Archive for 'Parliament'
Alan Keen: a Labour man, a co-operator
Martin O’Donovan, Director and Secretary of the Parliamentary Labour Party, pays tribute to Alan Keen, Labour & Co-operative Member of Parliament who passed away last week. Alan Keen, Labour and Cooperative Party MP for Feltham and Heston since 1992, died on 10th November at the age of 73. He was a fine man: a Labour [...]
Cameron fails to answer question on Northern Rock at PMQs
At Prime Minister’s Questions today Labour MP Malcolm Wicks demanded answers from David Cameron on the sale of Northern Rock, given the history of the failed bank. Cameron failed to address Malcolm Wick’s point that the sale of Northern Rock to a private owner, Virgin Money, does not learn the lessons of the Rock’s failed privatisation which led to its collapse in [...]
Northern Rock sale has let down the co-operative movement, home buyers and taxpayers
Today in Parliament, Labour & Co-operative MPs held the Government to account on its botched sale of Northern Rock, which was poor value for taxpayers, home buyers and the co-operative movement. The Treasury Minister defending the government’s decision to sell Northern Rock to Virgin, Mark Hoban, failed to explain why the Government did not properly [...]
Credit union reform initiated by Ed Balls finally passed
Today Parliament finally approved changes to legislation which will free up credit unions to reach many more members, including community groups and businesses. A Legislative Reform Order, which makes changes to the Credit Unions Act 1979, has been approved by Parliament and new rules that enable credit unions to compete more effectively with banks and [...]
Event: Co-operative Housing, 23 November, Westminster
Whilst the UK’s housing stock only comprises of 0.6% co-operative housing, the European average is 15% with some countries such as Turkey and Norway having as much as 25% of housing being owned and run by co-ops. This country is one of the few that does not recognise co-operative housing in law. That’s why we [...]
Celebrating International Credit Union Day
Credit unions – the co-operative financial institutions providing affordable credit and savings – are today celebrating International Credit Union Day all around the world. This year’s theme – Credit Unions Build a Better World – celebrates the important economic and social contributions credit unions make to their communities worldwide. ICU Day takes place every year [...]
Government guts Big Society Bill – and cuts the staff in charge
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. [...]
Jonathan Reynolds gets first reading of Co-op Housing Tenure Bill
The Co-operative Housing (Tenure) Bill was successfully introduced under the Ten Minute Rule yesterday by Jonathan Reynolds MP. His speech is reproduced below and can be watched on BBC Democracy Live. I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make provision that occupiers of dwellings owned by certain forms [...]
Sign up to support the Co-operative Housing Tenure Bill
As we outline here, this week Labour & Co-operative MP Jonathan Reynolds is introducing a Co-operative Party initiated parliamentary bill to end the essentially feudal nature of England’s land ownership laws and create a new form of tenure, Co-operative Housing Tenure. David Rodgers of CDS Co-ops explains why this change is so necessary over on [...]
Twigg to Education, Thomas now Shadow Minister for Co-ops
Several Co-operative MPs, including some elected to Parliament in 2010, have featured prominently in Ed Miliband’s reshuffle of the shadow frontbench team over the weekend. Joining Ed Balls MP and Lord Steve Bassam in Shadow Cabinet will be Stephen Twigg, Labour & Co-operative MP for Liverpool West Derby since 2010 and now Shadow Education Secretary. [...]
