74 branches and 165<br />
Personal Travel Agents as well as more than 140 members of the<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Travel <strong>Co</strong>nsortium.<br />
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE CO-OP<br />
MOVEMENT?<br />
What interested me was the growth <strong>op</strong>portunity<br />
within the travel business and the fact that<br />
Midcounties had a purpose other than just<br />
delivering profit, with really strong values focused<br />
on members and doing the right thing. I found<br />
that a really interesting pr<strong>op</strong>osition – not just the<br />
bottom line of doing well as a business and the<br />
<strong>op</strong>portunity to grow it, but the broader purpose<br />
across the society. I had left BA and done some<br />
travelling and volunteering, planning to take time<br />
off before I started doing consultancy work. Then<br />
the whole pandemic situation made me think<br />
more about what was really important. It was<br />
an <strong>op</strong>portunity to work for an organisation that<br />
delivers for the greater good, building greater<br />
benefit for the pe<strong>op</strong>le we deal with. It was a perfect<br />
storm and everything came together at once.<br />
WHAT DOES AN AVERAGE WORKDAY LOOK LIKE<br />
FOR YOU?<br />
I am in the office three to four days a week in<br />
Warwick or Walsall. It is a combination of working<br />
from home or being out and about meeting agents<br />
and retail partners.<br />
The first thing I do is look at what is going on in<br />
the external market. As we have seen particularly<br />
in the last couple of years, anything can happen in<br />
the world, affecting pe<strong>op</strong>le’s ability to travel. I look<br />
at things like yesterday’s sales, levels of member<br />
engagement and customer satisfaction. I check<br />
in with the team on strategic delivery projects,<br />
working through the programmes we have to<br />
support the strategy and what comes in the next<br />
six months. Then there are <strong>op</strong>erational challenges,<br />
queries, talking to consortium agents or dealing<br />
with customer issues and supporting delivery,<br />
looking at the here and now, moving the business<br />
forward and looking at what comes next.<br />
WHAT WAS THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 – AND IS<br />
CO-OP TRAVEL RECOVERING?<br />
We made a commitment at our<br />
AGM that in five years’ time<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Holidays will represent<br />
50% of the holidays we sell<br />
Pe<strong>op</strong>le couldn’t go on holiday and while we did<br />
have many colleagues on furlough, unlike<br />
hospitality, we had to keep the business <strong>op</strong>en<br />
as pe<strong>op</strong>le had to be able to rebook holidays. As<br />
the lockdowns continued and restrictions kept<br />
changing, the demands on our pe<strong>op</strong>le were actually<br />
greater, but we were not selling holidays, just<br />
rebooking the same ones maybe three or four times.<br />
It was really tough for pe<strong>op</strong>le trying to keep focused<br />
22 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
and motivated. As we brought pe<strong>op</strong>le back after<br />
furlough in September, demand still hadn’t picked<br />
up, but at least we were able to offer employment at<br />
a time when the travel business wasn’t sustainable;<br />
some colleagues worked in retail food stores until<br />
after Christmas. Now, coming out of <strong>Co</strong>vid, we<br />
are seeing some very strong performances. Since<br />
the middle of January, when travel restrictions<br />
were lifted from the UK, we have been running<br />
at above 2019 booking levels – which has been a<br />
much stronger bounceback than we would have<br />
predicted.<br />
HOW HAS THE PANDEMIC CHANGED THE TRAVEL<br />
LANDSCAPE AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE?<br />
I think it has made pe<strong>op</strong>le realise how much they<br />
value travel and holidays, whether that means<br />
spending more time with the family, travelling to<br />
more remote places, or doing bucket list holidays.<br />
There is a greater appreciation of travel agents<br />
because it has become more complicated to<br />
travel. Customers and members are looking for<br />
more reassurance when choosing where to go. We<br />
are now seeing a large segment having not had<br />
a holiday for two or three years and absolutely<br />
prioritising that, so there are lots of late bookings<br />
for this summer. We are starting to grow our<br />
own tour <strong>op</strong>erator <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Holidays, which we are<br />
offering through consortium travel agents and<br />
retail branches. When it was launched it was more<br />
a city-break product – now we are introducing<br />
more <strong>op</strong>tions with a greater focus on sustainability.<br />
WHAT CHALLENGES WILL THE TRAVEL BUSINESS<br />
FACE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS?<br />
We made a commitment at our AGM that in five<br />
years’ time <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Holidays will represent 50%<br />
of the holidays we sell, so that is a real focus. We<br />
need to work out where that growth will come<br />
from, continuing to work with consortia, partners<br />
and travel agents, modernising our business and<br />
bringing new products to the market. There are still<br />
challenges around customers needing reassurance<br />
and advice – that presents an <strong>op</strong>portunity for us as<br />
travel agents to provide that. Sales are rebounding<br />
but the level of rebooking and administration is still<br />
significantly higher. There are still staff shortages,<br />
different levels of capacity, recruitment challenges<br />
and now of course cost of living concerns. There are<br />
segments of the p<strong>op</strong>ulation who after two years of<br />
<strong>Co</strong>vid are determined to have a holiday – but also<br />
a growing number of pe<strong>op</strong>le are concerned about<br />
the cost of living, so not taking or cancelling the<br />
holidays they have booked. That is going to have an<br />
impact on us and them.<br />
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR PARTNERSHIP<br />
WORKING WITH THE GO BEYOND CHARITY<br />
Go Beyond is our charity partner for <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Holidays<br />
and this year our donation will be £50,000. In<br />
the first three months of the year, the money we<br />
donated meant 165 children and young pe<strong>op</strong>le<br />
between the ages of 8 and 15 could go on Go Beyond<br />
breaks in <strong>Co</strong>rnwall and the Peak District. For every<br />
booking, we donate £1 to the charity and we collect<br />
unused currency which is also donated. We have<br />
had that partnership just coming up for a year, and<br />
it is a great thing to do.<br />
WHAT IS THE PARTICULAR APPEAL OF CO-OP<br />
TRAVEL? HOW ARE YOU IMPROVING THE<br />
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND KEEPING IT IN LINE<br />
WITH CO-OPERATIVE VALUES?<br />
The particular appeal of <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Travel is in our<br />
branches, our colleagues and the service they give<br />
members and customers. We do regular customer<br />
surveys and have exceptionally high customer<br />
satisfaction levels. The appeal of the brand is it<br />
is well-known, trusted and in uncertain times<br />
customers look to brands they know. We work<br />
with a wide range of partners and are actively<br />
focusing on growing <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Holidays. It is a key<br />
way to represent brand values and have more of<br />
an influence on customer business. We can choose<br />
which hotels we work with and design holidays<br />
with our members in mind, making sure that we are<br />
more focused on things like sustainability and can<br />
deliver something different, such as holidays using<br />
rail transport as an alternative to air.<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 23
YOUR VIEWS<br />
Midcounties <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> announces <strong>op</strong>erating<br />
profit of £7.4m<br />
In considering my memory of the h<strong>op</strong>edfor<br />
debt curve over time presented at the<br />
Midcounties AGM four years ago, as a<br />
member co-owner I am pleased with the<br />
following quote : “These decisions formed<br />
part of a prudent and balanced approach<br />
to the society’s finances that saw debt<br />
Have your say<br />
Add your comments to our stories<br />
online at thenews.co<strong>op</strong>, get in<br />
touch via social media, or send us<br />
a letter. If sending a letter, please<br />
include your address and contact<br />
number. Letters may be edited and<br />
no longer than 350 words.<br />
levels reduce by more than 37% over the<br />
course of the year.”<br />
After the shock of a high so much out<br />
of whack with past performance, the<br />
signs seem good for us as members, who<br />
may wish the board to get to the position<br />
where it wants to be and express genuine<br />
choice over the use of external finance<br />
(to the extent it demands for prime<br />
pristine neighbourhoods for profit over<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative <strong>News</strong>, Holyoake<br />
House, Hanover Street,<br />
Manchester M60 0AS<br />
letters@thenews.co<strong>op</strong><br />
@co<strong>op</strong>news<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative <strong>News</strong><br />
the concept of generating surplus in non<br />
exceptional areas members might also<br />
live, a bad thing) and pull the society<br />
into a position where recent (very prime)<br />
new assets can <strong>op</strong>erate trade with a co<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
difference and expand their new<br />
franchise of members bit by bit.<br />
Luke Blakey<br />
via Website<br />
Member engagement in county cricket<br />
after the Yorkshire racism scandal<br />
The interesting issue is what impact this<br />
has on the FCA’s policy more broadly. It’s<br />
been axiomatic that the FCA would register<br />
societies where the members elected the<br />
majority of the society’s board, but here,<br />
only 2/11 - 18% of the Board are elected by<br />
and from the members.<br />
Dave Boyle<br />
via website<br />
Space to<br />
work<br />
Space to<br />
grow<br />
Space for<br />
change<br />
Leading the movement in workspaces for those who lead the change,<br />
with spaces currently available to rent<br />
Visit www.ethicalpr<strong>op</strong>erty.co.uk Email sales@ethicalpr<strong>op</strong>erty.co.uk or call 01865 207 810 to find out more<br />
24 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
PREVIEW<br />
Just Film Festival: a preview<br />
“Working together” is the theme of the Just<br />
Film Festival <strong>2022</strong>, and it has a decidedly<br />
international flavour, writes Kate Palser,<br />
chair of Birmingham Film <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>.<br />
The festival, now in its second year, is<br />
organised by Birmingham Film <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> with<br />
support from Central England Society and<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Press. Here, we bring you a preview<br />
of events ...<br />
The festival <strong>op</strong>ens on Friday, 24 <strong>June</strong><br />
with the documentary I Am Belmaya, the<br />
story of a young Nepalese woman living<br />
a life of poverty, affected by violence, but<br />
who wants to create films. Reviews of this<br />
uplifting film say she is “the definition of<br />
resilient and <strong>op</strong>timistic”.<br />
Screened in person and online, te film<br />
is followed by a pre-recorded question<br />
and answer session, and is a fitting start<br />
for the festival: it confronts us with vital<br />
questions about who gets to tell the stories<br />
that we see on screen.<br />
One of our festival partners is Woodcraft<br />
Folk and so it’s apt that the second film is<br />
Dear Future Children, the story of three<br />
young environmental activists from Hong<br />
Kong, Uganda and Chile. It shows the<br />
impact that campaigning has on their<br />
personal lives.<br />
Praised by critics as entertaining yet<br />
thought-provoking, this is a film that<br />
reminds us how much young pe<strong>op</strong>le,<br />
in particular, have to lose from climate<br />
change. It will be shown on Saturday, 25<br />
<strong>June</strong>, in collaboration with Birmingham<br />
Friends of the Earth. It’s appr<strong>op</strong>riate that<br />
all in-person screenings will be at the<br />
Warehouse, Birmingham Friends of the<br />
Earth’s community-building based in<br />
Digbeth.<br />
The first Sunday of the festival brings<br />
another brand of activism in Bank Job.<br />
Ever wanted to make your own money?<br />
Throughout 2018/19, artists <strong>op</strong>erated<br />
out of a former bank on a high street<br />
in Walthamstow, north-east London,<br />
printing banknotes/artwork and selling<br />
£40,000 worth of them. Find out how they<br />
did it – and what they used the money for.<br />
And “expect explosions, community and<br />
active h<strong>op</strong>e”.<br />
The second weekend kicks off on Friday,<br />
p (Clockwise) On Our Doorstep; Dear Future Children and I am Belmaya – some of the films<br />
showing at the <strong>2022</strong> Just Film Festival<br />
1 July with a heartwarming drama: The<br />
Last Bus. Tom, a pensioner whose wife<br />
Mary has just passed away, travels the<br />
length of the country, from John O’Groats<br />
to his hometown near Land’s End, using<br />
his free bus pass, carrying only a small<br />
suitcase. Along the way, his adventures<br />
are recorded by the pe<strong>op</strong>le he meets and<br />
helps, and by the end of his trip he has<br />
become a social media celebrity.<br />
Saturday night, 2 July, brings another<br />
highlight, the crowdfunded documentary<br />
On Our Doorstep, telling the story of the<br />
Calais Jungle and the volunteers who<br />
went there to help. Birmingham Film <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong><br />
is excited to welcome director Thomas<br />
Laurance to a question and answer session<br />
after the film, along with local volunteers<br />
shown in the film.<br />
Just as volunteers found the experience<br />
of the camps was not what they had<br />
expected, so the film tells a tale that can<br />
amuse, frustrate and sadden – as well as<br />
raising significant questions about our<br />
role as citizens.<br />
Sunday 3 July brings the final selections<br />
from entries in the film shorts competition.<br />
It promises documentaries and drama<br />
(from at least three continents), animation<br />
and imagination – culminating in the<br />
awards for the winners. Watch how<br />
participants have chosen to explore the<br />
theme of “working together”, and perhaps<br />
feel inspired by the power of film to share<br />
ideas and emotions.<br />
u The Just Film Festival <strong>2022</strong> runs from<br />
Friday 24th <strong>June</strong> to sunday 3rd July.<br />
All films a re a vailable t o w atch o nline,<br />
with some in-person screening <strong>op</strong>tions and<br />
online discussions.<br />
Tickets for individual films or a whole<br />
festival pass can be purchased<br />
from our online screening prtal at<br />
justfilmfestival22.eventive.org/welcome<br />
Birmingham Film <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> screens<br />
“films for a fairer world” on the second<br />
Thursday of every month, with many<br />
available to watch online. See<br />
facebook.com/justfilmco<strong>op</strong> for details<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 25
y Rebecca Harvey<br />
A NEW FEDERATION<br />
FOR WORKER CO-OPS<br />
q The UK Worker<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Weekend was<br />
hosted at Selgars Mill,<br />
Devon<br />
In 1971, the Industrial <strong>Co</strong>mmon Ownership<br />
Movement (ICOM) was set up as a national<br />
umbrella and lobbying organisation for<br />
workers’ co-<strong>op</strong>eratives in the UK. It merged<br />
with the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Union in 2001 to<br />
form <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives UK, with a Worker<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> <strong>Co</strong>uncil elected to ”shape strategic<br />
priorities” for worker co-<strong>op</strong>s and employeeowned<br />
business members.<br />
But all this is about to change, with a new<br />
organisation being planned to support the<br />
UK worker co-<strong>op</strong> movement. Early this year,<br />
the Worker <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> <strong>Co</strong>uncil resolved to form a<br />
completely new and independent “federation<br />
of worker co-<strong>op</strong>eratives, individual co-<strong>op</strong>erators<br />
and supporters of industrial democracy”. The<br />
initial plan has been endorsed by the board and<br />
senior management of <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives UK. Plans<br />
were further devel<strong>op</strong>ed by worker co-<strong>op</strong>erators<br />
who gathered for the Worker <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Weekend,<br />
which took place at Selgars Mill, Devon, over<br />
International Workers’ Day on 1 May.<br />
“There was a presentation and discussion<br />
about how we got to where we are now; a session<br />
on naming, vision and mission; and a look at the<br />
next practical next steps,” says Siôn Whellens,<br />
who is a member of worker co-<strong>op</strong>erative Calverts<br />
and sits on the Worker <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> <strong>Co</strong>uncil.<br />
“We started to form working groups to think<br />
about how to get to the point where we’re ready<br />
to launch. There are a lot of known unknowns –<br />
but it’s taking shape.”<br />
The Worker <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> <strong>Co</strong>uncil has been in<br />
conversation with <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives UK staff<br />
and board a lot over the last year, adds Mr<br />
Whellens. “It’s got to the point where we have an<br />
agreement, and hence terms for the relationship<br />
between the new organisation and <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>s UK.<br />
There will need to be more detail, but the broad<br />
principles are there. Two important elements are<br />
that worker co-<strong>op</strong> and employee-owned (EO)<br />
members of the organisation will be offered dual<br />
membership with <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>s UK at a symbolic extra<br />
cost, and that <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>s UK will materially support<br />
it during the formative first two years”.<br />
A VISION FOR WORKER CO-OPERATION<br />
The vision of the organisation (the name is still<br />
under discussion) is to bring together an alliance<br />
of pe<strong>op</strong>le and organisations “with an explicit<br />
focus on worker issues, worker-led organising,<br />
social solidarity, and economic justice”.<br />
Mr Whellens stresses that it’s a very different<br />
context and process to the one that formed<br />
ICOM 50 years ago. “In the 1970s there was a<br />
resurgence of worker and what we now call<br />
community co-<strong>op</strong>s, which led to a rediscovery<br />
of the co-<strong>op</strong>erative system as something that<br />
could benefit workers. The social-democratic<br />
government of the time supported policy around<br />
common ownership, and there was funding from<br />
local and central government for co-<strong>op</strong>s. ICOM<br />
was founded to support that.”<br />
This changed in the 1990s, with a shift away<br />
from supportive policy. “It became all about<br />
outputs and outcomes,” says Mr Whellens.<br />
“Ownership and control didn’t matter; and<br />
American and Eur<strong>op</strong>ean ideas of social enterprise<br />
were imported and picked up by pe<strong>op</strong>le in the<br />
space of New Labour. <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>s – and worker co<strong>op</strong>s<br />
in particular – were off the agenda.”<br />
But he thinks the pendulum is swinging<br />
back again. “I think the UK is seeing another<br />
ideological turn, where pe<strong>op</strong>le working in the<br />
social enterprise, charity, and the foundation<br />
sectors are starting to think that actually, maybe<br />
26 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
ownership and control do matter. Worker<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>s are a proven antidote to poverty and<br />
social exclusion. <strong>Co</strong>nversations around the<br />
meaning of work are back on the agenda in a<br />
way they haven’t been for a long time.<br />
“There’s an <strong>op</strong>portunity to start pursuing<br />
some of those conversations with a much wider<br />
group of pe<strong>op</strong>le, and to make the worker co-<strong>op</strong><br />
system available to pe<strong>op</strong>le.”<br />
The new federation is starting out small –<br />
there are around 400 worker co-<strong>op</strong>s in the UK<br />
– but is receiving support and guidance from<br />
other federations worldwide, including the US<br />
Federation of Worker <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives. “USFWC is<br />
a relatively new organisation that has managed<br />
to pull together something that works really<br />
effectively with little core resource in terms of<br />
membership subscriptions. They don’t have a<br />
vast amount of rich work co-<strong>op</strong>s to fund it, so<br />
they have to pull resources together in different<br />
ways. We can learn from that,” says Mr Whellens.<br />
WHY THE MOVE?<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives UK has been a home for worker co<strong>op</strong>s<br />
for 20 years, but Mr Whellens believes that<br />
over the last decade, there has been “a growing<br />
realisation that it can’t really speak about worker<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>eration authentically, or devel<strong>op</strong> the<br />
worker co-<strong>op</strong>-specific resources we really need”.<br />
He adds: “It’s a general membership<br />
organisation, covering an enormous range<br />
of different types of members. It talks to<br />
policymakers and professional co-<strong>op</strong>s, but not<br />
to workers. At one point we did have our own<br />
membership officer within <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>s UK who<br />
looked after the worker co-<strong>op</strong> constituency but<br />
that’s gradually gone over the years, so we don’t<br />
have anyone doing that on a full-time basis.<br />
“In our view, it’s also got pulled towards<br />
seeing employee ownership as the solution in<br />
a business conversion or transfer or situation,<br />
and worker co-<strong>op</strong>s as the solution for startups.<br />
That’s been really difficult for us because we<br />
don’t agree with it.<br />
“There has been a progressive loss of a<br />
distinctive voice and service for worker co-<strong>op</strong>s<br />
and we reached a point where we realised we<br />
need an independent voice and an independent<br />
network that can be more agile, less bureaucratic,<br />
more focused on the primary audience for worker<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>eration – which is workers.”<br />
The new federation will still work very closely<br />
with <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives UK, and the UK apex is<br />
broadly supportive. “Rose [Marley, <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
UK CEO] is enthusiastic, there are some board<br />
members who are clearly on board, with others<br />
perhaps consenting to it. But we believe that<br />
if this works, it could be a whole new way for<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>s UK to model its membership offer with<br />
federal members and their members in turn.”<br />
A FEDERATION FOR THE FUTURE<br />
The federation is working with <strong>Co</strong>Tech, the<br />
network of worker technology co-<strong>op</strong>s, to<br />
look at how to use tech in its start-up and<br />
implementation: “In the 1970s, you had to write<br />
letters and books and pamphlets. Now we’ve<br />
got new channels, new ways of communicating,<br />
new ways of working together, that are based on<br />
new technologies. Part of our strategic thinking<br />
is around tech. How do we use tech critically,<br />
both for process and for communication?”<br />
The plan is to launch the new federation in<br />
early 2023, with the first step being to appoint<br />
a project manager. “We’re looking for someone<br />
to fundraise and manage the project, manage<br />
the different working groups, put all the<br />
infrastructure in place that will need to make it<br />
work, devel<strong>op</strong> membership policy and begin the<br />
detailed business planning,” says Mr Whellens.<br />
The <strong>2022</strong> Worker <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Weekend was the<br />
first step on a very exciting journey for the UK’s<br />
worker co-<strong>op</strong> movement, with the working<br />
groups already exploring issues around culture,<br />
policy, communication and membership. They<br />
are using a sociocratic approach, with member<br />
involvement being at the heart of everything.<br />
“There are worker co-<strong>op</strong>s out there that we<br />
don’t know about,” says Mr Whellens. “And<br />
there are certainly employee-owned (EO)<br />
businesses out there that might be interested<br />
in turbo-charging their ownership model with<br />
democratic control. But we’re going to have<br />
to think carefully about how we present the<br />
question of ownership. Because ownership is<br />
a really complex subject, and ‘being an owner’<br />
has different meanings depending on who you<br />
talk to. It’s an incredibly exciting journey.”<br />
“WORKER<br />
CO-OPS ARE<br />
A PROVEN<br />
ANTIDOTE<br />
TO POVERTY<br />
AND SOCIAL<br />
EXCLUSION”<br />
p The weekend<br />
explored the <strong>op</strong>tions<br />
around a new<br />
federation for worker<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>s in the UK<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 27
y Miles Hadfield<br />
FINANCIAL SQUEEZE, MERGERS<br />
AND COMMUNITY FINANCE:<br />
UK CREDIT UNIONS GET READY<br />
FOR CHANGE<br />
p Eric Broome &<br />
Nickolas Kitchens<br />
from Georgia’s Own<br />
Credit Union discuss<br />
ways to future-proof a<br />
credit union (Photos:<br />
Abcul)<br />
28 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong><br />
Britain’s credit unions met for their annual<br />
conference in May, with the Manchester’s<br />
reliably cloudy skies matching a gloomy<br />
economic outlook. Delegates were glad to<br />
be meeting in person after the pandemic,<br />
but the event – organised by the Association<br />
of British Credit Unions (Abcul) – saw them<br />
face up to the next crisis: the country’s<br />
biggest fall in living standards in 70 years.<br />
But while the wolf is hanging round the door,<br />
<strong>op</strong>portunity is also knocking. Treasury minister<br />
John Glen announced plans to <strong>op</strong>en new<br />
markets to the sector (news, p12), and there<br />
are <strong>op</strong>tions within the movement; one<br />
session looked at whether UK credit<br />
unions can ad<strong>op</strong>t the community<br />
devel<strong>op</strong>ment credit union (CDCU) model, led<br />
in the US by apex body Inclusiv.<br />
With a commitment to financial inclusion<br />
and community devel<strong>op</strong>ment, the 456 CDCUs<br />
in the US serve 17 million pe<strong>op</strong>le, offering<br />
“affordable financial services at good rates to<br />
pe<strong>op</strong>le with no credit scores, who have not<br />
taken part in the<br />
financial system”, said René Vargas Martínez,<br />
director of Inclusiv’s Puerto Rican network.<br />
Those excluded from traditional banking<br />
include immigrants, pe<strong>op</strong>le with bad credit and<br />
those suspicious of traditional banks who store<br />
their money “under the bed” – and if you win<br />
these pe<strong>op</strong>le’s trust, they will bring others from<br />
their community, said Mr Martínez.<br />
This market has seen huge growth because<br />
there is no competition apart from predatory<br />
lenders. “All the research we have of underserved<br />
pe<strong>op</strong>le or pe<strong>op</strong>le on lower tiers show us they are<br />
loyal and they will pay their loans,” added Mr<br />
Martínez. “There is some delinquency but if you<br />
offer pe<strong>op</strong>le used to 50% interest a cheap rate,<br />
they will come back and build their credit.”<br />
Scott Butterfield, from US service organisation<br />
Your Credit Union Partner, said: “In a working<br />
class or minority area there’s never been a better<br />
time to be a credit union or CDCU.”<br />
As inflation erodes living standards, these<br />
areas will need help; Mr Butterfield advised<br />
credit unions to “go into the community and tell
a story”, appoint a “community-focused board”<br />
and tailor products to local social needs; for<br />
instance, US CDCUs offer finance for survivors of<br />
domestic abuse.<br />
Ian Brewer, from Bradford District Credit<br />
Union, discussed his efforts to put some of these<br />
ideas into practice in England. His credit union,<br />
formed in 1993 to help council staff get credit in<br />
a recession, <strong>op</strong>ened its membership in 2005, to<br />
all residents.<br />
Initiatives include Sharia-compliant lending,<br />
payroll lending, and partnerships with the local<br />
council to counter loan sharks and fund a school<br />
uniform savers club. This was awarded £40,000<br />
from the council to give each participating<br />
parent a £100 reward for regular saving towards<br />
a school uniform; for each account the credit<br />
union got £40. The programme has improved the<br />
mental health and financial habits in families<br />
taking part, said Mr Brewer. “What we do no one<br />
else can do in this neighbourhood.”<br />
“If a meaningful number of UK credit unions<br />
come together and do this, you can leverage<br />
government funding,” said Mr Butterfield. “You<br />
might take more risk but the government might<br />
support you if you can show impact.”<br />
The session was not the only one to look at the<br />
economic crisis. A lengthy panel debate looked<br />
at how mergers can save struggling credit unions<br />
and enable growth.<br />
Eric Broome, from Georgia’s Own Credit<br />
Union in the US, said since May 2009 his credit<br />
union had carried out nine mergers – as well as<br />
acquiring a single-site bank, another growing<br />
strategy for the US sector. This has brought in<br />
$455m in assets and 69,000 pe<strong>op</strong>le.<br />
Mergers and acquisitions is “quicker than<br />
organic growth”, he said. “Organic growth is<br />
critically important,” he added, “it’s where you<br />
make your hay, but it can be tough.”<br />
Mr Broome said there is a lot of work involved<br />
in getting a merger right, and choosing the right<br />
merger. “It’s important to consider systems, do<br />
due diligence and especially retain employees.<br />
With mergers, he said, every employee comes<br />
over and is ideally kept in a matched role.<br />
“If they do change role, we upskill them<br />
and make sure they add to their portfolio of<br />
experience. Key person retention is important –<br />
keep executives and senior managers, especially<br />
as you expand outwards geographically because<br />
they have the local knowledge and contacts.”<br />
From the UK, there was a different perspective<br />
from Kathryn Fogg of Pennine Credit Union,<br />
which has carried out several mergers – most<br />
recently last year with Affinity Credit Union.<br />
Affinity, which had branches across the Lake<br />
“IN A WORKING CLASS OR<br />
MINORITY AREA THERE’S<br />
NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME<br />
TO BE A CREDIT UNION OR<br />
CDCU”<br />
District, was in trouble, she said. Having<br />
been created itself from a number of smaller,<br />
struggling credit unions, it was a mess of<br />
mismatched systems, with no one taking control<br />
and members unhappy with their service.<br />
Affinity was a rescue mission, she said, but<br />
although it delivered no inorganic growth – a<br />
half million loan book and 1,000 members – it<br />
brought the potential for organic growth. “Since<br />
then we’ve lent a million in new cash, and added<br />
2,000 members to the 1,000 brought over.”<br />
The merger was hard work, she added,<br />
and it took six months to allay the doubts of<br />
stakeholders, including the local authorities who<br />
were partnered with Affinity and saw Pennine as<br />
“the big bad wolf”. But members are happy with<br />
the improved service.<br />
Ms Fogg warned that in the UK, credit<br />
unions are smaller, bringing more potential for<br />
personality clashes than with US mergers; and<br />
there are risks in retaining leaders from failing<br />
credit unions. Above all, she stressed due<br />
diligence. “Your members will want to know<br />
what you are getting into.”<br />
But failing credit unions can be turned around.<br />
Jonathan Moore, a building society professional<br />
who joined Stockport Credit Union as CEO in<br />
2019, presented a session on how the troubled<br />
lender saw off the existential crisis of <strong>Co</strong>vid-19.<br />
With a weak marketing presence, unpaid staff,<br />
and inconsistent processes, Stockport CU was<br />
p Abcul president<br />
Paul Norgrove <strong>op</strong>ens<br />
the event<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 29
p Jonathan Moore<br />
of Stockport Credit<br />
Union (Photo:<br />
Stockport CU)<br />
MERGERS AND BANK<br />
ACQUISITIONS CAN ALSO<br />
GIVE CREDIT UNIONS MORE<br />
SCALE TO DEAL WITH ITS<br />
BIGGEST CHALLENGE –<br />
THE RISE OF FINTECH IS<br />
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE<br />
FACING THE SECTOR<br />
already in a mess before the pandemic, he said.<br />
It had no capacity for home-working, leaving<br />
him scrambling to buy lapt<strong>op</strong>s before lockdown<br />
took effect, and no digitisation.<br />
The credit union’s initial response to the<br />
pandemic – a savings drive – was a mistake; the<br />
capital outflow it had feared from members never<br />
materialised and it was left with an expensive<br />
savings book to run.<br />
It corrected this error with two emergency loan<br />
schemes, including one with the local council<br />
which brought some grant income, publicity,<br />
and a good relationship with Stockport <strong>Co</strong>uncil<br />
which led to further projects and grants.<br />
Mr Brewer streamlined the lending process,<br />
reducing loan decision times from a week to<br />
three days, and in some cases the same day;<br />
ringing members to offer consolidation loans;<br />
and bringing in digital lending. Stockport’s<br />
loan book has gone from £1m to £1.8m since<br />
September 2019 and throughout the crisis it<br />
carried on paying dividends.<br />
The sector was facing challenges before the<br />
pandemic. In a panel session on future proofing,<br />
Eric Broome and Nickolas Kitchens from<br />
Georgia’s Own Credit Union looked at ways to<br />
adapt business models to a changing business<br />
environment. Again, mergers and acquisitions<br />
are useful: by building scale, credit unions can<br />
offer more products – and stand a better chance<br />
against fintech rivals, the biggest challenge<br />
facing the sector.<br />
“Since 2010 there have been 3,5000 deals<br />
in the US for over $1tn – and the credit union<br />
share of this is low,” they warned. In seven years<br />
fintechs have taken 40% of auto loans in the US<br />
by offering quick decisions and low rates. This is<br />
a key market for US credit unions and they are<br />
falling behind. No credit union can see off this<br />
challenge alone, said Mr Broome. “We have got<br />
to collaborate as a movement.”<br />
He said credit union service organisations are<br />
important here, offering shared services such as<br />
payments and digital, while trade bodies like<br />
CUNA offer vital advocacy.<br />
Credit unions can also team up with fintechs<br />
themselves. “They are competition and can<br />
invest in tech more quickly. We can either let<br />
them pass us by or find a way to work with them,<br />
and buy a stake in them.”<br />
In a panel session on diversity – another<br />
pressing challenge – Rosa Franco, from<br />
Neighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union, a<br />
CDCU in upper Manhattan, NYC, presented a case<br />
study of how a credit union can drive inclusion<br />
in low-income immigrant neighbourhoods<br />
to offer checking accounts, consumer loans,<br />
business finance and mortgages. Led by a<br />
diverse, bilingual team, it offers consolidation<br />
loans to rescue members from predatory lenders;<br />
financial counselling; and programmes to<br />
formalise members in the tax-paying economy.<br />
Abcul’s Inclusivity Group (AIG) is looking for a<br />
way forward on diversity for the UK movement,<br />
Its chair, Bobby Gould, said: “Credit unions are<br />
for everyone but we need to find a way to remove<br />
the barriers as democratic organisations,”<br />
adding that the AIG has drawn on work already<br />
done by the Filene Research Institute, as well<br />
as the experiences of organisations outside the<br />
movement which have been on similar journeys.<br />
The AIG had offered a safe space, she added,<br />
with a “group code of conduct as to how we<br />
work together, have difficult conversations in an<br />
environment that is <strong>op</strong>en and trusted.”<br />
A poll of conference delegates found that 44%<br />
thought Abcul is inclusive, with 49% saying<br />
maybe and 9% no. Panellist Ruksana Kauser,<br />
who sits on the AIG, said: “A few years ago I<br />
would have said no, now I would say yes.”<br />
She added: “I don’t want just to be invited to<br />
the party, I want to dance on the table … we want<br />
to be included and get everybody’s <strong>op</strong>inion.”<br />
30 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
y Rebecca Harvey<br />
CREDIT UNIONS<br />
& THE GREEN LENDING<br />
OPPORTUNITY<br />
Credit union representatives, members<br />
and researchers from Ireland, the UK and<br />
beyond also gathered in gathered in Dublin<br />
in May, to discuss how credit union lending<br />
can help individuals and businesses with the<br />
transition to environmental sustainability.<br />
In the context of the cost of living crisis, Brexit,<br />
the war in Ukraine and the lingering effects of<br />
<strong>Co</strong>vid-19, how can credit unions find the energy<br />
and impetus to support the green investment<br />
required over the next 10 years to reduce harmful<br />
fossil fuel emissions? What they are doing now?<br />
And how are members being engaged on this?<br />
Introducing the day, Dr Paul Jones of the<br />
Swoboda Research Centre and Liverpool John<br />
Moores University defined what is meant by<br />
‘green lending’. “It can be financing for projects<br />
that contribute to environmental sustainability,<br />
such as retrofitting, replacing petrol and diesel<br />
vehicles with electric vehicles, or investing<br />
in reuse and recycling capabilities,” he said,<br />
but added it could also be where the purpose<br />
of the loan itself may not be ‘green’, but the<br />
interest rate of the loan is adjusted downwards<br />
if sustainability targets are hit.<br />
“Green lending can be multifaceted, but the<br />
green lending <strong>op</strong>portunity is important and<br />
significant right now from a sustainability point<br />
of view.”<br />
The Irish government has a target of<br />
upgrading 500,000 homes to B2 Building Energy<br />
Rating (BER) standard, by 2030. In February,<br />
the department of the environment, climate and<br />
communications announced a raft of measures<br />
to achieve this, which will be administered by<br />
the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland<br />
(SEAI). This includes increased grant levels<br />
for retrofits; One St<strong>op</strong> Sh<strong>op</strong>s to support energy<br />
upgrade queries; an increase in the number of<br />
free energy upgrades for those at risk of energy<br />
poverty; an enhanced grant rate for attic and<br />
cavity wall insulation for all households; and an<br />
investment of €8bn (£6.8bn) over the next eight<br />
years to enable the supply chain to scale up.<br />
SEAI’s Josephine Maguire described how<br />
the organisation works with homeowners,<br />
businesses, communities and the government to<br />
transform how pe<strong>op</strong>le think about, generate and<br />
use energy – and how credit unions are vital to<br />
this work.<br />
“You are in every community and every<br />
locality,” she said. “You are central to<br />
communities and can be involved in demand<br />
generation campaigns, look at supply chains<br />
and help to bring low-cost financing into the<br />
market for home retrofit.”<br />
David McDonnell, from Naomh Breandán<br />
Credit Union (NBCU) in East Galway, described<br />
how the organisation has been working with the<br />
SEAI to galvanise the local community around<br />
sustainability. The credit union was founded in<br />
the Loughrea postal district in 1966, and by 2016<br />
had an 83% penetration rate in the common<br />
bond area and €65.5m (£55.8m) in assets.<br />
“Our vision is: ‘Together, building a better<br />
tomorrow for our community’, and we are driven<br />
to continue to promote NBCU’s importance<br />
to its community,” he said. Five years ago,<br />
NBCU explored what was of most importance<br />
to the organisation. The answer? “It wasn’t the<br />
financials, it was the social aspect.”<br />
To support its non-financial social return,<br />
NBCU worked with SEAI to support the set-up<br />
of Sustainable Energy West (SEW) in 2018, “to<br />
stimulate and lead a local movement of energy<br />
efficiency and sustainable living where everyone<br />
benefits”.<br />
They devel<strong>op</strong>ed a competency compass to help<br />
plot the progress of projects against elements<br />
such as planning, engagement and renewable<br />
energy, and have run projects around residential<br />
and commercial pr<strong>op</strong>erty, agriculture,<br />
biodiversity and meteorological monitoring –<br />
for which Transition Year (TY) students from St<br />
Raphael’s <strong>Co</strong>llege and St Brigid’s <strong>Co</strong>llege took<br />
part in the Air Quality Campaign Ireland 2019,<br />
measuring the quality of air within the school<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 31
grounds, outside the school grounds and at nontraffic<br />
areas near the school.<br />
There was wide agreement from delegates<br />
that sustainability should be viewed as a natural<br />
fit for the credit union sector. Billy Doyle, CEO<br />
of Dundalk Credit Union, went a step further.<br />
Intrinsic to this, he believes, is the purpose of<br />
credit unions, and their link to the co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
movement.<br />
“Purpose matters,” he said.<br />
“The concept of organisational<br />
purpose has undergone a<br />
renaissance in recent years<br />
and is now a key to strategy<br />
devel<strong>op</strong>ment and cultural<br />
alignment. In the disrupted<br />
world we’re in, organisations<br />
with purpose are more<br />
enduring and sustainable.<br />
Once they’re clear on why they<br />
exist, a clear purpose also<br />
reconnects an organisation<br />
with its own values and<br />
principles.”<br />
But he warned that although core co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
values are deeply embedded in credit union<br />
DNA, “we can sometimes lose the centrality<br />
of our purpose and get disconnected from our<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>erative heritage”.<br />
“That’s why purpose is so important,” he<br />
added. “Do credit unions walk the walk when it<br />
comes to living our co-<strong>op</strong>erative values? Do we<br />
measure things in financial terms or member<br />
outcomes? Do our members understand what<br />
being a member is in terms of the <strong>op</strong>portunities<br />
and responsibilities?”<br />
He highlighted how Dundalk CU addressed<br />
these questions in the devel<strong>op</strong>ment of its 2025<br />
strategic plan, which has members at its core.<br />
“As a member-owned financial co-<strong>op</strong>erative,<br />
credit unions exist to empower members [...]<br />
and provide stability for the community, the<br />
economy and the environment,” he said.<br />
“Putting purpose, members and mutuality at<br />
the heart of the organization and the strategy<br />
process, represents a step-change on our current<br />
model [...] we needed to reposition ourselves to<br />
put members at the centre of the organisation<br />
in a tangible way, to facilitate them and the<br />
community to do things for themselves.”<br />
Also speaking was Seán Fleming, minister of<br />
state for finance – a role which, for the first time,<br />
has special responsibility for credit unions.<br />
“This conference comes at a very important<br />
time in our history,” he said. “Humankind is<br />
faced with our biggest challenge yet, which is to<br />
turn the tide on climate change.”<br />
He emphasised how sustainable finance will<br />
play a crucial role in the government’s plan for the<br />
transition to a greener economy, and highlighted<br />
how recent legislation is also supporting this.<br />
The <strong>Co</strong>nsumer Protection (Regulation of Retail<br />
Credit and Credit Servicing Firms) Act <strong>2022</strong> was<br />
signed into law in April, and a new consumer<br />
credit bill, “which for the first time in Ireland will<br />
regulate all the money lenders,” is imminent.<br />
The minister<br />
“DO CREDIT UNIONS<br />
WALK THE WALK WHEN<br />
IT COMES TO LIVING OUR<br />
CO-OP VALUES? DO OUR<br />
MEMBERS UNDERSTAND<br />
WHAT BEING A MEMBER<br />
IS IN TERMS OF THE<br />
OPPORTUNITIES AND<br />
RESPONSIBILITIES?”<br />
also placed great<br />
emphasis on the<br />
need for cohesive<br />
branding and a<br />
single message<br />
for credit unions.<br />
“The competitors<br />
you face are not<br />
the credit union<br />
in the next town,<br />
they are the<br />
other financial<br />
services,” he<br />
said. “You<br />
have all these fantastic products, but they are<br />
not advertised nationally. There is too much<br />
fragmentation. The idea of marketing under one<br />
umbrella has to be a priority, because otherwise,<br />
the public will get confused.”<br />
The issue of branding was also explored<br />
by Finbarr O’Shea, of Bantry CU, who spoke<br />
about two initiatives being offered by groups<br />
of credit unions. Cultivate provides short to<br />
medium term loans built specifically for farmer<br />
members, while Greenify is a new green home<br />
improvement loan.<br />
Cultivate began as a collaboration of four<br />
credit unions in Galway in 2017 and now has<br />
47 Credit union members, with 150 offices in 23<br />
counties and combined assets of €6bn (£5.1bn).<br />
In 2021, Cultivate loans accounted for up to 25%<br />
q From left: Billy<br />
Doyle (Dundalk CU),<br />
Catherine Davenport<br />
(Capital CU),<br />
Josephine Maguire<br />
(SEAI) and David<br />
McDonnell (Naomh<br />
Breandán CU)<br />
32 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
of loans issued by some credit unions, with the<br />
average loan being just over €28,000 (£23,800).<br />
“Cultivate loans are so p<strong>op</strong>ular because it’s<br />
an identifiable finance brand that’s all about<br />
pe<strong>op</strong>le, about local and about keeping it simple<br />
and straightforward,” said Mr O’Shea. “We’re<br />
reaching into territory where there isn’t a<br />
tradition of borrowing from credit unions, but<br />
we’re doing it simply, with a one-page fact sheet,<br />
not a 10 page booklet, which can absolutely be<br />
a barrier.”<br />
The conference also heard from those offering<br />
services to credit unions, including Seán<br />
Farrell of the Strategic Banking <strong>Co</strong>rporation of<br />
Ireland (SBCI) who spoke about the wholesale<br />
<strong>op</strong>portunities for credit unions, and Andrea<br />
Reynolds, who left a career in KPMG to set up<br />
Swo<strong>op</strong>, a fintech company whose mission is<br />
to undertake “accounting triage” and make<br />
it easier for SMEs to transact with financial<br />
providers, including credit unions.<br />
“We realized how difficult and fragmented the<br />
entire market was and the assumptions that we<br />
as the financial services make about financial<br />
literacy levels of business,” said Ms Reynolds.<br />
“One of the biggest challenges for SMEs is access<br />
to finance – we wanted to get rid of that barrier.<br />
In the UK, SMEs emit a combined 120m tons of<br />
carbon – they are the silent army for change, we<br />
have to make [green lending] easy for them.”<br />
Joining the event from Scotland, Catherine<br />
Davenport of Capital Credit Union (CCU) spoke<br />
about how the question of sustainability went<br />
beyond the lending process to working practices.<br />
“We’re based in the city centre, which can be<br />
difficult and expensive for members to visit,”<br />
she said, adding that members can now engage<br />
through an app and online chat function, as well<br />
as by phone or in person, and staff have been<br />
offered flexible working <strong>op</strong>tions.<br />
Like others, CCU offers a green loan, which<br />
can be used for activities such as insulation,<br />
the purchasing of hybrid or electric vehicles,<br />
or boiler upgrades. For every green loan taken,<br />
a tree is donated to the CCU grove, part of an<br />
initiative aimed at re-wilding the highlands.<br />
But she admits there are challenges – including<br />
the current cost of living crisis. “We would love<br />
to encourage more green loans and plant more<br />
trees, but the impact of the cost of living is very<br />
real,” she said. “What’s more important? Today’s<br />
problems or those of tomorrow? It has to be both<br />
and we have to be strategic in the ways we help<br />
as many members as we can, both during the<br />
current crisis and for the future.”<br />
Delegates were also joined online from<br />
colleagues in North America, who shared<br />
“WHAT’S MORE IMPORTANT? TODAY’S<br />
PROBLEMS OR THOSE OF TOMORROW?<br />
IT HAS TO BE BOTH AND WE HAVE TO BE<br />
STRATEGIC IN THE WAYS WE HELP AS MANY<br />
MEMBERS AS WE CAN, BOTH DURING THE<br />
CURRENT CRISIS AND FOR THE FUTURE”<br />
striking examples of credit unions working<br />
for sustainability.<br />
“We have a strong history in this work – we’re<br />
long-time leaders in fighting climate change,”<br />
said Alison <strong>Co</strong>ates, climate consultant with<br />
Vancity Credit Union, in Vancouver, Canada.<br />
“We don’t lend to the oil sector at all and have<br />
strong guidelines that set limits as to who we do<br />
business with.” She described how 90% of the<br />
public expects financial institutions to act on<br />
social and economic issues; all five of Canada’s<br />
big banks have net-zero targets for 2050.<br />
In 2008, Vancity became the first financial<br />
institution in North America to achieve carbonneutral<br />
<strong>op</strong>erations; but it is now looking a<br />
step further, and investigating the emissions it<br />
contributes through its business activity.<br />
“Our financed emissions from our lending<br />
are currently over 36 times our <strong>op</strong>erational<br />
emissions,” said Ms <strong>Co</strong>ates. “So, we have set<br />
ourselves a target of making Vancity net zero by<br />
2040 across all our mortgages and loans, with<br />
our first targets set for 2025.”<br />
From the USA, Terri Mickelsen described how<br />
the Clean Energy Federal Credit Union is a new<br />
type of credit union, responding to a new need.<br />
“Our common bond is those who have a<br />
mission to increase the ad<strong>op</strong>tion of clean energy,<br />
those who care deeply about the environment or<br />
work for a clean energy field,” she said.<br />
It was started five years ago by a group of<br />
pe<strong>op</strong>le who are “passionate about promoting<br />
clean energy to protect the environment and<br />
improve our economy” and at the time, was the<br />
sole online-only credit union. “We started with<br />
solar loans, and as we proved to the regulators<br />
that this is a good space to be in, we’ve added<br />
geothermal, home improvement, ebikes… Most<br />
of the things we do have been requested by<br />
our members.”<br />
She added: “Starting a credit union is hard.<br />
But the grassroots type of feel has served us<br />
well. We’ve done no marketing, but we’re up to<br />
almost 7,000 loans across 48 of the 50 states.<br />
We’re moving quickly, but we want controlled<br />
growth, We’ve been listening to members and<br />
contractors – that makes things a lot easier.”<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 33
<strong>Co</strong>ngress and <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>s Day<br />
Celebrations and centenaries of co-<strong>op</strong>eration<br />
<strong>June</strong> and July contain some key dates in<br />
the co-<strong>op</strong> calendar, with celebrations<br />
of co-<strong>op</strong>eration taking place in the UK<br />
and internationally – and some special<br />
anniversaries.<br />
CO-OP CONGRESS<br />
(FRIDAY 17 - SATURDAY 18 JUNE)<br />
The <strong>2022</strong> UK <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> <strong>Co</strong>ngress has the<br />
theme ‘Empowering <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eration’, and<br />
aims to “bring together those working to<br />
build a fairer economy to share ideas, get<br />
inspiration and take action”. The event<br />
will take place in Birmingham on 17-18<br />
<strong>June</strong>, with some online elements.<br />
Speakers include the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group’s<br />
Interim CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq; Andy<br />
Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester;<br />
Tracy Brabin, mayor of West Yorkshire;<br />
Andy Street – former boss of employeeowned<br />
John Lewis, now mayor of the West<br />
Midlands <strong>Co</strong>mbined Authority; Denise<br />
Scott-McDonald, <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group; and Ian<br />
Adderley, FCA.<br />
p Denise Scott-McDonald, <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group<br />
There will also be a worksh<strong>op</strong> on how<br />
technology can enable a more robust co<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
economy and a session on the<br />
role of co-<strong>op</strong>s in creative industries. The<br />
<strong>2022</strong> <strong>Co</strong>ngress marks 100 years since the<br />
first female <strong>Co</strong>ngress chair (see facing);<br />
Liz McIvor from the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Heritage<br />
Trust will lead a session looking at how<br />
women have played a central role through<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>erative history, from the first female<br />
member to the numerous achievements of<br />
the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Women’s Guild – leading<br />
to the influential positions held by women<br />
in today’s co-<strong>op</strong>erative movement.<br />
On Saturday evening, the <strong>Co</strong>ngress<br />
Supper, sponsored by Central England<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative, will showcase international<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>eration, from the work to support<br />
female workers in India, to empowering<br />
farmers in Malawi.<br />
Rose Marley, <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives UK<br />
CEO, said: “<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> <strong>Co</strong>ngress is such an<br />
important event. It’s where the movement<br />
comes together to debate and negotiate;<br />
to inspire and aspire. It’s also about action<br />
and without action the movement cannot<br />
move!<br />
“We’ve so much subject matter packed<br />
into two dates: tech, social care; the<br />
democratic economy; community shares;<br />
music; the co-<strong>op</strong> marque alongside a<br />
wonderful range of speakers.<br />
“It’s also great that <strong>Co</strong>ngress is back<br />
as an in-person event - this year at the<br />
Eastside Rooms in Birmingham. So come<br />
along, get involved and help build the<br />
movement.”<br />
CO-OP FORTNIGHT<br />
(MONDAY 20 JUNE - SUNDAY 3 JULY)<br />
<strong>Co</strong>ngress is the kickstart to the UK’s <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong><br />
Fortnight (Monday 20 <strong>June</strong> – 3 July <strong>2022</strong>)<br />
– two weeks of celebrating co-<strong>op</strong>s and the<br />
impact they make for members.<br />
Ahead of the event, <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives UK has<br />
launched a campaign to promote why<br />
pe<strong>op</strong>le love co-<strong>op</strong>s and to unwrap the<br />
mystery behind them.<br />
The #Unwrap<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>s campaign is asking<br />
members of co-<strong>op</strong>s to say what difference<br />
being part of a co-<strong>op</strong> makes to their lives<br />
by sharing their stories at www.unwrap.<br />
co<strong>op</strong>, either in words or even as a voice<br />
recording. They also encourage co-<strong>op</strong>s to<br />
ask their own members, customers, and<br />
workers to contribute their stories.<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives UK will be using these<br />
words to help devel<strong>op</strong> materials for <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong><br />
Fortnight by engaging a team of artists<br />
and designers to produce work based on<br />
what they receive.<br />
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF COOPERATIVES<br />
(SATURDAY 2 JULY)<br />
On the last Saturday of the fortnight, UK co<strong>op</strong>s<br />
will join co-<strong>op</strong>eratives around the world<br />
to celebrate the 100th International Day<br />
of <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives. A decade on from the UN<br />
International Year of <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives, which<br />
showcased the unique contribution of co<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
to making the world a better<br />
place, this year’s #<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>sDay slogan —<br />
<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives Build a Better World— echoes<br />
the theme of the International Year.<br />
The aim of the day is to increase<br />
awareness of co-<strong>op</strong>eratives and promote<br />
the movement’s ideas of international<br />
solidarity, economic efficiency, equality,<br />
and world peace. The International<br />
<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative Alliance (ICA) has prepared<br />
an action pack filled with logos (in<br />
English, Spanish and French), social<br />
media digital resources and ideas to<br />
share stories, at co<strong>op</strong>sday.co<strong>op</strong><br />
“<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives are the only enterprise<br />
model with globally agreed principles<br />
that rest on a foundation of shared ethical<br />
values,” said Bruno Roelants, director<br />
general of the ICA.<br />
34 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
<strong>Co</strong>ngress and <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>s Day<br />
A special <strong>Co</strong>ngress centenary<br />
By Ruth <strong>Co</strong>hen<br />
One hundred years ago, in 1922, something<br />
quite unheard of took place at the UK’s<br />
annual <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative <strong>Co</strong>ngress. A banner<br />
headline in the then-weekly <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
<strong>News</strong> trumpeted, “<strong>Co</strong>ngress enthrones<br />
the woman with the basket”, explaining<br />
that this would be the “First <strong>Co</strong>ngress<br />
held under the Chairmanship of a Woman<br />
President”.<br />
For <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative leaders to have invited<br />
a woman to chair such a prestigious event<br />
was quite remarkable, when only five<br />
years earlier British women had still been<br />
denied even the right to vote.<br />
The pr<strong>op</strong>osed chair was to be Margaret<br />
Llewelyn Davies, the radical leader of<br />
the Women’s <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Guild who<br />
had recently retired after more than<br />
30 years. Margaret made a point of<br />
accepting the honour not for herself, but<br />
on behalf of “that host of women without<br />
whom she would have been nothing”.<br />
Although she was experienced and well<br />
known within the movement, the task<br />
of chairing a three-day meeting of over<br />
1,700 delegates, mostly men, could still<br />
have been daunting. But Margaret rose<br />
to the occasion: she pulled no punches<br />
and exerted her authority with aplomb,<br />
dealing firmly with the occasional<br />
“hubbub”, Indeed, a wry commentary in<br />
the <strong>News</strong> described her as “the best man<br />
of the conference!”<br />
This was a far cry from the <strong>op</strong>position<br />
the Women’s <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Guild had<br />
faced when it was first established in 1883.<br />
Back then, its first meetings provoked<br />
comments like “Let them sit at home!”<br />
‘Who’s to mind the children?’”. Most<br />
Guildswomen were home-based wives and<br />
mothers, and although theoretically there<br />
was gender equality, in practice men ran<br />
the movement at all levels – even though<br />
it was women who did the sh<strong>op</strong>ping at<br />
the co-<strong>op</strong> stores. Some local co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
societies still did not allow male members’<br />
wives to join in their own right.<br />
Guildswomen struggled for equality<br />
for the next forty years, and more. With<br />
Margaret Llewelyn Davies at the helm, from<br />
the 1890s on the Guild devel<strong>op</strong>ed into a<br />
unique, forward-looking public voice for<br />
working-class women. As co-<strong>op</strong> movement<br />
historian G. D. H. <strong>Co</strong>le concluded, the<br />
Guild became a “powerful progressive<br />
force’” within co-<strong>op</strong>eration, campaigning<br />
determinedly for ethical trading, better<br />
wages for women, equal representation<br />
at all levels of the movement, and more.<br />
It also fought vociferously for vital social<br />
reforms, notably votes for women, divorce<br />
law reform and decent maternity provision.<br />
Not infrequently, this brought conflicts<br />
with the co-<strong>op</strong>erative leadership of the<br />
time. But with the enormous political and<br />
social changes during and after World War<br />
I, the movement was in a different position<br />
and there was a reconciliation, cemented<br />
by the unprecedented <strong>Co</strong>ngress invitation<br />
to Margaret Llewelyn Davies in 1922. As<br />
one woman declaimed, this was truly a<br />
“crowning glory” for co-<strong>op</strong>erative women.<br />
The Guild continued to expand<br />
between the wars, keeping up its<br />
work for co-<strong>op</strong>eration and its forwardlooking<br />
campaigning for social<br />
Margaret made a point of<br />
accepting the honour not<br />
for herself, but on behalf of<br />
“that host of women without<br />
whom she would have been<br />
nothing”<br />
reforms – including, controversially,<br />
the legalisation of abortion. It was<br />
outspoken in its pacifism, and initiated<br />
the widespread scheme of wearing white<br />
rather than red remembrance p<strong>op</strong>pies.<br />
However, from World War II onwards,<br />
massive social change led to major shifts<br />
in co-<strong>op</strong>eration and the Guild itself<br />
eventually closed in 2016.<br />
Nowadays, women can be found at all<br />
levels of the UK co-<strong>op</strong> movement, whether<br />
as chief executives of apex bodies or<br />
major retail societies, <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Party<br />
MPs, or as key figures in other parts of<br />
the movement. Looking back to 1922, we<br />
can see the 1922 <strong>Co</strong>ngress as a symbol<br />
of co-<strong>op</strong>erative women’s past struggles<br />
and achievements, and a reminder of<br />
their vibrant history of campaigning for<br />
equality and social justice – a campaign<br />
that is still relevant today.<br />
Ruth <strong>Co</strong>hen’s biography: ‘Margaret<br />
Llewelyn Davies: with women for a new<br />
world’ was published in 2020 by Merlin<br />
Press<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 35
y Rebecca Harvey<br />
PLAYGROUND FOR<br />
THE NEW ECONOMY<br />
p Jessica<br />
Prendergrast, director<br />
and co-founder of<br />
Onion <strong>Co</strong>llective<br />
(credit Glyn Jarrett)<br />
The Playground for the New Economy is<br />
a festival with a difference, combining<br />
panels, worksh<strong>op</strong>s, <strong>op</strong>en spaces, virtual<br />
reality, sustainable food and live music that<br />
explores what a different type of economy<br />
could look like – and how we can get there.<br />
First held in 2019 in Frome, Somerset, the<br />
festival is organised by Stir to Action – a worker<br />
co-<strong>op</strong> “committed to creating a more democratic<br />
economy”. Focusing on infrastructure, business<br />
support, research and policy, and local<br />
government partnerships, it supports projects,<br />
provides training and publishes Stir magazine.<br />
The event went online for the 2020 lockdown,<br />
and in 2021 there was a small event at Stir’s<br />
residential campus at Selgars Mill in Devon –<br />
where it returns next month with an expanded<br />
capacity for 350 ticketholders.<br />
“We’ve always had this idea of an annual<br />
greenfield festival that would be atypical to<br />
conferences in the sector,” says Jonny Gordon-<br />
Farleigh, co-founder of Stir to Action. “We used<br />
the word ‘playground’ because it was this idea<br />
of playing and experimenting with political and<br />
economic ideas – using a three-day residential<br />
setting for pe<strong>op</strong>le to make connections and<br />
challenge ourselves as a sector. It’s about having<br />
big conversations in small rooms.”<br />
The term ‘new economy’ was used “because<br />
it can act as a bit of a catch-all for many<br />
different economic and social ideas”. But Jonny<br />
acknowledges that there can be a cultural<br />
assumption that ‘new’ economics is somehow<br />
better than ‘old’.<br />
“I think it’s more about looking at how the<br />
economy is changing, and how old ideas may or<br />
may not be suitable,” he says. “One thing we’re<br />
trying to do is reconnect to the past and rescue<br />
and recover what might be useful for pe<strong>op</strong>le<br />
working in the democratic economy today.”<br />
The line-up includes representatives from<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>s, community businesses and social<br />
enterprises – plus book launches, a photography<br />
exhibition, punk aerobics, live music from the<br />
London Afrobeat <strong>Co</strong>llective and hip h<strong>op</strong> group<br />
Mouse Outfit, spoken word poetry from Isaiah<br />
Hull, a quiz and wood-fired sauna.<br />
36 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> practitioner Mark Simmonds will<br />
explore how new models can empower workers<br />
in the next generation of community businesses.<br />
Mark Walton from Shared Assets will chair a<br />
panel on the tension between investments in<br />
nature and the struggle for a more just land<br />
system. And Ella, Miss Divine, Rosina and<br />
Ruth – representatives from Bristol’s Black &<br />
Green Ambassadors Programme – will lead<br />
conversations on challenging perceptions,<br />
creating new <strong>op</strong>portunities and working towards<br />
ensuring the environmental movement is<br />
inclusive and representative of all communities.<br />
Another organisation at the festival is Onion<br />
<strong>Co</strong>llective, a 10-year-old social enterprise based<br />
in Watchet, Somerset.<br />
Set up by four women, including director<br />
Jessica Prendergrast, they began with a series<br />
of consultations and engagements in the town,<br />
exploring what it needed for a better future.<br />
Over the last decade, says Jessica, it “became an<br />
organisation that thinks much more about the<br />
wider systems change that’s going on, and what<br />
a different kind of economy could look like.”<br />
Like Jonny, Jessica is wary of the phrase ‘new<br />
economy’. “We often talk about a ‘next’ economy<br />
rather than a ‘new’ economy because some of<br />
this is already here,” she says, adding that there<br />
a disconnect between the perceived and actual<br />
motivations of those working with communities.<br />
“Sure, we need to make some money to pay<br />
our bills, but that’s not the reason most pe<strong>op</strong>le<br />
in community sectors choose their work.<br />
“As a society we’ve separated our economic<br />
life out from all of these things that matter to us.<br />
But once you put them back together – as you<br />
see in co-<strong>op</strong>s, in social enterprises, in the public<br />
sector and charitable work – then you don’t<br />
behave in a way that is negative towards pe<strong>op</strong>le.<br />
“So in my version of how things would work,<br />
you would structure an economy around the<br />
things that pe<strong>op</strong>le actually care about, rather<br />
than structuring it to reflect the incentives of<br />
some pe<strong>op</strong>le at the t<strong>op</strong>. We’re clearly destroying<br />
the planet in the interests of very few pe<strong>op</strong>le;<br />
replacing that with a different economy seems to<br />
me to be a good idea.”<br />
Onion <strong>Co</strong>llective also addresses cultural<br />
justice. “Economic futures are determined by<br />
the place that you are in. In some areas you<br />
have extraordinary access to all kinds of cultural<br />
and creative activities; but if you’re in a rural<br />
peripheral area, you have very little access,” says<br />
Jessica. She believes access to culture is vital for<br />
building and connecting communities – and at<br />
the festival, h<strong>op</strong>es to share this view through a<br />
session on attachment economics.<br />
<strong>Co</strong>vid-19 has had a huge impact on the<br />
sector and Jessica is “really looking forward to<br />
being with a group of pe<strong>op</strong>le who have still got<br />
some faith and h<strong>op</strong>e and a sense of collective<br />
responsibility, but also, of collective possibility”.<br />
“One of the aims of the festival,” adds Jonny, “is<br />
to create a space outside the particular interests<br />
of any one organisation, which tends to happen<br />
with conferences. That diversity of having a local<br />
government representative next to a member of<br />
an unfunded community association, next to<br />
someone from a worker co-<strong>op</strong>, next to someone<br />
that might be a senior member of a business<br />
federation, that’s what we’re aiming for.”<br />
There will be a fallow year in 2023 (although<br />
an urban event is planned for 19-20 May at<br />
Stretford Public Hall, Manchester) and Stir to<br />
Action is looking for a new, larger site for 2024.<br />
They also keep the event accessible by working<br />
with the sponsors to give away free tickets –<br />
and also have a 25 tickets for £25 offer for those<br />
from marginalised communities, young adults<br />
(aged 18-35), disabled individuals (with free<br />
companion tickets available), and those living in<br />
areas of deprivation.<br />
Ticket and info: stirtoaction.com/festival<br />
p Onion <strong>Co</strong>llective<br />
in action: Watchet’s<br />
East Quay <strong>op</strong>ened in<br />
2021 as a place that<br />
represents what the<br />
next economy could<br />
look like in practice.<br />
‘It’s about purpose,<br />
connection and<br />
imagination’. (credit<br />
Jim Stephenson)<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 37
y Anca Voinea<br />
CO-OPS TAKE THE STAGE:<br />
ULYSSE MAISON D’ARTISTES<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>s in the live performance sector were hard<br />
hit by the pandemic. French co-<strong>op</strong> Ulysse Maison<br />
d’Artistes saw an 80% dr<strong>op</strong> in activity, with<br />
400 cancelled concerts. We speak to employee<br />
members and co-founders for an update...<br />
WHEN WAS YOUR CO-OP CREATED?<br />
The co-<strong>op</strong>erative society of collective interest<br />
(SCIC) Ulysse Maison d’Artistes originated 15<br />
years ago, with a team of enthusiasts whose<br />
idea was to contribute to the encounter between<br />
artists and the public in Aveyron and Lot<br />
[departments in the Occitanie region of France]<br />
and to promote artistic projects at national level.<br />
From 2007 to 2012, the project grew, becoming<br />
more professional and structured, and a SARL<br />
[limited liability company], Ulysse Production,<br />
was created in October 2012.<br />
The company’s employees, accompanied by<br />
a team of very involved volunteers, decided to<br />
follow this up with the association La Chambre<br />
de Télémaque. Its focus is on bringing to life the<br />
Krill (a cultural café at the Théâtre de la Baleine<br />
in Onet-le-Château), the Chapelle (performance<br />
hall with 90 seats in Figeax) and organising<br />
shows and outdoor cultural activities.<br />
From 2012 to 2016, these two structures<br />
coexisted. Ulysse Productions worked in music<br />
while La Chambre de Télémaque participated in<br />
local cultural life. In 2016, they came together<br />
within the same entity, the SCIC Ulysse Maison<br />
d’Artistes. It was an incredible journey made<br />
possible by the total involvement of its pe<strong>op</strong>le.<br />
The SCIC is today the tool of a solid collective<br />
action at the service of artists, the public<br />
and territories. It exists through a team of<br />
enthusiasts who provide residents with the keys<br />
to emancipation and pleasure through culture.<br />
Five of us form an employee-member steering<br />
committee and the co-management assumes the<br />
strategic and <strong>op</strong>erational orientation – while<br />
relying on the advisory network of our members.<br />
The manager position is occupied in turn by<br />
the various member employees. Our role in the<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>erative is more defined by our job and what<br />
we do there than by our social or legal mandate.<br />
u Ulysse members<br />
and volunteers<br />
©Richard Storchi<br />
38 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE CO-OP MODEL?<br />
This was the most suitable form for our project.<br />
We had already been working for several years<br />
on an equivalent model through co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
and democratic functioning among employees<br />
and by integrating the beneficiaries of the project<br />
from the start (artists, technicians, partners) even<br />
before the change in structure to a co-<strong>op</strong>erative.<br />
Our values include a relationship with the<br />
economy that does not consider money as an end<br />
but as a fuel necessary for the construction of the<br />
project and a model of democratic governance.<br />
Ulysse Maison d’Artistes has been structured<br />
in the search for a permanent balance between<br />
individual interests and the collective interest.<br />
WHAT ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES<br />
DOES THE MODEL BRING?<br />
The model is co-<strong>op</strong>erative and well balanced,<br />
integrating the entrepreneurial dimension<br />
of a project and bringing the values closer<br />
to associative models. This allows us to <strong>op</strong>t<br />
for a non-profit structure, with all the profits<br />
reinvested into the business to ensure the<br />
sustainability of our projects. It also means we<br />
can seat all the stakeholders around the table.<br />
The disadvantage is that this model is still too<br />
little known to the public and requires a lot of<br />
education with our interlocutors. This model<br />
does not necessarily correspond to [the needs of]<br />
all employees because some need to evolve in a<br />
very vertical hierarchy, which is not advocated<br />
by the co-<strong>op</strong>erative model.<br />
WHO ARE YOUR MEMBERS? WHAT TYPE OF<br />
CO-OPERATIVE ARE YOU?<br />
We have 88 members divided into seven<br />
categories – employees, artists and technicians,<br />
partners, founders, volunteers, audience and<br />
local authorities. In a SCIC, the employees<br />
occupy a central place and are surrounded by<br />
the other members.<br />
WHAT WERE THE DIFFICULTIES OF SETTING UP<br />
THE CO-OP? WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE<br />
TO ARTISTS TAKING THE SAME PATH?<br />
It is a big job of administrative structuring. It<br />
is also a question of finding the right balance<br />
between living well and working well, and a<br />
good definition of the relationship between the<br />
team of employees and the rest of the members.<br />
Our advice would be to get good support<br />
and not to believe that the legal form rules<br />
everything. The co-<strong>op</strong> is a legal framework, but<br />
it is the humans who make it up that make it<br />
live. What is important is the substance and the<br />
construction of the project.<br />
“OUR VALUES INCLUDE A<br />
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE<br />
ECONOMY THAT DOES<br />
NOT CONSIDER MONEY<br />
AS AN END BUT AS A FUEL<br />
NECESSARY FOR THE<br />
CONSTRUCTION OF THE<br />
PROJECT”<br />
HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY SUPPORT/ADVICE/<br />
FUNDING FROM CO-OP ORGANISATIONS?<br />
We were supported in the creation of the co<strong>op</strong><br />
by our regional union of SCOPs (worker co<strong>op</strong>s).<br />
When we created it, the Union régionale<br />
des Sc<strong>op</strong> (URSCOP) was not yet aware of all the<br />
specificities of the world of culture and had not<br />
yet devel<strong>op</strong>ed specific services for SCICs and we<br />
sometimes found ourselves alone in the process.<br />
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE EVENTS AND<br />
ACTIVITIES YOU ORGANISE?<br />
Ulysse devel<strong>op</strong>s, researches, and endeavours to<br />
produce and to represent its artists. It acts as a<br />
manager, a producer and a tourer, but always<br />
with the same fierce desire to create a unique link<br />
between the public and the artists. In 15 years,<br />
Ulysse has devel<strong>op</strong>ed several skills and today<br />
provides various services – organising events;<br />
producing shows, tours and albums; supporting<br />
and managing artists; producing video clips<br />
and films; setting up cultural activities; and<br />
communications and PR.<br />
HOW DID THE PANDEMIC AFFECT YOUR CO-OP?<br />
It was for us the feeling of an earthquake, a<br />
tsunami and a hurricane at the same time – 400<br />
cancelled concerts and constant uncertainty. We<br />
had a loss of connection with the public, which<br />
was difficult to reweave in the context. The DNA<br />
of our project is to gather the public around our<br />
artists, which is precisely what was impossible<br />
for us in 2020-2021. We are still in troubled times.<br />
p Ulysse members<br />
performing at<br />
Charabia Festival<br />
©Ben Pi<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 39
y Rebecca Harvey<br />
CO-OPERATIVE<br />
HOLIDAYS<br />
q Hotel du Nord (t<strong>op</strong>),<br />
Jemima D (centre) and<br />
Nearly Wild Camping<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
As lockdown lifts and plans are being<br />
made for the summer, here are some of<br />
the co-<strong>op</strong>erative holiday <strong>op</strong>tions for you to<br />
explore…<br />
n Hotel du Nord is a residents’ co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
that <strong>op</strong>ened January 2011 to bring cultural<br />
heritage and hospitality together in Marseilles. It<br />
is a network of 30-40 rooms or urban lodgings<br />
in apartments, country houses, boats or small<br />
houses, reflecting the diversity of the region. But<br />
it is also a community of attentive hosts wishing<br />
to share their environment and the stories of<br />
their neighbourhoods and their places. There<br />
are organised solidarity visits and heritage<br />
walks, and you can be introduced to local<br />
food and culture rooted in local traditions and<br />
rediscovered by communities.<br />
u hoteldunord.coo<br />
p<br />
n Jemima D is a 37-foot narrowboat moored<br />
in rural Staffordshire, that is owned, <strong>op</strong>erated<br />
and used by a friendly co-<strong>op</strong>erative group of<br />
12 shareholders, whose aims and objectives<br />
are to own and use the boat co-<strong>op</strong>eratively for<br />
members to have non-sexist, non-racist, nonageist,,<br />
enjoyable holidays on the canals. They<br />
share tasks to ensure that Jemima D is run as<br />
economically as possible and everyone gets<br />
a chance to learn how to maintain and run a<br />
narrowboat. It also means that everyone has<br />
an equal responsibility for running the co-<strong>op</strong><br />
and maintaining Jemima, within the limits of<br />
their skills, ability and circumstances – and<br />
they are currently looking for new members!<br />
u Jemima-d.org.uk<br />
n The Nearly Wild Camping <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
is a network of diverse locations (mostly<br />
across the UK) offering Nearly Wild Camping<br />
experiences at 200+ camping locations. These<br />
can be family farms, nature reserves, hillt<strong>op</strong><br />
smallholdings or riverside woods – many of<br />
which are not otherwise <strong>op</strong>en to the public. If<br />
you own a potential location you can also take<br />
out membership and list your location in the<br />
directory. They offer the chance to explore where<br />
you are through guided walks, star gazing,<br />
badger watching, having a go at some regular<br />
onsite tasks (from feeding the chickens to<br />
carving a spoon), cooking up some homegrown<br />
veg on your campfire and more.<br />
u nearlywildcamping.org/<br />
40 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
n The Renmark Hotel <strong>op</strong>ened in South<br />
Australia in 1897 as the first British Empire<br />
community-owned hotel. Nestled on the banks of<br />
the River Murray, today it is <strong>op</strong>erated by a board<br />
of management which is elected by community<br />
members. It returns its profits to the community<br />
by way of donations and sponsorships and<br />
strives to preserve its Art Deco architecture and<br />
heritage listing (it has its own museum on the<br />
first floor).<br />
u renmarkhotel.com.au<br />
q The Renmark Hotel<br />
(t<strong>op</strong>), Fairbnb.co<strong>op</strong><br />
(centre) and The Sail<br />
Boat <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
n Fairbnb.co<strong>op</strong> started its journey in 2016<br />
as a movement inspired by Fairtrade, the<br />
circular economy and the Sustainable<br />
Devel<strong>op</strong>ment Goals that sought to “create<br />
a just alternative to existing home-sharing<br />
platforms”. Initially the movement emerged in<br />
Venice, Amsterdam and Bologna but soon other<br />
groups from all over Eur<strong>op</strong>e joined the debate.<br />
It launched a new platform in 2021, and today<br />
aims to promote a more sustainable, genuine<br />
and authentic tourism. Half of the co-<strong>op</strong>erative’s<br />
fees are given to community projects in the host<br />
area with the goal to redistribute wealth and<br />
create jobs, and hosts are screened according to<br />
destination specific rules – such as the one host,<br />
one house rule.<br />
u Fairbnb.co<strong>op</strong><br />
n The Sail Boat <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative is based in<br />
Chichester Harbour, and provides a range<br />
of learning activities based around sailing –<br />
including sailing courses and trips on its three<br />
sail training vessels. It aims to “widen access<br />
to the sea” by offering sail training onboard,<br />
navigation training on land, and using these<br />
activities to increase confidence and a sense of<br />
wellbeing in marginalised coastal communities.<br />
It raises funds to be able to offer training<br />
bursaries to pe<strong>op</strong>le on very low incomes or<br />
from marginalised communities through its<br />
<strong>Co</strong>mmunity Sailing Fund. The co-<strong>op</strong> sees sailing<br />
as “a tool to improve life skills, knowledge<br />
and attitudes” and also offers a flexible<br />
approach to meet different learning needs. Its<br />
board of directors made up of staff, skippers<br />
and volunteers to steer its work and actively<br />
encourage participation from anyone involved<br />
in the project.<br />
u sailboatproject.org<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 41
y Alice Toomer-McAlpine<br />
FESTIVALS<br />
AND THE CO-OP<br />
MOVEMENT<br />
p (Photo: Hiawatha<br />
Music <strong>Co</strong>-Op)<br />
This year a co-<strong>op</strong> presence will be felt at<br />
festivals in the UK and abroad, bringing<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>eration to a mass, and often muddy,<br />
audience as well as providing <strong>op</strong>portunities<br />
for the movement celebrate together.<br />
This summer the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Group will run p<strong>op</strong>up<br />
stores in nine UK music festivals including<br />
Leeds, Reading and Glastonbury. It will even<br />
provide a click and collect service at selected<br />
festivals, where punters can order groceries up<br />
to six weeks in advance.<br />
Last year, when many festivals were forced<br />
to delay for the second year in a row, the Group<br />
announced a partnership with Kendal Calling to<br />
show its commitment to the live music industry<br />
during “tough times”. Amanda Jennings, director<br />
of marketing live and local at the Group, said at<br />
the time that the co-<strong>op</strong>’s festival stores aren’t<br />
“just about building and running a store in a field<br />
for the weekend, but about serving a specific<br />
community’s needs while also highlighting how<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> does businesses differently”.<br />
Another retail society getting in on the festival<br />
act is Radstock, which is sponsoring a stage at a<br />
free local arts festival this month.<br />
The family-friendly event includes live<br />
performances, stalls, food and worksh<strong>op</strong>s, to<br />
bring the community together and celebrate<br />
the jubilee. Radstock’s community stage will<br />
showcase local performers, and the society will<br />
feed the crew and volunteers on the day.<br />
Morwhenna Woolcock from event organisers<br />
Creativity Works says local festivals like this<br />
offer a “very accessible artform – it is free, and<br />
is performed in and around where pe<strong>op</strong>le live –<br />
you don’t have to go to a special venue or place.<br />
Festivals also help bring pe<strong>op</strong>le and communities<br />
together, different ages and different pe<strong>op</strong>le<br />
enjoying the same experience.”<br />
She adds: “It’s really important that local<br />
businesses support their community in many<br />
ways including sponsoring community events<br />
– it helps integrate businesses into the local<br />
community and give back to their customers and<br />
help build trust in a local brand/business.”<br />
42 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
Nikki D’Ovidio from Radstock <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> says:<br />
“Festivals and cultural events play an extremely<br />
important role in bringing the local community<br />
together. They are also a great <strong>op</strong>portunity to<br />
<strong>op</strong>en the local community up to new things –<br />
learning a new skill, building community spirit<br />
and reinforcing the identity of a town.”<br />
Globally, a number of festivals have ad<strong>op</strong>ted<br />
the co-<strong>op</strong> model themselves. Knockengorroch<br />
festival, in the Scottish mountains of Galloway,<br />
is run by a community interest company to<br />
promote multi-culturalism through world music,<br />
support new Scottish performers, devel<strong>op</strong> public<br />
awareness of the country’s Upland heritage and<br />
spur local regeneration. Their annual World<br />
Ceilidh has been running since 1998 and now<br />
attracts around 3,000 guests a year.<br />
And across the pond in Marquette, Michigan,<br />
the Hiawatha Traditional Music Festival is on<br />
a similar mission, to promote traditional local<br />
music and dance, such as bluegrass, Cajun,<br />
Celtic and acoustic blues. Around 4,000 guests,<br />
including many of the co-<strong>op</strong>’s 300 members,<br />
attend each year in July.<br />
Executive director Susan Divine says the<br />
founders of the festival, now in its 42nd year, felt<br />
it important that the organisation be a member<br />
focused, non-profit business.<br />
Hiawatha Music <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>’s members pay an<br />
annual subscription to support the festival and<br />
get involved in running of the co-<strong>op</strong>. Members<br />
receive discounts on tickets and many volunteer<br />
time to the organisation, which runs with just<br />
one paid member of staff.<br />
Through the co-<strong>op</strong> structure, Hiawatha offers<br />
something more to its community and members,<br />
says Ms Divine. “Because our mission has to do<br />
with music, that in itself speaks to a lot of pe<strong>op</strong>le<br />
who like to belong to organisations such as<br />
ours and who value being a member and value<br />
volunteering.” Ms Divine adds that members<br />
feel a sense of partnership with the organisation<br />
through their subscription and volunteering,<br />
describing it as a “reciprocal relationship”.<br />
The co-<strong>op</strong> movement also has a history of<br />
running festivals to celebrate its own identity.<br />
Recent notable examples include <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
United World Festival and ICA Expo, which<br />
gathered 12,605 co<strong>op</strong>erators from 88 countries in<br />
Manchester, UK to mark the International Year of<br />
<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives in 2012.<br />
In the US, the National <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative Business<br />
Association (NCBA CLUSA) launched its <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong><br />
Festival in Washington, DC in 2017, and South<br />
American news co-<strong>op</strong> Mundo <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong> has been<br />
running its Festival Federal Cultura <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erativa<br />
in Argentina for the past decade.<br />
But perhaps the earliest examples of co-<strong>op</strong><br />
festivals were those held at London’s Crystal<br />
Palace between 1888 and 1910. The National<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Festival drew tens of thousands<br />
of attendees from across the country for talks,<br />
exhibitions, flower shows, sports and music.<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erators have long known the power of<br />
cultural gatherings across the movement. As<br />
Flora Klickmann, an eyewitness to those 19th<br />
century events, wrote in Windsor Magazine in<br />
1897: “To watch the varied scenes and endless<br />
interests at the Crystal Palace on these festival<br />
days might confirm the foreigner in his ideas<br />
that we are a ‘nation of sh<strong>op</strong>keepers,’ but should<br />
also remind him, so far as the co-<strong>op</strong>erator is<br />
concerned, of the words of Mr W. S. Gilbert: ‘His<br />
capacity for innocent enjoyment is just as great<br />
as any other man’s’.”<br />
q Mr Burns,<br />
Treemendous and The<br />
Iguanodon Restaurant<br />
(credit: James Price)<br />
are some of the acts<br />
performing at the<br />
Radstock Arts Festival<br />
“FESTIVALS AND CULTURAL EVENTS<br />
PLAY AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT ROLE<br />
IN BRINGING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY<br />
TOGETHER”<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 43
y Miles Hadfield<br />
FANS’ CO-OP PLOTS<br />
THE WAY BACK<br />
FOR BURY AFC<br />
p Bury AFC owns<br />
the club – but faces a<br />
decision over its old<br />
home at Gigg Lane<br />
The supporter-owned football movement<br />
has added another name to its ranks after<br />
the Bury Football Club Supporters’ Society<br />
bought Bury AFC out its administration.<br />
Helped by a £1m grant from the government’s<br />
Levelling Up fund, the community benefit<br />
society has bought the intellectual pr<strong>op</strong>erty,<br />
history and memorabilia of Bury Football Club.<br />
Another organisation, the Bury Football Club<br />
<strong>Co</strong>mpany Ltd, owns the stadium at Gigg Lane,<br />
but the team is back playing on its home turf and<br />
the two parties have signed a memorandum of<br />
understanding to find a way forward.<br />
The club – established in 1895 – is one of<br />
the oldest in the country. When it was expelled<br />
from the English Football League in 2019, after<br />
running into trouble with its debts and failing to<br />
secure a buyer, fans set out to rescue it, forming<br />
Bury AFC as a community benefit society.<br />
Phil Young, chair of the society, says the<br />
community benefit model was recommended<br />
to them by the FA. Although getting Financial<br />
<strong>Co</strong>nduct Authority (FCA) authorisation was “a<br />
bit of a faff”, it was much simpler than the “12<br />
months of red tape” needed to set up a plc.<br />
Furthermore, “it felt right that this was a<br />
democratic way of running the business going<br />
forward, on a one member one vote basis. It puts<br />
control firmly in the hands of supporters that<br />
have an interest in football.”<br />
But there were still some hurdles to jump –<br />
firstly, bringing in some revenue and setting up<br />
a bank account. “There are a limited number<br />
of banks that understand the community<br />
benefit society,” says Mr Young, adding that the<br />
44 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
team eventually <strong>op</strong>ted for Unity Trust, whose<br />
knowledge of the model made conversion from<br />
a limited company a simple one.<br />
The society also had essential support from the<br />
Football Supporters Association – formed from<br />
a merger of the Football Supporters’ Federation<br />
and Supporters Direct, which provided them<br />
with templates for the community benefit society<br />
model for football.<br />
“The club probably wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t<br />
for them, there was just too much to do on our<br />
own starting from absolute scratch. They gave us<br />
a lot support along the way.”<br />
Other supporter owned clubs – especially<br />
Chester, Wimbledon and FC United of<br />
Manchester – have been helpful. “I can’t think<br />
of a single question where pe<strong>op</strong>le haven’t<br />
come forward to give us an answer, whether<br />
it’s running the mutual society side of things,<br />
or technical details around taxation issues or<br />
fundraising and capital raises or even just down<br />
to the football club side of things.”<br />
The supporter-owned model offers a useful<br />
way to get the game back to its roots, says Mr<br />
Young – especially “done right, with as much<br />
engagement as possible”. Bury takes this right<br />
down to the design of bobble hat for the club.<br />
“It works well from a commercial perspective,<br />
because by asking supporters to vote for and to<br />
provide input into things that they buy, you get a<br />
better result off the back of it.”<br />
The same goes for the home and away kits,<br />
put to a member vote on an alternating two-year<br />
cycle. “We sell a lot more that way, which stands<br />
to reason because we already know it’s p<strong>op</strong>ular.”<br />
Mr Young says he is looking forward to the<br />
outcome of the review of football, led by Tracey<br />
Crouch MP, which was announced in response to<br />
the Eur<strong>op</strong>ean super league fiasco.<br />
“Whether it comes through in the final wash is<br />
another question, but she’s recommended that<br />
certain key assets – like the name of the club,<br />
the badge, those sorts of intellectual pr<strong>op</strong>erty<br />
that everybody thinks should belong to the fans<br />
– get placed into a community benefit society for<br />
every club to keep it separate.”<br />
This would put a statutory asset lock on this<br />
intellectual pr<strong>op</strong>erty to save it from being asset<br />
stripped by a club owner – meaning there is a<br />
use for a mutual society in any club.<br />
The next issue facing Bury is a massive one<br />
– the question of what do about its historic<br />
home in Gigg Lane, and whether or not to<br />
merge with its owner. “That would take us out<br />
of 100% ownership but there’s no two ways<br />
about it, if we do, the agreement would be that<br />
“THIS WAS A DEMOCRATIC<br />
WAY OF RUNNING THE<br />
BUSINESS, GOING FORWARD<br />
ON A ONE MEMBER, ONE<br />
VOTE BASIS. IT PUTS<br />
CONTROL FIRMLY IN THE<br />
HANDS OF SUPPORTERS”<br />
were are still majority fan-owned and run.”<br />
But there is a lot of legwork to do, with<br />
members wanting to see a viable business plan,<br />
with questions lingering around the desirability<br />
of merging into shared ownership, and whether<br />
or not the stadium is too big for the club’s needs.<br />
“We’re working through it,” says Mr Young,<br />
who understands the reservations but notes that<br />
“the prize is going back to the old stadium”.<br />
“We need to give pe<strong>op</strong>le enough information<br />
so that they feel they’re making an informed<br />
decision off the back of it – whatever that<br />
decision is. It’s a very big thing and we’ve got<br />
emotions on both sides.”<br />
Allowing pe<strong>op</strong>le to make these decisions is a<br />
co-<strong>op</strong> virtue. “I think there’s pe<strong>op</strong>le that gasp<br />
at the idea of giving over 1,000 members the<br />
<strong>op</strong>portunity to make a decision like this,” says<br />
Mr Young. “But you remind pe<strong>op</strong>le on a regular<br />
basis that that’s how you decided who runs the<br />
whole of the UK.”<br />
He adds: “So far, voting has been incredibly<br />
rational, by diversifying the number of pe<strong>op</strong>le<br />
that are voting on a particular t<strong>op</strong>ic, rather than<br />
it being concentrated in the hands of one or a<br />
small number of pe<strong>op</strong>le.”<br />
For those who doubt the virtues of fan<br />
ownership, he says: “Look what happened to<br />
the old club – it went bust with tens of millions<br />
of pounds worth of debt.”<br />
p (Credit: Getty<br />
Images/Visionhaus)<br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 45
ICA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS:<br />
MEET THE THREE CANDIDATES<br />
ARIEL GUARCO (ARGENTINA)<br />
current president of the ICA who is<br />
standing for re-election, nominated<br />
by <strong>Co</strong>nfederación <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erativa de<br />
la República Argentina (<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erar),<br />
Argentina<br />
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN CO-OPS?<br />
I saw from a very early age that the life of my region moved<br />
around co-<strong>op</strong>s. My mother devel<strong>op</strong>ed her entire personal<br />
and professional life in the Electric <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative of <strong>Co</strong>ronel<br />
Pringles, that provides electricity and multiple services to the<br />
community. As a child I also knew the <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erativa Obrera, a<br />
consumer co-<strong>op</strong> where my parents used to buy everything and<br />
of which I am still a member. As a co-<strong>op</strong> member and leader<br />
of several entities, I have been able to verify the effectiveness<br />
and value of this model throughout the whole world.<br />
WHAT CO-OPS ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH?<br />
At the end of the 80s I started to actively participate in the<br />
electric co-<strong>op</strong>erative of my city. In 1997 I was elected president<br />
and promoted the strengthening of the federation (Fedecoba)<br />
that integrates electric co-<strong>op</strong>eratives in the province of Buenos<br />
Aires. In 1998, I was elected president of the federation and<br />
became its representative in <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erar, where my colleagues<br />
elected me to lead it in 2011. <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erar is the Argentine apex<br />
and from there I started my participation in the ICA.<br />
WHAT IS YOUR INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATIVE<br />
EXPERIENCE?<br />
I was elected to the board of the ICA in 2013. In 2017, members<br />
elected us to chair the ICA; in these four years I have lived<br />
what co-<strong>op</strong>s mean for millions of pe<strong>op</strong>le around the world<br />
and the value of our movement and the ICA, which is our<br />
common house, for international organisations and other<br />
relevant actors.<br />
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO HELP THE ICA PROMOTE THE<br />
CO-OPERATIVE IDENTITY?<br />
We are going to continue working on the letter of our identity,<br />
debating and reaching agreements that will allow us to<br />
document everything that we understand represents us as an<br />
economic and social model at the service of the communities.<br />
The <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Identity is the lighthouse that guides our<br />
day-to-day work with members, communities, governments<br />
and other actors of society with whom we have to devel<strong>op</strong><br />
alliances to build a fairer, more inclusive and peaceful world.<br />
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO HELP THE ICA GROW THE<br />
CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT?<br />
We will deepen the economic, cultural and institutional<br />
integration of the diversity of sectors and regions, which we<br />
are translating into changes in ICA governance. We are going<br />
to consolidate instruments such as ICETT and the World<br />
<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative Monitor. And we will take advantage of the recent<br />
signing of the International Social and Solidarity Economy<br />
<strong>Co</strong>alition, which helps us to consolidate ties with public and<br />
private actors committed to the co-<strong>op</strong>erative model.<br />
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO ENABLE GREATER CO-OPERATION<br />
AMONG CO-OPERATIVES?<br />
We must continue to move forward with pr<strong>op</strong>osals that<br />
reflect in the ICA’s own structure and governance the natural<br />
capacity for inter-co-<strong>op</strong>eration that our organisations have.<br />
With an ICA based on the contribution of each of its members,<br />
we will move steadily towards that goal.<br />
WHAT CHANGES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT THE ICA<br />
DURING YOUR TERM?<br />
I believe we must continue to carry forward together the<br />
transformations we have been undertaking in terms of<br />
governance, closeness to our members, deepening our<br />
identity and advocacy. This implies continuing with some<br />
pr<strong>op</strong>osals that we have already discussed with the current<br />
board and that we will surely be able to ratify during our<br />
assembly in Seville and put into practice with those who are<br />
elected to join the board.<br />
46 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
Cape Town, Kuala Lumpur, and Quebec, and at ICMIF’s<br />
Biennial <strong>Co</strong>nferences. Recently I was invited to speak at the<br />
Graduate Institute of <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Leadership meeting in<br />
San Diego and at the <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>s NZ Leaders’ Forum in Auckland.<br />
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO HELP THE ICA PROMOTE THE<br />
CO-OPERATIVE IDENTITY?<br />
MELINA MORRISON<br />
nominated by Business <strong>Co</strong>uncil of<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives and Mutuals, Australia<br />
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN CO-OPS?<br />
I was drawn to the co-<strong>op</strong>erative movement through my work<br />
in communications, learning about the power of co-<strong>op</strong>eration<br />
through the stories I wrote for co-<strong>op</strong> publications including the<br />
ICA Digest. This became a passion for increasing awareness<br />
through my advocacy roles such as executive director for the<br />
International Year of <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives in Australia in 2012. Ever<br />
since I learned about the movement, I have wanted to share<br />
this ‘best kept secret’ with others.<br />
WHAT CO-OPS ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH?<br />
As the chief executive of the apex body for co-<strong>op</strong>s and<br />
mutuals in Australia, the Business <strong>Co</strong>uncil for <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
and Mutuals, I am privileged to work with co-<strong>op</strong>s in different<br />
industries from agriculture to banking and insurance,<br />
housing, healthcare, retail, motoring, and fisheries. My<br />
organisation has almost one hundred co-<strong>op</strong> members which<br />
I work with directly. I am involved with co-<strong>op</strong>eratives from<br />
across the globe learning from the leaders in other countries.<br />
WHAT IS YOUR INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATIVE<br />
EXPERIENCE?<br />
By its nature, working in the co-<strong>op</strong> movement is an<br />
international endeavour. I am fortunate to work with<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>s all over the world, including across Asia-Pacific. In<br />
Australia we have always sought to draw from co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
best practice around the world. I have worked for the ICA<br />
meeting co-<strong>op</strong>erators from all over the world, and visiting<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>eratives in Sweden, France, Switzerland, Italy, UK, and<br />
USA. I have spoken at ICA General Assemblies in Singapore,<br />
I am co-vice chair of the ICA <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative Identity Advisory<br />
Group (CIAG) working with colleagues from across the<br />
world who are passionate about the <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Identity<br />
and how we can promote it. <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives continue<br />
to be disadvantaged by their lack of visibility right at<br />
the time when they should be the preferred way to do<br />
business. I would start by insisting on clear and consistent<br />
communication about the influence and reach of<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>eratives and their power to do good.<br />
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO HELP THE ICA GROW THE<br />
CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT?<br />
Increasing the number, size and reach of co-<strong>op</strong>s will be at the<br />
heart of what I would do. We must compete successfully. We<br />
need to grow co-<strong>op</strong>s, grow the Alliance, and grow awareness of<br />
our way of doing business. In Australia, I have demonstrated<br />
I can achieve this by ensuring co-<strong>op</strong>s have better access to<br />
capital and a more favourable policy environment. I have<br />
grown the number of BCCM members ten-fold.<br />
WHAT CHANGES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT THE ICA<br />
DURING YOUR TERM?<br />
The ICA needs to change radically and rapidly to meet the<br />
pressures their members face and needs energetic leadership.<br />
We should be at the t<strong>op</strong> table in global conversations<br />
with governments, <strong>op</strong>inion formers and international<br />
organisations, demonstrating clearly what co-<strong>op</strong>eratives can<br />
do and why they should be treated the same as any other<br />
type of business. The ICA needs to communicate better and<br />
promote co-<strong>op</strong>eratives effectively and consistently in all parts<br />
of the world.<br />
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO ENABLE GREATER CO-OPERATION<br />
AMONG CO-OPERATIVES?<br />
Building on the strength of the regions and sectoral bodies<br />
of the ICA, my plan is to foster deeper engagement between<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>eratives. A strong communication strategy will<br />
encourage greater co-<strong>op</strong>eration built on understanding more<br />
about our movement.<br />
THE <strong>2022</strong> ICA ELECTIONS ARE TAKING PLACE AT THE ICA GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON 20 JUNE IN<br />
SEVILLE, SPAIN. THREE CANDIDATES ARE STANDING FOR THE ICA PRESIDENT POSITION AND 22<br />
CANDIDATES ARE STANDING FOR 15 SEATS ON THE BOARD. FOR EXTENDED INTERVIEWS WITH THE<br />
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES AND Q&AS WITH EACH OF THE BOARD CANDIDATES, VISIT THENEWS.COOP/<br />
ICAELECTIONS<strong>2022</strong> >>>>><br />
JUNE <strong>2022</strong> | 47
intergovernmental meetings to promote the place of<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>eratives, including the launch of the international year<br />
at the UN, the Addis Ababa conference on devel<strong>op</strong>ment,<br />
and G20 summits.<br />
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO HELP THE ICA PROMOTE THE<br />
CO-OPERATIVE IDENTITY?<br />
JEAN-LOUIS BANCEL<br />
current vice-president of the ICA,<br />
nominated by <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong> Fr, France<br />
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN CO-OPS?<br />
I was a civil servant at the Ministry of Finance; in 1993, I<br />
was secretary general of the Groupement des Mutuelles<br />
d’Assurances. In this capacity, I was involved in the<br />
construction of the International <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative and Mutual<br />
Insurance Federation (ICMIF) and the relaunch of the<br />
ICA which was in a critical situation. Since that time I have<br />
constantly engaged in the defence and promotion of co<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
in my country and in the world.<br />
WHAT CO-OPS ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH?<br />
After managing mutuals, for 16 years I was manager of the<br />
benchmark bank for players in the social and solidarity<br />
economy in our country. I am the president of our national<br />
[co-<strong>op</strong>] federation (<strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>FR). I created the <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong> des <strong>Co</strong>mmuns,<br />
a structure to bring together the world of the commons and<br />
that of co-<strong>op</strong>eratives. I am also a co-founder of the Global<br />
Innovation <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong> Summit (GICS) to promote international<br />
meetings between co-<strong>op</strong>erators of all ages to reconcile co<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
and modernity.<br />
WHAT IS YOUR INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATIVE<br />
EXPERIENCE?<br />
I have a long experience in the sector: I was president of<br />
ICMIF, then president of the International Association<br />
of <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative Banks. I was president of <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
Eur<strong>op</strong>e, and finally, I am a member of the ICA board<br />
with different positions: vice-president, and president<br />
of the Principles <strong>Co</strong>mmittee. I have participated in many<br />
of the ICA conferences and international summits and<br />
By helping ‘real’ co-<strong>op</strong>eratives to fight on equal terms against<br />
‘false’ ones. Structures use the co-<strong>op</strong>erative name without<br />
being one. It is necessary to use means such as labels or<br />
certifications so that the public perceives the concordance<br />
between the label and the content. We will need all co<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
leaders to lead this collective action. This does not,<br />
however, prevent us from reflecting on the ways of expressing<br />
our co-<strong>op</strong>erative values and principles today in order to adapt<br />
to changes in the world.<br />
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO HELP THE ICA GROW THE<br />
CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT?<br />
From experience, I know it is necessary to gather human<br />
and financial resources. I would contribute work with the<br />
Eur<strong>op</strong>ean <strong>Co</strong>mmission to obtain a second multi-annual<br />
partnership of several million euros, and would increase<br />
our capacity for action with intergovernmental devel<strong>op</strong>ment<br />
<strong>op</strong>erators, such as the World Bank. In these institutions,<br />
co-<strong>op</strong>eratives are no longer in the front line as a tool for<br />
social progress and ecological transition. I will also put my<br />
experience as a banker to mobilise financial resources.<br />
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO ENABLE GREATER CO-OPERATION<br />
AMONG CO-OPERATIVES?<br />
<strong>Co</strong>ncrete actions are worth more than fine words. First of all,<br />
by reinforcing a better knowledge of the co-<strong>op</strong>erators among<br />
themselves. Hence the desire to recreate the equivalent at the<br />
Quebec International Summit of <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives with the GICS.<br />
WHAT CHANGES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT THE ICA<br />
DURING YOUR TERM?<br />
First of all, it will be necessary to carry out the mandate of<br />
the General Assembly of Kuala Lumpur on the revision of the<br />
ICA. I want to give the floor back to the members to ensure<br />
that “unity is strength”. The concrete project that I would<br />
like to see carried out in the field of education would be an<br />
international training of leaders, in particular the younger<br />
generations, to ensure transmission. I dream of a co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
INSEAD [a leading graduate business school].<br />
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN SEVILLE WILL BE PRECEDED BY AN INTERNATIONAL GATHERING FROM 19-22 JUNE,<br />
HOSTED BY THE SPANISH CONFEDERATION OF WORKER COOPERATIVES. FOR THE FULL PROGRAMME AND TO<br />
BOOK, VISIT SEVILLE<strong>2022</strong>.COM<br />
48 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
DIARY<br />
Do you have a co-<strong>op</strong>erative<br />
event – taking place in<br />
person, online, or as a<br />
hybrid – to be featured?<br />
Tell us at:<br />
events@thenews.co<strong>op</strong><br />
UK <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative <strong>Co</strong>ngress<br />
17-18 <strong>June</strong> (Birmingham, UK)<br />
Under the theme ‘Empowering<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eration’, <strong>Co</strong>ngress aims to bring<br />
together those working to build a fairer<br />
economy to share ideas, get inspiration<br />
and take action.<br />
s.co<strong>op</strong>/2zybp<br />
UK <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Fortnight<br />
20 <strong>June</strong> - 3 July<br />
Two weeks of co-<strong>op</strong>s of all shapes and<br />
sizes coming together to show the power<br />
of co-<strong>op</strong>eration.<br />
s.co<strong>op</strong>/2zycc<br />
ICA General Assembly and event<br />
19-22 <strong>June</strong> (Seville, Spain)<br />
Hosted by the Spanish <strong>Co</strong>nfederation of<br />
Worker <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives in Seville, the event<br />
will include worksh<strong>op</strong>s, a gala dinner,<br />
tours, and the ICA General Assembly.<br />
bit.ly/3IhUvqu<br />
Rochdale Pioneers Museum Focus Group<br />
22 <strong>June</strong> (via Zoom)<br />
The museum is looking for guidance<br />
on how more pe<strong>op</strong>le can be involved<br />
in selecting objects for display, and<br />
exploring its collections, and wants input<br />
from its users around the world.<br />
email museum@heritagetrust.co<strong>op</strong><br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Solutions – Fuel Poverty<br />
30 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2022</strong> (Online)<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives East Midlands & <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
West Midlands host this online<br />
event 9.30am, following the AGM of CEM.<br />
jdevilliers@btinternet.com<br />
International Day of <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
2 July<br />
International Day of <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives events<br />
2 July (Hebden Bridge, UK)<br />
10.45am: <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative heritage walk led<br />
by co-<strong>op</strong> historian Andrew Bibby. Free.<br />
Meet foyer of Hebden Bridge Town Hall.<br />
1.30pm-4.30pm <strong>Co</strong>nference: <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eratives<br />
work! Another economy is possible, plus<br />
worksh<strong>op</strong>s and stalls, at the Waterfront<br />
Hall, Hebden Bridge Town Hall. Free, with<br />
pre-booking advisable<br />
7.30pm <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>eration <strong>Co</strong>ncert with the<br />
<strong>Co</strong>mmoners’ Choir. Trades Club, £9/£6.<br />
Day’s events organised by Calderdale <strong>Co</strong><strong>op</strong>erative<br />
Association.<br />
calderco<strong>op</strong>s@gmail.com<br />
Playground for the New Economy<br />
12-14 July (Devon)<br />
Stir to Action’s Playground for the New<br />
Economy Festival is returning to its<br />
residential campus at Selgars Mill in Mid<br />
Devon for three days of panels, worksh<strong>op</strong>s,<br />
<strong>op</strong>en space, virtual reality experiences,<br />
sustainable food, and live music.<br />
stirtoaction.com/festival<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Press AGM<br />
25 July, 6pm (Online)<br />
The annual meeting of <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Press,<br />
the co-<strong>op</strong> which publishes <strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> <strong>News</strong>.<br />
thenews.co<strong>op</strong>/AGM<strong>2022</strong><br />
UKSCS Annual <strong>Co</strong>nference<br />
26-28 August (Lincoln)<br />
The first in-person UK Society for<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Studies conference since<br />
2019 will take place at Lincoln University<br />
and explore the theme: <strong>Co</strong>nsumer co<strong>op</strong>eratives:<br />
past, present and future.<br />
bit.ly/3EU3ahM<br />
World Credit Union <strong>Co</strong>nference<br />
17-20 July (Glasgow)<br />
The World <strong>Co</strong>uncil of Credit Unions will cohost<br />
its conference with the Association of<br />
British Credit Unions Limited (ABCUL).<br />
wcuc.org<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong> Party <strong>Co</strong>nference<br />
8-9 October (Leeds)<br />
<strong>Co</strong>-<strong>op</strong>erative Party’s showcase and the<br />
largest political online gathering of the<br />
year for the UK co‐<strong>op</strong>erative movement.<br />
party.co<strong>op</strong>/event/annconf022<br />
ICMIF Centenary <strong>Co</strong>nference<br />
25-28 October <strong>2022</strong> (Rome)<br />
The ICMIF Centenary <strong>Co</strong>nference will be<br />
hosted by the Unipol Group, an ICMIF’s<br />
founding member, in Rome, where the<br />
organisation was formed.<br />
icmif.org/icmif-conference/<br />
50 | JUNE <strong>2022</strong>
17–18 <strong>June</strong> <strong>2022</strong><br />
The Eastside Rooms<br />
Woodcock Street<br />
Birmingham B7 4BL<br />
Book your places now at<br />
www.uk.co<strong>op</strong>/congress<br />
#COOPCONGRESS