Co-operative development
Co-operative and mutuals differ from their PLC competitors in one crucial respect; they exist to provide a service for their members rather than to generate profits for external shareholders. As a key part of the plurality of the UK economy, the Government should ensure that every assistance is given to the preservation and creation of co-operative and mutual businesses.
In face of what could potentially be the most serious downturn since the depression of the 1930s, we must utilise all the resources, skills and capital that we have at our disposal. Co-operative and mutual enterprises can play a key role in responding to the recession, mitigating its impact and creating a more resilient economy.
Giving employees a stake in their business provides workers with economic gains and creates companies that are responsive to their frontline staff. Firms where staff have a big ownership stake and a say in decisions do not just create happier workers, they also make more productive businesses. We believe that the achievements of the co-owned sector should be recognised and built upon.
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Why do worker co-operatives matter? (12 Jan 2012)
Carl Rowlands asks why do worker co-operatives matter, and what can a future Labour government do to support them. Why do worker co-operatives matter? After all, there are relatively few members of worker co-operatives in the UK right now. Whilst other co-operative forms of organisation have seen an uptick in the last few years, there’s little [...]
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Europe has a wealth of Co-operative expertise – it’s time we made full use of it (31 Oct 2011)
Leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party, Glenis Willmott MEP, writes for the Co-operative Party on the potential for co-operatives in Europe. The beauty of the Co-operative solution is that it can be applied to so many different problems. Co-operatives have been tried and tested in every area from farming to finance. Not only have [...]
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Government guts Big Society Bill – and cuts the staff in charge (19 Oct 2011)
A Conservative Backbencher’s Bill to promote social enterprise is being substantially re-written, with key clauses that force Government and Local Authorities to develop strategies to promote social enterprises set to be axed. Meanwhile, Ministers have taken the highly unusual step of seeking to change the name of the Bill, deleting all references to social enterprises. [...]
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Real London – an Economy based on Co-operation (10 Aug 2011)
As we continue to consult on ideas for the Co-operative Party manifesto for the 2012 London elections, Carl Rowlands writes on the opportunity for co-operative economic development in London. As long as I remember, there have always been at least two Londons. True, it’s a city composed of numerous towns and villages, yet huge economic [...]
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Public sector mutuals are a good idea but the coalition just don’t get it (18 Nov 2010)
The announcement by Francis Maude yesterday that the coalition government wants to set up mutuals to run our public services is typical of what’s wrong with Cameron and Clegg’s ramshackle regime. On one level the plan seems a good idea – to give people who work in public services the opportunity to run those services. Indeed, [...]
