Latest news
Co-op (and Rolf Harris) supporting Scottish football
March has seen our campaign on community involvement in sport, so a belated mention of last weekend’s CIS Insurance Cup, the Scottish Football League Cup sponsored by Co-operative Insurance. Congratulations to Hibs, who walked away with the cup 5-1 over Kilmarnock, with several figures from the co-operative movement watching over the events. Both clubs have [...]
Parliament discussing mutuals
The Financial Mutuals (Arrangements) Bill, sponsored by Bournemouth West MP Sir John Butterfill, is receiving its second reading in Parliament this morning. Watch it live now. UPDATE: After a full debate that touched on many other aspects of the co-op and mutual movement, and indeed the Co-operative Party, the bill passed its second reading without [...]
Where an Angell stands on Student Housing
Richard Angell is an active member of the Co-operative Party who is standing to be Vice President Welfare of the National Union of Students. Among his many exciting pledges is a commitment to work for the development of co-operative student housing. Co-operative student housing is a small sector in the UK, but there are some [...]
The real costs of demutualisation
In their 2006 report, ‘Windfalls or Shortfalls? The true cost of demutualisation’, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Building Societies & Financial Mutuals, supported by mutuo, reported that mutuals performed better than their plc rivals in a variety of performance indicators. Demutualisation had led to reduced consumer choice, a decreased focus on customer service, but substantial [...]
Debate – "Why aren’t there more co-ops?"
Join the debate at Stumbling and Mumbling (Hat tip Vino)
Conservative co-operates for mutual benefit
An important story in the Co-operative News this week, reproduced here in full: A Conservative MP has tabled legislation to allow mutuals to transfer ownership to co-ops in a bid to discourage demutualisation. The Financial Mutuals (Arrangements) Bill, sponsored by Bournemouth West MP Sir John Butterfill, has proposed that mutuals be able to transfer engagements [...]
Come for a weekend to Bedford
If you are at the East of England Labour Party Conference in Bedford this weekend, come say hello at the Co-operative Party stall. We’ll be on hand to meet delegates, sign up new members and discuss co-op policies. Hazel Blears, Peter Hain and local MP Patrick Hall are among those we’ll be hoping to welcome [...]
City’s blues spur fans into co-operative action
The Co-operative Party is launching a campaign each month of our 90th Anniversary year, highlighting the role that co-operative solutions can play. Our campaign for March is Community Involvement in Sport. The need for co-op solutions and how they can help is illustrated by current events at Manchester City Football Club. The Blues have long [...]
The Co-operative Commonwealth comes alive…in Cumbria
Hesket Newmarket in Cumbria is an amazing place. This village of just 450 doesn’t yet have a Wikipedia entry. Yet it does have a thriving community of co-operators. First they saved their local Hesket Newmarket Brewery by creating a community co-op. A few years later they used the same approach to keep the Old Crown [...]
Fairtrade produce from rural Kent
Co-operator Kerron alerts us to another Fairtrade product this Fairtrade Fortnight. Hang on, though, it’s from Kent?? Here’s how.
