October 2017

OCTOBER 2017
news
PLANNING
Co-op buildings
past, present and
futuristic...
Plus ... The Alliance’s
2017 Global Conference...
Co-op development in
Malawi... Celebrating
Social Saturday
ISSN 0009-9821
9 770009 982010
01
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www.thenews.coop

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CONNECTING, CHAMPIONING AND
CHALLENGING THE GLOBAL CO-OP
MOVEMENT SINCE 1871
Holyoake House, Hanover Street,
Manchester M60 0AS
(00) 44 161 214 0870
www.thenews.coop
editorial@thenews.coop
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Anthony Murray
anthony@thenews.coop
DEPUTY EDITOR
Rebecca Harvey
rebecca@thenews.coop
EDITORIAL
Anca Voinea | anca@thenews.coop
Miles Hadfield | miles@thenews.coop
DIRECTORS
Elaine Dean (chair), David Paterson
(vice-chair), Richard Bickle,
Sofygil Crew, Gavin Ewing,
Tim Hartley, Beverley Perkins
and Barbara Rainford.
Secretary: Ray Henderson
Established in 1871, Co-operative News
is published by Co-operative Press Ltd,
a registered society under the Cooperative
and Community Benefit Society
Act 2014. It is printed every month by
Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton,
Derbyshire SK17 6AE. Membership of
Co-operative Press is open to individual
readers as well as to other co-operatives,
corporate bodies and unincorporated
organisations.
The Co-operative News mission statement
is to connect, champion and challenge
the global co-operative movement,
through fair and objective journalism and
open and honest comment and debate.
Co-op News is, on occasion, supported by
co-operatives, but final editorial control
remains with Co-operative News unless
specifically labelled ‘advertorial’. The
information and views set out in opinion
articles and letters do not necessarily
reflect the opinion of Co-operative News.
@coopnews
news
cooperativenews
Our view: Co-op buildings set
our values in bricks and mortar
Buildings have always been the foundation of co-operatives.
These brick and mortar shells have been the place for members to meet to grow their
co-operatives and to also allow trade.
At the peak of the growth of co-operative societies, there were almost 1,000
individual co-ops dotted through communities across the UK.
Many of these buildings celebrated co-operative heritage, as we explore in this
issue, and were tagged with the words ‘Co-operative Society’ and adorned with
co-op symbols such as the wheatsheaf or beehives. In the 50s and 60s, co-operatives
became more decorative, with art adorning buildings in town centres.
Some of those buildings are still in existence (albeit with different uses). And today’s
modern co-operative buildings continue to shine that beacon of co-operation.
Co-operatives still offer meeting points for communities, but owning and operating
buildings brings a greater responsibility for sustainability.
That is why we saw the Co-operative Group open the world’s most environmentally
friendly building in 2013; and this desire to be environmentally sustainable is
echoed around the world with the Co-op Kyosai Plaza in Japan focused on recycling
rain water and Mountain Equipment Co-op’s head office in Vancouver being big on
energy efficiency.
Next year, as part of its Sustainable Development Goals agenda, the United Nations
is encouraging business to be more socially conscious towards the communities
they operate in. The High-Level Political Forum’s theme for 2018 is ‘Transformation
towards sustainable and resilient societies’ – and this asks for a focus on sustainable
energy and to make communities more inclusive and resilient, among other areas.
Co-operatives achieve many of these UN goals, so we are ideally placed to lead the
way in showing how to be a responsible business for our communities.
ANTHONY MURRAY - EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Co-operative News is printed using vegetable oil-based
inks on 80% recycled paper (with 60% from post-consumer
waste) with the remaining 20% produced from FSC or PEFC
certified sources. It is made in a totally chlorine free process.
OCTOBER 2017 | 3

ISSN 0009-9821
9 770009 982010
01
THIS ISSUE
CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT
Lord Byron is one of the more notorious
housing co-op residents (p40-41); Jo Wolfe
discusses digital social enterprises (p24-25);
actor Michael Sheen continues his support
for the movement as he heads for Social
Saturday (p46-47); and the North & Eastern
Co-op building, one of the movement’s
architectural treasures (p7)
24-25 MEET ... JO WOLFE
The managing director for London at
social enterprise Reason Digital talks
about her work connecting charities with
the digital world.
26-27 INTERVIEW: ARJEN VAN NULAND
We speak to the CEO of the Netherlands
Co-operative Council, who addressed
the 50th UKSCS conference, about the
challenges facing his country’s co-ops.
planning needs with the wishes of their
local communities?
38-39 We take a tour of the co-operative
head offices that have set new standards
in architecture.
40-41 Discovering Albany, the littleknown
housing co-op that has been
home to some of London’s most famous
distinguished residents.
news Issue #7288 OCTOBER 2017
Connecting, championing, challenging
news
OCTOBER 2017
PLANNING
Co-op buildings
past, present and
futuristic...
Plus ... The Alliance’s
2017 Global Conference...
Co-op development in
Malawi... Celebrating
Social Saturday
£4.20
www.thenews.coop
COVER: Desjardins’
Living Wall – one
example of a
co-operative head
office setting
new standards in
architecture
Read more: p38
28-30 PREVIEW: MALAYSIA 2017
Looking ahead to this year’s International
Co-operative Alliance Global Conference
and General Assembly, which will explore
the social and environmental challenges
facing the world and how the movement
can address them.
31 ANALYSIS: CO-OP GROUP
Paul Gosling looks at the race to buy
Nisa – and asks how a deal could affect
the Group’s business model.
32-43 BRICKS AND MORTAR
32-34 Freelance writer Natalie Bradbury
looks back on the architectural legacy
of the movement, which has created a
stunning artistic heritage.
35-37 How do co-ops reconcile their
42-45 MALAWI DIARY
The Co-operative College reports on
development projects in the south-east
African country.
46-47 SOCIAL SATURDAY
Events are being held around the country
to celebrate social enterprise and inspire
more people to get involved.
REGULARS
6-15 UK updates
16-21: Global updates
22-23: Letters, obituary
48-49: Reviews
50: Diary
4 | OCTOBER 2017

Co-operatives UK has launched
an emergency appeal, with
support from the Co-op Group,
for funds to help co-operative
reconstruction in SE Asian and
Caribbean countries devastated
by hurricanes and floods in
recent weeks.
“The floods and storms are devastating the lives of
millions of people. We know that co-ops offer a vital
tool for people to rebuild their homes and livelihoods
together. We are encouraging UK co-ops to donate
what they can to this emergency appeal to support
the development of co-operatives that will aid longterm
sustainable reconstruction. This is people to
people support.” Ed Mayo, Co‐operatives UK
Find out more and pledge a donation from your organisation:
www.uk.coop/2017appeal
Co-op News is acting as media partner,
providing ongoing news and analysis of the
co-operative sector in areas affected, and will
follow up on how the donations are put to use.

NEWS
BUSINESS
Co-op Group interim
results: Operating
profits down £21m
as it makes return to
members
The Co-operative Group has reported
a fall in operating profit from £72m in
2016 to £51m in its 2017 interim results,
which it says reflects “the continuing
rebuild of businesses”.
Underlying profit before tax was down
48% to £14m (2016: £27m). The Group
said profits were in line with a strategy of
investing in its businesses and returning
£35m to members and their communities
through its rewards scheme. They also
reflected a fall in insurance profits.
u Profit before tax rose 47% to £25m
(2016: £17m), reflecting a number of oneoffs
and non-trading items and a strong
performance from core businesses, said
the report.
u Group revenues were stable at £4.6bn,
with food reporting like-for-like sales
up 3.5%, its 14th consecutive quarter of
growth; core convenience like-for-like
sales rose 4.5%.
u Reported food sales fell 1.2% to £3.48bn
but were 0.7% higher year-on-year when
excluding the sales from the 298 stores
sold to McColl’s.
u Funeralcare revenues rose 1.2% to
£166m with market share increasing to
16.4%, supported by growth of Simple
Funeral offer.
u Insurance Net Earned Premiums fell
21% to £164m, in line with plans and due
to the purchase of additional reinsurance
to support its claims position during a
business transformation.
u Legal Services sales up 9.1% to £12m
due to strong growth in probate and estate
planning sales.
Debt was maintained well below the
£900m guidance level at £680m.
The Group said its investment
programme had opened 34 food stores
and 27 funeral homes in the first half,
FINANCE
Group offloads final shares in Co-op Bank
Following a four-year journey, the Co-op Group has fully offloaded its remaining stake
in the Co-operative Bank, leaving the financial institution with zero co-op ownership.
The Group sold 80% of its shares to hedge funds in 2013 as part of a stock market
flotation to rescue the Bank following the discovery of a £1.5bn capital hole. Its
remaining 20% was reduced to 1% on 1 September as part of a £700m rescue package
to recapitalise the Bank. That final 1% has now been sold off to an existing shareholder
for £5m; this profit will be included in the Group’s full annual results for 2017.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Steve Murrells, Co-op Group chief executive, said that
while the Group played a “key part” in the future of the Bank over the summer, it was
now “up to the Bank to show it can continue with its ethical stance that it has had in
the past”.
As part of the new arrangements, the Group has agreed on principles to split the
total pension liabilities of Pace and to remove the Bank’s obligation to support the
Group’s share of the Pace pension scheme liabilities. The Group says it will see the
relationship agreement between the Group and Bank “naturally fall away and come
to a formal end in 2020”.
and it had enhanced the use of digital
technology for member interactions.
Members now account for 33.4% of
food sales at the half year, up from 20.6%
in June 2016, the report added. The
Group recruited more than half a million
members in the first half of year, taking
active membership to 4.5 million people
across the UK.
The report said “significant Co-op
member value” had been generated, with
£29m invested in member rewards and
£6m going to over 4,000 local causes.
In terms of recruitment, the executive
team now has more women than men for
the first time. Across the business, 333
apprentices were recruited in the first half
of 2017, taking the total number hired in
the last two years to 1,400. The Group
plans to recruit a total of 1,000 apprentices
in 2017.
Chair Allan Leighton said: “It’s been an
important six months for the Co-op Group,
in which we have been able to give back
to our members and their communities
far more than we have for many years.
We have also continued to lead the way
in ethical commerce and campaigning
on the issues that matter to our members,
from championing Fairtrade to tackling
loneliness and modern-day slavery.
“We can be proud of what’s been
achieved, but we want to remain
ambitious. The goal now is to spread the
word further, while also deepening the
relationship with our members and their
communities.”
Looking ahead, the report warned
inflation would hit the Food business,
denting consumers’ spending power and
increasing competition in the sector.
“Our focus will remain on making the
shopping experience for our members and
customers even better,” it added.
6 | OCTOBER 2017

RETAIL
Co-op Group in exclusive talks to merge with Nisa
The Co-op Group is engaging in exclusive
talks with convenience grocer Nisa to
discuss a merger worth over £140m.
In July the Group was revealed to be
in a bidding war with Sainsbury’s for
the mutual, with the supermarket giant
offering more cash upfront and emerging
as the preferred bidder. However, talks with
Sainsbury’s stalled in August following
concerns over possible intervention from
the competition watchdog.
A potential deal with Sainsbury’s is
said to have caused concern among Nisa’s
shopkeepers, who fear a takeover could
lead to demutualisation. The Co-op Group
is seen as offering a better fit with Nisa’s
mutual structure.
In a letter to members, Peter Hartley,
Nisa chair, said: “In line with the board of
Nisa’s duty to act in the best interest of all
Nisa members, your board has granted the
Co-op a period of exclusive due diligence
from today [30 August].” He confirmed
the Group intended to “progress matters
as quickly as possible, in the hope that a
transaction can be finalised”, subject to
due diligence.
“Should an offer of merit emerge from
this process, it will be for you, the members,
to decide on whether to accept it,” added
Mr Hartley. “However, it is important to
stress, that there is no guarantee that an
offer will be forthcoming.”
Any deal would have to be approved by
70% of the 1,300+ Nisa members.
u Read Paul Gosling’s analysis of the
merger on page p31.
APPEAL
Emergency appeal
to support co-ops
devastated by floods
and hurricanes
An appeal to support co-operatives
devastated by hurricanes and floods over
the past few weeks has been launched by
Co-operatives UK.
The Co-operatives UK appeal, which is
supported by Co-op News, aims to help
co-operatives in those affected countries
with long-term reconstruction efforts.
A £50,000 donation has already been
pledged by the Co-op Group.
More than 41 million people have been
affected by the South Asia flood disaster,
according to the International Federation
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
(IFRC). Mud huts have disintegrated in the
torrents of water that have flooded large
areas of Bangladesh, southern Nepal, and
northern India.
In the Caribbean, Irma, the strongest
Atlantic hurricane in more than a decade,
has battered its way across half a dozen
Caribbean nations and foreign territories
– which are now also counting the cost of
Hurricane Maria.
The UK appeal will channel funds
through the International Co-operative
Alliance to enable long-term support to
reach co-operatives in affected countries.
“Charities like the International Red
Cross have stepped in to take immediate
action and provide vital food, shelter and
care,” said Co-operatives UK secretary
general Ed Mayo. “But reconstruction in
what are already poor countries, like Cuba
and Bangladesh, will take a long time.
Once the initial surge of aid drops away
there will remain a dire need to rebuild
housing, hospitals and economies.
Co-ops can play a key role in this economic
development, as they proved over the last
two decades in disaster-torn areas.”
Elaine Dean, chair of Co-operative
Press, added: “The devastating scale and
impact of the flooding in south-east Asia
and the Caribbean is unimaginable to
most people in the UK, but this appeal is
one way that we can support our friends
and neighbours in the international
co-operative community.
u See Global Updates, pages 16 and 17
u To make a donation, visit:
www.uk.coop/2017appeal
OCTOBER 2017 | 7

POLITICS
Cool reception
for government
proposals on pay
ratios and worker
representation
The government has been accused of
backtracking on Theresa May’s pledges
to tackle corporate “fatcat” culture after
it announced a new set of business
governance reforms.
The plans include measures on pay
ratios and worker representation, issues
where the co-op movement has been
actively campaigning. But critics say they
fall short of pledges made by Mrs May
during last year’s campaign for leadership
of the Tory Party.
The measures, set out by business
secretary Greg Clark, will:
u Force all listed companies to reveal the
pay ratio between bosses and workers
u Publish the names of all listed
companies with significant shareholder
opposition to executive pay packages on a
new public register
tinkering with company law and corporate
governance for large businesses can make
improvements at the margins. But in terms
of creating a genuinely inclusive economy
– one that offers more opportunity, power
and a share of wealth for workers and
communities – government needs to be
bolder and smarter.
“For one thing it could start with what
we already have – 7,000 co-ops – and
make it easier for people to run existing,
and establish new, co-ops.”
Theresa May during last year’s
campaign for leadership of
the Tory Party
He added when it comes to developing
practical systems of governance that give
voice to stakeholders such as workers,
customers and communities, policymakers
and big business “can certainly learn a lot
from the co-op movement”.
“The detail of the government’s
decisions on changes to governance
codes and company reporting may need
more careful analysis in terms of what the
co-op movement needs to do in response,”
he said.
u Seek to ensure the employee voice is
heard in the boardroom
u For worker representation, the code
asks firms to assign a non-executive
director to represent employees; create an
employee advisory council; or nominate a
director from the workforce.
But this will follow a “comply or
explain” basis, which would mean the
measure is not mandatory as long as a
company explains why it has not followed
the guidance.
Frances O’Grady, general secretary
of the TUC, said the proposals were
“feeble” and accused the government
of climbing down from making the
measure mandatory.
She said: “The prime minister’s pledge
to put workers on company boards
has been watered down beyond all
recognition. This now amounts to little
more than a box-ticking exercise.”
James Wright, policy officer at
Co-operatives UK, said: “Top-down
POLITICS
Co-op-supported Modern Slavery Bill proceeds
to committee stage in House of Lords
The House of Lords is discussing a private member’s bill to increase the level of
support for rescued victims of modern slavery.
Introduced by Lord McColl, the bill calls for increasing the period of time during
which victims receive support from 45 days to a year.
New research commissioned by the Co-op Group, which expressed support for the
bill, shows that two thirds of British people (66%) believe the period is too short a
period for genuine rehabilitation and rebuilding. They would also back a move to
extend the level of support to 12 months.
Furthermore, the research also
revealed that one in five British people
(18%) are unaware that modern slavery
exists. Of those who have heard of
modern slavery, 85% regard it as a
serious crime and feel that more needs
to be done to support the victims.
Paul Gerrard, the Group’s policy
and campaigns director, said: “Ending
modern slavery is a key priority for
the Co-op and we’re delighted to
be supporting Lord McColl’s private
member’s bill.”
8 | OCTOBER 2017

FOOD
Worker co-op Unicorn Grocery
wins Best Food Retailer at BBC
Food and Farming Awards
Worker co-op Unicorn Grocery has been named the Best
Food Retailer at the 17th BBC Food and Farming Awards. The
Manchester based co-operative was nominated by its customers
and was shortlisted from a list of 528 food retailers.
The other finalists were Organic Farmshop in Cirencester and
Lavenham Butchers. A vegan supermarket, Unicorn was set
up 20 years ago; since then the grocery has grown from four
members to over 70 and was named the Soil Association’s ‘Best
Independent Retailer’ in 2016.
Unicorn, which also won the award in 2008, offers a range of
affordable, fresh, wholesome food, with a focus on organic and
Fairtrade products. Judges Gill Meller and Joanna Blythman,
who visited the shop, said they were impressed by the range and
quality of the produce on offer.
As a worker co-op, Unicorn is run by its employee-owners, who
are managers of the business, taking on equal responsibility and
shifting roles for equal pay.
“We feel delighted, proud,” said worker-owner Dan Holden.
“Thank you to all our customers and growers who nominated us.
We would be nothing without our farmers.”
Seed Co-operative, a community-owned company from South
Lincolnshire, was among the three nominees selected for the
Future Food Award category. The co-op breeds “open pollinated
seeds that everyone can grow, everyone can save for the next
year, and everyone can afford”, in a bid to improve sustainability
and protect biodiversity.
David Price of the Seed Co-operative said: “We are delighted to
have been given this chance to tell our story about the future of
food. Food is not ‘man-made’ but produce of the natural world
and it all starts with seed.
“We are bringing seed production back home and re-connecting
farmers, growers, gardeners, chefs and ‘people who eat’ with
the natural world, through co-operation. Vitality, diversity and
resilience is what our seed is all about.”
BUSINESS
Pre-tax profits down 53% at
worker-owned John Lewis in
half-year results
The interim report for employee-owned retailer John Lewis
showed a fall in pre-tax profits of 53.3% for the first six months,
to £26.6m.
Chair Charlie Mayfield said: “The first half of this year has
seen inflationary pressures driven by exchange rates and
political uncertainty. These have dampened customer demand,
especially in categories connected to the housing market.”
Excluding redundancy and restructuring costs, pre-tax profit
was down almost 4.6% at £83m for the six months to 29 July.
The report warned continued pressure on margins and a hit
from pension accounting charges would impact on its full-year
results. But gross sales across the Partnership, which includes
grocery chain Waitrose, were up 2.3%, to £5.4bn, with Sir
Charlie hailing “a solid performance in a difficult market”, with
market share gains in fashion.
Operating profit, before exceptional items and property
profits, was up 10% in John Lewis, while in Waitrose it was
down 18%, held back by lower margins due to higher cost
prices. Sir Charlie said the Partnership had also increased pay
for its workers after falling foul of minimum wage rules in May.
Discussing the results, Sir Charlie told the BBC Radio 4
Today programme that continued uncertainty over Brexit had
affected trade.
“Brexit is having an effect on the economy, no question,”
he said. “It’s the same for everybody and the main effects are
sterling and confidence.
“Uncertainty is one of the consequences of this and of
course businesses never like uncertainty because it makes it
hard to plan for the future.
“There needs to be a serious parliamentary debate to figure
out what kind of Brexit we’re going to have in the best interests
of the country and the economy.”
OCTOBER 2017 | 9

CO-OP GROUP
New co-op partnership launched to support
community projects
The Co-op Foundation and Co-operative &
Community Finance have partnered up to
develop a new programme of grants and
social investments to support communityrun
enterprises in disadvantaged areas
across the UK.
The project will initially be piloted on
four areas of community life: community
centres, housing, transport and green
spaces. A revolving loan fund, Co-op &
Community Finance has been providing
loan finance for co-operatives, employeeowned
businesses and social enterprises
since 1973. As part of the collaboration,
the Co-op Foundation has appointed
Co-operative & Community Finance as its
advisory partner.
The Co-op Foundation was set up by
the Co-op Group to complement its other
community work across the UK. It has
set three goals for the next three years –
championing young people’s ability to
contribute positively to their communities,
investing in disadvantaged communities;
and building a reputation as a trusted
charity with a co-operative difference.
u Sales of home-grown food are up by a
third in the Co-op Group’s 350 Scottish
stores. The biggest increase has been
seen in the bakery aisle (45% rise) while
dairy items experienced an increase in
sales of 28% on last year.
u At the end of August the Group became
the third UK supermarket to pledge to
cover cost of the ‘tampon tax’. The prices
of over 70 women’s sanitary products
will drop by 5% as the retailer will cover
the cost of the VAT charge and pass the
savings onto customers.
u Co-op Insurance is giving customers a
car insurance estimate within 30 seconds
via a Facebook Messenger chatbot.
Available 24/7, the chatbot trial asks four
questions, with multiple choice answers,
then provides an estimated quote based
on average policy data from the Group’s
existing car insurance customers.
u The Group has been announced as the
first local convenience retail supporter
of Parkrun, the UK’s largest running
movement. Parkrun organises free,
weekly, 5km timed runs, which are open to
anyone who wants to take part.
p The world’s first 100% community-owned whisky distillery, GlenWyvis, has launched its second open share offer and is welcoming new
investors from around the world. The distillery, based in Dingwall in the Highlands of Scotland, has already raised nearly £200,000 and now
hopes to bring in another aiming £750,000. With the additional funds, the GlenWyvis is speeding up work on its brand and visitor centre
development. It is also bringing gin distilling to Dingwall. The distillery, which will be entirely powered by green energy, is being built at the
Heights of Docharty by Dingwall and is on schedule to open this November. The stills and mash-tuns are now in place and recruitment is under
way for the master distiller and visitor centre development officer.
10 | OCTOBER 2017

Great Taste Award win for Revolver coffee co-op
RETAIL
Matt Birch appointed
Central England trading
executive
Matt Birch (above) is joining Central
England Co-operative as the society’s
trading executive. The move comes as
Tony Carroll, deputy chief and trading
executive, announced he is retiring later
this year.
Mr Birch will be responsible for all
aspects of the society’s diverse portfolio
of businesses, from trading development,
customer and marketing, to food retail,
funeralcare, travel and other specialist
businesses.
He joins the society from Sainsbury’s,
where he was director of commercial
operations with responsibility for central
trading activities and the convenience
channel. He previously held director roles
in finance and property and ran retail
operations in the north west.
“Central England Co-operative is
delighted to welcome Matt at a time of
growth and development for our society,”
said Martyn Cheatle, chief executive.
Mr Birch holds a non- executive
role with Mersey Care NHS Trust and
has been a strong advocate for the
community agenda. He was drawn to
the role at Central England because of
its “very public and wide ranging set of
community investment schemes, as well
as the society’s ethical and democratic
structure”, he said.
u Central England is also getting
behind Birmingham’s bid for the 2022
Commonwealth Games. Twenty-five food
stores, 33 funeral homes, four florists and
two travel shops are uniting behind the
bid, which it says matches its values and
principles on supporting the community,
education, health and wellbeing.
Fairtrade coffee co-op Revolver World
has scooped victory in the Great Taste
Awards for the third year running. Judges
in the awards described Revolver’s
Speciality Kenya Kapota Top Lot as a
“bright fruity, citrusy espresso that has
a long clean finish”. They also rated
Revolver World’s Fairtrade Organic Papua
New Guinea Elimbari.
Scotmid launches 12-month fundraiser for Samaritans
Scotmid Co-operative and Samaritans
have embarked on a year-long partnership,
which aims to raise £300,000, recruit local
volunteers and raise awareness for the
charity. Scotmid says funds raised through
the partnership will help the charity keep
its 42 branches open across the regions;
£300,000 could help Samaritans listen to
60,000 more calls from people in crisis.
Three staff hired under Southern Co-op charity link-up
A Southern Co-op store on the Isle of
Wight has partnered with the Shaw Trust
to help people into work. The West Street
store in Ryde has employed three staff
after just two months of the link-up with
the charity, which was set up in Wiltshire
to help disabled people find work and
now helps over 50,000 people a year live
independent and inclusive lives.
Kezia Dugdale steps down as Scottish Labour leader
Kezia Dugdale (left), Labour and Co-op
MSP for the Lothians, has stepped down
as leader of the Scottish Labour Party with
immediate effect. “It has been an honour
and a privilege to have served this party
in a leadership position for the last two
and a half years, covering four national
elections and one referendum,” she wrote
in her resignation letter.
Shotley Pier community benefit society hits fundraising goal
Shotley Pier Group, a community benefit
society formed to buy and restore a 600ft
Victorian naval pier on the river Stour in
Suffolk, has hit its £58,000 fundraising
target. It is hoped the project, which has
match funding from Power to Change, will
attract visitors to the area as well, bring
the pier back to life as a working facility,
and raise awareness of the co-op model.
OCTOBER 2017 | 11

LOCAL COUNCILS
Local councillors explore a co-operative approach
to service delivery
Is there a role for local residents to play
in designing services they will be using?
Across the UK, local councils are adopting
co-operative approaches to deliver
services in their areas.
At its annual meeting in Oldham, the
Co-operative Councils Innovation Network
looked at the potential for co-op models
as solutions to some of the problems faced
by their communities.
Speaking at the conference, the
network’s chair, Councillor Sharon Taylor,
leader of Stevenage Borough Council,
explained how many issues faced by
local councils could be solved by using a
co-operative approach.
She described how in Stevenage the
council is tackling domestic abuse by
developing a holistic programme with
help from victims and survivors as well as
civil society partners. The council set up
a victims’ forum and frontline staff were
trained to recognise victims of abuse.
Those affected can also take part in coffee
morning where they can receive support
and advice.
“Make links between the council as an
institution and civil society and people
subject to your policies,” she said.
“With every piece of work we are trying
to link it with citizens who are going to use
that services, they help design and lead in
that service.”
Another project saw the council ask
children and young people to select the
equipment they wanted installed in their
local parks.
The council is renovating seven parks,
and the approach not only ensures that
young people get what they want, but also
helps avoid vandalism.
Ms Taylor added that the co-operative
model could also be used to provide
solutions in housing and social care.
p Councillor Sharon Taylor, leader of
Stevenage Borough Council, and chair of the
Co-operative Councils Innovation Network
AGRICULTURE
New Northern Ireland co-op farm offers community supported agriculture
p The team at Jubilee Farm
A new co-operative farm is being set up
in Larne, County Antrim, with the aim of
providing “good food for all forever”.
Jubilee Farm, set in the walled garden
at Drumalis Retreat, has been set up as
a community benefit society, supported
by Northern Ireland development body
Co-operative Alternatives through the Hive.
It will offer the first co-op communitysupported
agricultural scheme (CSA) in
Northern Ireland. Founded by an interdenominational
group of Christians, it will
partner with people of all backgrounds
and beliefs.
“As an inter-denominational group,
we’re setting up Jubilee Farm because
we want to show that Christians can
and should care for the environment,”
said Jonny Hanson of Jubilee Farm. “Not
only that, but we want to ground this
conviction in a particular place and to
serve a particular community, including
those with different backgrounds and
beliefs. Ultimately, we’re setting up Jubilee
Farm because we have hope for this
wonderful world.”
Mr Hanson added that they chose the
co-operative model as the fairest way to
set up the enterprise.
“We like the ethos of co-operation and
therefore allowing interested people to
have a say in how the organisation is run,
and in raising capital, via a community
share offer at a late date,” he said.
The new co-op aims to provide good,
affordable seasonal food to members
and non-members, and selling surplus
produce and Fairtrade food, hot drinks
and products via the farm shop.
“This will be one of the first few
examples of CSA in Northern Ireland
where farmers and consumers share the
risks, the responsibility and the rewards
of farming,” said Tiziana O’Hara of
Co-operative Alternatives.
12 | OCTOBER 2017

EDUCATION
East of England Co-op
announced as international
training awards finalists
ENERGY
Offshore wind auction shows fall in
renewable costs – but community
schemes face barriers
The UK renewable energy sector received an unexpected boost
when a government auction for subsidised offshore wind projects
saw costs plummet.
An aggressive competition for schemes saw the three winners
submit lower bids than experts had expected. Germany’s Innogy
will receive £74.75 per MWh for Triton Knoll off the coast of
Lincolnshire, Denmark’s Dong Energy will take £57.50 for its
Hornsea Two project off the Yorkshire coast, and Spain’s EDP
Renováveis will receive £57.50 for the Moray offshore windfarm.
Analysts say the result indicates falling costs for offshore
wind and predict it could bring subsidies below that needed for
nuclear energy. But the winners of the round of auctions were
big foreign players, and the bonanza for offshore wind has not
benefited the UK’s community energy sector.
Although there are offshore wind projects in Europe which have
community ownership, such as Middelgrunden, off Copenhagen,
Denmark, this is not the case in the UK.
The focus for community energy in the UK is on solar and
onshore wind projects, which do not receive the same government
support and face a hostile planning regime.
Emma Bridge, chief executive of Community Energy England
(CEE), which represents UK sector, said: “There aren’t yet any
offshore UK windfarms with an element of community ownership
although it is an avenue we would be very open to exploring.”
She added: “The biggest barrier to onshore wind for
communities isn’t the cost, it is the changes to the planning
regime for wind energy development which have resulted in
local people only really having a meaningful say on wind energy
development applications where that say is ‘no’.
The government toughened up the planning rules in 2015 to
give local people a final say on windfarm applications.
As a result, says CEE, England’s onshore wind industry
has been decimated. When a community does want a turbine
in its area, it faces a protracted two-stage process because,
before it can even submit a valid planning application, it has
to get a site identified in its local area as “suitable for wind
energy development”.
In a recent submission to the government, CEE called for
“mitigation and clarification to address what amounts in our
view to a disproportionate burden placed upon community-led
wind energy projects”.
The East of England Co-op learning and development team
has designed and delivered training for over 4,200 colleagues
in businesses from food retail to funeralcare.
Now its work has been recognised by the 2017 TJ (Training
Journal) Awards, which has shortlisted the society in the ‘Best
Organisational Development Programme’ and ‘L&D Team of
the Year’ categories.
The TJ Awards “recognise the creativity, passion and hard
work of learning and development professionals” from around
the world, and counts House of Fraser, O2, British Airways and
Transport for London among previous winners.
One of the society’s most successful training initiatives is
its Know How: Leadership programme, launched in 2015 to
transform managers’ people management skills. Over 250
managers at varying levels have completed the training, with
evaluations showing an increase in skills and effectiveness,
combined with a change in culture to a business that embraces
development.
The TJ Award winners will be announced at a gala dinner on
Tuesday 5 December.
p East of England Co-op Learning and Development Team (left to
right: Jeremy Usher, Effie Burrell, Adrian Driver, Karin Holland, Nina
Seaman and Head of Learning and Development Stephen Flurrie)
RETAIL
Lincolnshire Co-op confirms closure
of two distribution centres
Lincolnshire Co-operative Society has confirmed the closure of
its two food distribution centres in Lincoln later this month.
Deliveries of ambient goods such as tins, packets and bottles
to the society’s food stores will instead come from a depot in
Nottinghamshire, which is part of the National Integrated Supply
Chain operated by the Co-op Group.
The society says the change will allow it to offer more choice
and a wider variety of products to customers and better meet the
demands of changing shopping habits.
OCTOBER 2017 | 13

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
Co-ops shortlisted for Social Enterprise Awards 2017
Several co-operatives have been
shortlisted for this year’s Social Enterprise
Awards, which recognise people
and organisations for their business
excellence and contribution to society,
across 13 categories.
The winners will be announced at
the awards ceremony on 23 November.
The full shortlist can be found at
s.coop/17shortlist.
EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP
Employee-owned
businesses are ‘more
trusted’, new survey finds
A survey from YouGov reveals that nearly
60% of people in the UK see employeeowned
(EO) businesses as more
trustworthy than those not owned by their
employees.
The survey, commissioned by the
Employee Ownership Association
(EOA) with support from Co-operative
Development Scotland (CDS), evaluated
the UK’s perception of trust and ethical
practices in business. It found that:
u 58% of respondents think employeeowned
businesses are more trustworthy
than non-employee-owned businesses
u 53% believe it would be better for the
UK economy if there were more employeeowned
businesses
u 44% are more likely to apply for a job at
an employee-owned business
u 41% are more likely to buy products
or services from a business
that is employee-owned.
Deb Oxley (above), chief executive
of the EOA, said: “This latest YouGov
survey of the employee-owned business
sector is another indicator of this sector’s
importance to the long-term sustainability
of the UK economy, adding to the large
volume of data which evidences its
contribution to business productivity,
resilience and innovation.
“At a time when the UK faces economic
uncertainty, the opportunity for businesses
that are driven by the collective effort and
passion of their employee owners could
not be any more relevant.”
u Fairtrade chocolate company, Divine
Chocolate, is 44% owned by cocoa farmers
from Kuapa Kokoo, a cocoa farmers’
co-operative in Ghana. The enterprise was
shortlisted in three different categories:
International Impact; Prove it: Social
Impact; and Consumer Facing Social
Enterprise.
u Zaytoun, a co-op set up as Community
Interest Company to source and trade
organic Fairtrade oil and other produce
from Palestine, was shortlisted in the
International Impact category.
u The Shared Interest Investment
Co-operative, which is committed to
helping people trade their way out of
poverty through fair finance and business
support, is shortlisted in two categories:
UK Social Enterprise of the Year and
International Impact.
u The Transformative Community
Business category also features a co-op –
Just Credit Union. The financial services
provider has been shortlisted for the
award recognises locally rooted social
enterprises that trade for the benefit
of their community and have a track
record of delivering real benefits for the
community they serve.
u Cafédirect, an enterprise working
with coffee growers from KNCU, Africa’s
oldest co-operative, was shortlisted in
two categories: Consumer Facing Social
Enterprise and International Impact.
u Stretford Public Hall, a community-led
not-for-profit organisation, was selected
for the Social Investment Deal of the Year
category. Set up in 2013, the community
benefit society is democratically run by
members on the one-member, one-vote
basis, which owns and runs Stretford
Public Hall.
14 | OCTOBER 2017

EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP
NUJ looks to co-op model to rescue threatened newspapers
Union representatives negotiating over
the threatened closure of a series of
newspapers in Scotland are considering
the co-operative model as a way of
keeping them alive.
The National Union of Journalists is in
talks with Johnston Press, which reported
a £300m pre-tax loss in March, over the
future of 24 titles.
Writing on the Scottish Socialist
Party website, NUJ Scotland organiser
Paul Holleran said: “Drastic steps were
required to keep them open, it was stated,
or closure would follow within a few years
for most and immediate cessation of trade
for two or three of the titles.
“The union is negotiating to keep
the newspapers alive, but don’t accept
that closure would be a final solution.
The setting up of co-operatively owned
structures to take over the running of
these titles has already begun.”
Mr Holleran told Co-op News that
negotiations with Johnston Press were
going well and there “will be no immediate
threat to titles”. But, he added: “It is a
matter of time before some of the weaker
papers are at risk.”
The problems at Johnston are part
of a pattern of falling sales and advert
revenues in the newspaper industry. In
working out a long-term plan to develop a
co-op future for papers, NUJ Scotland has
sought advice from the Isle of Skye-based
West Highland Free Press, which set up as
UK’s first employee-owned paper around
30 years ago.
“Their view was that their title was a
community asset, a cornerstone of their
local democracy and a minimum target
of 1% profit once costs are taken out,”
said Mr Holleran. “This is a genuinely
independent outlet paying decent
salaries but not obsessed with delivering
for shareholders to the detriment of
journalism.”
But he warned that taking a co-op
approach to rescuing newspapers might
not be equally as simple across the UK.
He told Co-op News that the NUJ
is “certainly taking that approach in
Scotland, but then again we have a big
influence in our industry and a more
progressive government than Westminster
and that will help”.
He also stressed that supportive local
authorities and other organisations are
important if a local community-owned
media is to thrive.
WALES
Wales Co-operatives
Centre responds to
Welsh Government’s
prosperity strategy
The Wales Co-operative Centre has
welcomed the Prosperity Strategy
announced by the government on 20
September. Outlining his government’s
priorities, first minister of Wales Carwyn
Jones explained that the strategy would
focus on six key areas of action –
childhood, housing, social care, mental
health, skills and employability.
He said: “Prosperity is about far more
than material wealth and cannot be
delivered by economic growth alone. It is
about every person in Wales enjoying a
good quality of life, living in a strong, safe
community and sharing in the prosperity
of Wales.”
According to the first minister, the
strategy’s key objectives are delivering the
right support for people and businesses,
addressing regional inequalities and
promoting fair work, and driving
sustainable growth.
The Welsh government pledges to
develop a new economic contract between
businesses and government to stimulate
growth, increase productivity and make
Wales “fairer and more competitive”. As
part of this approach, the government
commits to simplify and rationalise the
range of financial support it offers to
companies, develop a modern, regulatory
framework, through smarter regulation
and establish the new Development Bank
of Wales.
Derek Walker (left), chief executive of
the Wales Co-operative Centre, said: “The
new national strategy signals a step in the
right direction towards building a more
inclusive economy.
“The Welsh government has put
more focus on spreading opportunity,
addressing regional equalities and
promoting fair work. The proposal for a
new economic contract between business
and government could see businesses
expected to do more to create a fairer
society in return for government support.
“By their very nature social enterprises
and co-operatives consider the social
and environmental impact of their work
alongside the bottom line. The Wales
Co-operative Centre has already put
inclusive economic growth at the heart
of our new strategy. We look forward to
working with the Welsh government to
make it a reality.”
OCTOBER 2017 | 15

GLOBAL UPDATES
USA
Co-ops and credit unions rush to rebuild after Harvey and Irma
With the unusually active 2017 Atlantic
hurricane season still raging, co-ops and
credit unions have been joining recovery
efforts in areas hit by storms Harvey, Irma
and Maria.
The hurricanes have left a trail of
destruction across the Caribbean and
south-eastern USA. The death toll from
Harvey is at least 83 – 1 in Guyana, and 82
in the US – while Irma has killed at least
84 – 45 in the Caribbean and 39 in the US.
As of 22 September 22, Maria has caused at
least 37 deaths
Harvey hit the US on 25 August, with
Texas and Louisiana declaring a state of
emergency as severe flooding hit several
major cities, including Houston.
Irma made landfall on 10 September
sparking a state of emergency in Florida
and Georgia. It had already devastated
several Caribbean countries, and
Co-operatives UK is operating a relief fund
for affected areas (see page 6).
Both disasters saw electric co-ops,
helped by volunteers from across the
country, battle high winds and floods to
limit damage as hundreds of thousands
of meters were cut off. It is estimated that
more than 55,000 co-op members lost
power in Texas in the wake of Harvey. The
online community for the sector, Texas
Co-op Power, said on its website: “Stormdamaged
co-ops welcomed the support
of other co-ops’ crews from all corners of
the state ... demonstrating the true spirit
of co-ops.”
Among the many co-ops to help in
the crisis was Singing River Electric
Co-operative, of Mississippi and Alabama.
It sent a team to help Clay Electric
Cooperative near Gainesville, Florida,
restore power after Irma.
“We understand what it is like to need
the help,” said chief executive Mike
Smith. “Florida co-ops were there for our
members after Hurricane Katrina, and we
are glad to lend a co-op hand.”
The National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association (NRECA) told how a crew from
Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative
in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, “drove
14 hours to demonstrate the sixth
co-operative principle: co-operation
among co-operatives”.
The team helped their comrades at
Glades Electric Cooperative restore power
to its 16,000 meters, working from 4.30am
until dark, replacing 20 downed poles a
day. Four days into the restoration, 20% of
Glades’ members were back online.
Taking the brunt of Irma was Florida
Keys Electric Co-op, which serves 33,000
meters and has consolidated its HQ
buildings into a single centre, built to
withstand a Category 5 storm.
Most of its staff were evacuated, with a
skeleton crew left behind.
After the storm, CEO Scott Newberry
told NRECA that recovery was going
well, with more than 70 crews repairing
distribution and transmission and
clearing trees. Power has been restored to
12,500 members, with all critical facilities
and most grocery stores back on the grid.
But he said three of the co-op’s
employees had lost their homes, while
others suffered storm damage. Nearly
20,000 members are without electricity.
He said the co-op’s transmission system
had stood up well, with power maintained
for thousands of members in Key Largo
and Tavernier.
Credit unions have also been working
to keep services open with offices forced
to close. The Credit Union National
Association (CUNA) has joined forces with
credit union service organisations CO-OP
Financial Services and PSCU to create
a system-wide disaster response for the
credit union movement.
16 | OCTOBER 2017

‘The little co-op that could’ rides out the flood
NuWaters Cooperative, a small grocery in Houston, kept its doors open to supply food
as Harvey flooded the city – and is now trying to rebuild its own supplies.
As the crisis unfolded, the store said on its Facebook page @NuWatersCoop:
“There is not much food available in the city with the floods. But we are the little
co-op that could, and our community has food.”
NuWaters took packages to shelters food banks, helped other stores stock up, and
one day distributed a thousand sandwiches. “This is the most amazing experience,”
said the Facebook page. “Now, we know how important co-ops are for communities.”
It exhausted its food inventory in the process, and the Food Co-op Initiative ran a
donation service to help it restock. The grocery is also raising funds to help members
who lost their homes in the floods and is busy repairing flood damage to its farm, and
is organising a local flood relief concert.
This includes toll-free numbers which
members can call for access and branch
information if they are displaced or their
branch has been forced to close.
Caroline Willard, chief executive of
Texas’ Cornerstone Credit Union League,
said: “We have been overwhelmed by the
outpouring of support from our system
partners. The toll-free hotlines will be a
tremendous resource. Even better, it adds
to the disaster recovery capabilities for the
movement moving forward.”
Cornerstone said it was monitoring all
credit unions in affected areas, and grants
are available for credit union employees to
help with immediate needs.
In Florida, Irma forced nearly all
credit unions to close, Credit Union
Times reported. In Tampa, GTE Financial
Credit Union in Tampa is taking food and
resources to staff left without power, and
providing hotel rooms for hot showers.
CUNA Mutual has a response team on
the ground in Florida, and The League of
Southeastern Credit Unions (LSCU) said
its disaster response team is checking the
needs and status of credit unions.
“We see the true co-operative spirit
and resiliency of credit unions,” LSCU
president/CEO Patrick La Pine told
Credit Union Times. “Despite having
some challenges themselves, the leaders
and staff of the credit unions that are
operational are extending offers of
assistance to their members and fellow
credit unions. Seeing this generosity
reinforces our sense of pride in being part
of the credit union movement.”
Patrick Jury, chair of CUNA, has called
on the national credit union movement to
marshal its resources to help.
“When catastrophes strike our
communities, credit unions and their
staffs are always there, in the heart of it,
selflessly doing whatever they can to aid
and support their neighbours, friends,
and families,” he said.
u The National Credit Union Foundation
is collecting for union people affected by
the storms at s.coop/25wlj
u The Cooperative Development
Foundation (CDF) is collecting for co-ops
affected by Harvey cdf.coop/hurricaneharvey
NEPAL
Co-ops lead
recovery efforts from
monsoon floods
Nepalese co-operatives have set out a plan
to help members affected by floods across
35 of the country’s districts.
The four days of heavy rain beginning
on 11 August led to the death of 123 people
with an additional 35 missing. So far
18,320 families have been displaced and
75,000 families affected by the flooding.
The Red Cross estimated relief efforts
would need more than US $3.5m.
NACCFL, the Nepal Cooperative Central
Federation Limited, has received requests
from member co-operatives for assistance
and is seeking financial support from the
International Co-operative Alliance to
carry out relief activities in coordination
with the District Agriculture Federation.
NACCFL’s programme will focus on
providing access to basic health services,
introducing income-generating activities
providing vegetable seeds and seedlings
for horticulture and building warehouses.
It will give priority to co-op members
from the worst affected areas, particularly
single women, disadvantage groups and
those highly dependent on agriculture.
OCTOBER 2017 | 17

EUROPEAN UNION
Juncker’s union
speech ‘ignored the
co-operative movement’
Cooperatives Europe has criticised
the annual State of the Union speech,
delivered by EC president Jean-Claude
Juncker this month, for failing to mention
co-ops and the social economy.
In its response to Mr Juncker’s speech,
which set out the key priorities for the
coming year and follows a white paper on
the future of Europe, Cooperatives Europe
also pointed to the lack of mention of
the recently signed New Consensus on
Development, to which it contributed,
which aligns EU development with the UN
sustainable goals.
Cooperatives Europe said: “As peoplecentred
enterprises that are upheld by
their values and principles, co-operatives
must propose their vision for the future
of Europe.
“Co-operatives have the necessary tools
to address the issues put forward in the
scenarios in the white paper. Their power
and inclusive values can be the driving
force for bringing the EU closer to its
citizens by establishing and promoting
people-centred, value-driven enterprises
that contribute to the economic growth of
the EU as well as job creation.
“The future of Europe cannot be only
addressed at the institutional level. It is
about the men and women of Europe.”
Cooperatives Europe has set up a
reflection group to draft a proposal on
behalf of European co-ops in response
to the white paper, which it intends to
present in December, parallel to the next
meeting of the European Council.
Ed Mayo, vice-president of Cooperatives
Europe and leader of the reflection group,
said: “The challenges addressed in
president Juncker’s white paper require
co-operation.
“Co-operatives must thus lead the
conversation, and together with our
members I look forward to reflecting on
the common vision for creating a more
co-operative Europe.”
In a blog post examining the future of
Europe, Mr Mayo points out that Ernesto
Rossi, one of the forefathers of European
federalism, was a member of a co-op.
p Jean-Claude Juncker delivers his 2017 State of the Union speech
EUROPEAN UNION
Copa-Cogeca wants fair practice laws
Copa-Cogeca, the organisations representing European farmers and agri co-ops,
want the EU to tackle unfair trading practices (UTPs) in the food supply chain.
They called for new laws in their response to the EC’s assessment of how to
improve the food supply chain, released in July. This supports the third option set
out in the paper, which would introduce EU framework legislation to prohibit UTPs,
alongside control and enforcement mechanisms, and deterrent sanctions.
Secretary-general Pekka Pesonen said: “The huge imbalance of power in the
food supply chain has left us with no choice but to opt for option three and call
for legislation to be introduced to improve farmers’ positioning and to stop unfair
trading practices.
“It is unacceptable that farmers get, for example, only 20% of the price of a piece
of steak when they are the ones who do the majority of the work producing it. The
voluntary Supply Chain Initiative, which was developed by retailers and processors,
to which Copa-Cogeca did not sign up to, clearly does not work.”
The two organisations also called for increasing market transparency by improving
information to enable all operators in the food supply chain to take more informed
decisions. They suggest having derogations from competition law to enable agri
co-ops and other types of producer organisations grow.
The assessment is completed by a public consultation, which will be open for 12
weeks. Copa-Cogeca are preparing a contribution to the consultation, with the EC
proposals due next spring.
Rossi was co-author of the Ventotene
Manifesto, which he wrote with Altiero
Spinelli while they were both prisoners
on the Italian island of Ventotene during
World War II. The manifesto calls for a
free and united Europe but also suggests
reform by extending workers’ ownership
through co-operative ventures and
employee profit-sharing.
“That Europe is still the future,” argues
Mr Mayo. “So, in the spirit of Ernesto
Rossi, working through Cooperatives
Europe, we are looking to explore the
future of Europe through the hopes and
dreams of our members.”
p Ernesto Rossi, co-operator and federalist
18 | OCTOBER 2017

Working together
for 40 years
This year, we celebrate our
40th birthday.
We’re very grateful to all
the people who’ve helped
us over the years to become
who we are – the UK’s
biggest worker co-operative
and Europe’s largest single
pay employer.
We truly believe that being
co-operative is the way
forward, it’s been working
for us since 1977.
For more information visit
www.suma.coop
/sumawholefoods
UGANDA
First African Fairtrade gold shipped from Uganda
Fairtrade certified gold from Uganda
has been traded for the first time. The
announcement was made at a Fairtrade
Foundation conference Fairtrade Gold:
Future Innovations at the Goldsmiths
Centre in London.
Speaking at the event, Michael
Gidney, chief executive of the Fairtrade
Foundation, explained how Fairtrade
was helping small-scale mine sites in East
Africa to access international markets on
improved terms of trade.
The gold is traded to CRED Jewellers,
supported by Greg Valerio and EWAD.
Fairtrade aims to reach other mine sites in
Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya and to grow
the volume of Fairtrade gold available to
be exported on Fairtrade terms.
Fairtrade is also launching a partnership
with tech firms Fairphone and Phillips, in
collaboration with Solidaridad, HIVOS
and UNICEF. The scheme will support
artisanal small-scale gold mines in Busia,
Uganda, as they responsibly mine gold
and sell it into the supply chains of these
technology businesses.
Fairtrade’s target is to generate USD
$50,000 worth of impact for miners via
the Fairtrade Premium by 2020.
“These first pioneering grains of gold
I am showing you today symbolise so
much,” said Mr Gidney. “They represent
safer working conditions, hope, and
better lives for miners who struggle to put
food on their table each day.
“We use gold for so much, from mobile
phones, medical devices, and computers
to medals and luxury jewellery. Gold not
only symbolises prosperity and luxury but
also has the potential to create economic
security in all the lives it touches.”
According to Fairtrade, 16 million smallscale
miners work in dangerous conditions
around the world to provide gold for high
street retailers. In Uganda alone 130,000
people are employed through artisanal
small-scale gold mining, and a further
800,000 benefit indirectly. Unlicensed
artisan gold miners produce around 2.8
metric tons of gold per year, most of which
is exported illegally.
“This is all about the people of the land
benefiting from their resources that are in
that land,” Mr Gidney added.
“It is economic, social and
environmental justice for the poor.
Through our work with African mine sites,
Fairtrade directly addresses the endemic
social and environmental challenges
present in artisanal mining, to bring
about direct benefits for artisanal small
scale mining communities in a way that
no other system has done.”
p Workers on a non-Fairtrade artisanal
goldmine (Images: Ian Berry / Magnum
Photos)
OCTOBER 2017 | 19

AUSTRALIA
Bidders line up as troubled dairy Murray Goulburn goes on sale ...
Struggling Australian dairy co-op Murray
Goulburn has put itself up for sale, with
potential bidders including rival New
Zealand co-op Fonterra and Denmarkbased
international co-op Arla.
The sale process follows a tough time
for the co-op, which in August posted a
sales decline of 10% and a AU$370.8m
post-tax loss in its 2016/17 annual results.
Murray Goulburn, which was formed
in 1950 and is 100% controlled by
approximately 2,200 Australian dairy
farmers, listed itself on the Australian
Securities Exchange in 2015 but
its fortunes dipped in a turbulent,
deregulated market, forcing it to cut prices
to suppliers a year later.
This saw many farmers go elsewhere,
reducing this year’s milk intake by 21%
compared to 2016. In May, MG announced
job losses, plant closures and the
suspension of dividend payments.
In July, the co-op ceased production
of its Kiewa Country Milk, which has
now been sold alongside processing
equipment to Kyvalley Dairy Group.
The organisation is also said to have
shelved plans to partner with US infant
formula company Mead Johnson on plans
to build a production facility in China.
It announced a strategic review in
June and since then said it had received
“a number of confidential unsolicited
indicative proposals from third parties”.
“These proposals have ranged from
concepts around certain non-core assets
to larger proposals including whole of
company transactions,” it said.
The board has requested Deutsche
Bank, which is carrying out the strategic
review, to seek more detailed proposals
from these and other relevant parties so
their merits can be assessed.
Alongside Fonterra and Arla, there are
numerous bidders from the non-co-op
sector, including Australian companies
Bega Cheese and Lion.
Also in the running are Canada’s
Saputo, Italy’s Parmalat, New Zealand’s
A2 Milk, France’s Lactalis, and Hong
Kong/Singapore firm Goodman Fielder.
Fonterra is reported to have engaged
financial adviser Rothschild for the bid,
although The Australian reports that
it is “not thought to be keen, given its
oversupply of milk processing plants”.
It adds that Fonterra has attracted
farmers from Murray Goulburn as the
latter’s troubles continued, and a bid
would face competition issues. Australia’s
competition authorities will take a keen
interest in the bidding process, with
NEW ZEALAND
... while rival
and possible buyer
Fonterra powers ahead
Auckland-based dairy co-op Fonterra, one
of the bidders for Murray Goulburn, has
seen a marked difference in fortunes from
its Australian rival.
It also had to cut farmgate prices in
2016, during a volatile period for the
global market – but has turned the
situation around and in March, its halfyear
result showed post-tax profits up 2%
to NZ $418m. In April, it paid an interim
dividend of 20 cents per share, and has
lifted its farmgate prices.
It is continuing to expand – including
its Australian division, where it has just
announced a new AU$150m cheese
production plant at Stanhope, in Murray
Goulburn’s home state of Victoria. The
Murray Goulburn the country’s biggest
dairy processor.
Overseas bidders like Arla, meanwhile,
would have to win approval from Foreign
Investment Review Board.
Arla’s interest is said to stem from a
desire for a foothold in the Asian market,
with Australia offering a base for freight.
new plant can process up to 1.3 million
litres of milk a day, with Fonterra hoping
to meet rising demand for cheese in
Australia, China and Japan.
Fonterra has also bought a NZ$11.7m
stake in Lithuanian dairy Rokiskio Suris,
building on several years of partnership.
And its online auction platform,
GlobalDairyTrade, is looking at a tie-up
with the European Energy Exchange to
extend the dairy offering in the region.
Chief executive, Craig Presland, said
its “financial turnaround over the past 12
to 18 months has been nothing short of
spectacular”, adding: “It has delivered
record profits, grown its food service
business in line with its goal of NZ $5bn in
sales by 2023, and increased its payout by
over 50% year on year.”
He said Fonterra’s 2016/17 milk payout
projection sits at NZ $6.60-$6.70/kg milk
solids – up from $4.30/kg in 2015/16 and
$4.70/kg in 2014/15. And it has recently
20 | OCTOBER 2017

There is speculation that Murray
Goulburn could be broken up, with some
bidders such as Parmalat expressing
interest in specific parts of the business.
Murray Goulburn has also been taken
to court by the Australian Competition
and Consumer Commission (ACCC),
which claims it failed to keep suppliers
adequately informed of the cut in prices.
“The farmers relied on Murray
Goulburn’s representations and were
not expecting a substantial reduction in
the farmgate milk price, particularly so
close to the end of the season when it was
not possible to practically readjust their
expenditure,” said ACCC chair Rod Sims.
Former managing director Gary Helou
and former chief financial officer Brad
Hingle have denied the farmgate milk price
set for 2015-16 was false or misleading.
They also deny ACCC allegations that they
were knowingly concerned or were a party
to breaches of Australian consumer law.
A Murray Goulburn spokesperson
said: “MG filed its defence to the ACCC’s
statement of claim with the Federal Court
on 5 September 2017. We will be making no
further statement at this stage.”
With regard to the sale process, a
spokesperson said: “We intend to provide
a further update on the progress of these
important initiatives at our AGM.”
announced a projected 2017/18 payout of
between $7.20-$7.30, almost 70% up on
the payout of two years prior.
Mr Presland says last year’s review of
Fonterra’s governance and representation
model has helped to “future-proof” the
co-operative. It followed more than 500
shareholder meetings held around NZ,
and saw Fonterra’s farmers mandate a
capability-led selection process for its
board and a reduction in board size.
There was also a PR drive to promote
understanding of its co-op model, and a
transformation programme, Velocity, to
speed performance – including a reduced
lead time for getting UHT cream and milk
into China from 100 days to 34 days.
Global dairy prices and foreign exchange
rates remain volatile, but Mr Presland
says Fonterra has risk-management
measures in place, and has supported the
development of financial markets for dairy
across the globe.
Co-op Money NZ and ACU launch tier one banking platform
Co-op HotShots photography competition
Desjardins suspends oil lending
Credit union regulation changes
Aotearoa Credit Union (ACU) will become
the first Mäori financial institution
in New Zealand to launch a tier one
banking platform. Co-op Money New
Zealand will now assist two more credit
unions to use the same technology, with
seven more due to follow.
The Singapore National Co-operative
Federation (SNCF) has launched a
photography competition to showcase
stories of co-operation. SNCF runs Co-op
Hot Shots every year, awarding cash prizes
to winners for capturing meaningful
moments in their communities. Find out
more at: s.coop/hotshots17
Desjardins has temporarily suspended
lending for energy pipelines projects due
to concerns about the impact such projects
might have on the environment. The move
comes after Desjardins’ president and
chief executive, Guy Cormier, asked the
teams involved to work on establishing
a global position for all of Desjardins’
financing and investment activities, based
on its principles of responsible investing.
Credit unions in Australia, Canada,
Brazil and the UK have been the focus
of significant regulatory changes in their
respective countries. Find out more about
the changes, and how it is affecting credit
unions, at s.coop/25wmt.
Supporters trust to take full ownership of Wexford FC
Wexford Supporters Trust (WST) is to take
full ownership of Ireland’s First Division
team Wexford FC, it has been announced.
WST, a supporters-run co-operative, aims
to have the new model for the club up and
running by November. It says membership
of the club is open to everyone, with all
members having an equal say on club
matters.
OCTOBER 2017 | 21

YOUR VIEWS
CAR PARK WOES
With the old Budgens store being bought
by the Co-op we are patiently awaiting
the re opening. Sadly contractors working
on the refurbishment, Forum, have totally
ignored the needs of the residents of
Harleton by closing off the whole of the car
park adjacent to the store. On an ordinary
day it is hard to find a parking space
for both elderly and disabled patients
attending the medical centre. On market
days, it is even worse.
A little more “customer service “ needs
to be applied to future customers.
Valerie Barrell
via email
CHARITABLE ACTIONS
We must urge members of the co-operative
movement to try to donate to food banks
and help to keep them well stocked up.
Many food banks have stocks that are
falling and need help badly.
The co-op movement is a leader of
Christian thoughts in this country and
should help. It’s coming towards winter
and we should play our part, all over the
country. Even if it’s only a tin or a packet,
it helps.
David Treacher
Member, Co-op Group
NISA BUYOUT
Currently our local Nisa-supplied store
sells its Heritage brand. Under this
buyout, would it sell Co-op branded food?
Interestingly, when the store last came
up for sale, our Co-op head office team
decided it was too small to bother with...
Vicki Black
via Facebook
Llanelli Coast Parkrun, we were told that
wasn’t on the list... but he also said he
had been asked to and would be returning
to Swansea next month. Llanelli isn’t that
far away and there are several Co-op Food
stores including a new one at Stradey
which is really close by.
How does one Parkrun get two visits
in two months while another one nearby
doesn’t get a visit at all? It seems a shame
and is disappointing for everyone at
Llanelli Parkrun.
Pam Beynon
via email
CO-OPERATIVES FORTNIGHT
Although everyone agrees the importance
of Co-operative education, it has been
seriously neglected for decades. A
fortnight’s focus has its merits, but
education should be integral to what we
do throughout the year and needs to be
properly resourced.
David Smith
via Facebook
The idea of Co-operatives Fortnight
was derived from Fairtrade Fortnight.
The problem is that while the Fairtrade
Movement has a campaigning function
which supports the concept, the
co-operative movement has absolutely no
campaigning infrastructure whatsoever.
Jim Lee
via Facebook
Chris Herries is spot on – we should be
using Co-ops Fortnight to explain what coops
are and how they work as business
models, not showing how nice and cuddly
we are by cleaning up beaches (my heart
just sank through the floor when I read
Have your say
Add your comments to our stories
online at www.thenews.coop, get in
touch via social media, or send us
a letter. If sending a letter, please
include your address and contact
number. Letters may be edited and no
longer than 350 words.
Co-operative News, Holyoake
House, Hanover Street,
Manchester M60 0AS
letters@thenews.coop
@coopnews
Co-operative News
about ‘The Big Co-op Clean’). We use
our stores for displays and stands about
Fairtrade, why not for co-ops?
Martin Meteyard
via Facebook
Mainstreaming the co-operative business
model/co-operation, in my view, would
– like Fairtrade – need to have a massive
marketing campaign (not individual
businesses / organisations) alongside the
‘local’ activities.
This would almost certainly cost huge
sums of money, but Coop14 would be the
ideal time to launch an ongoing UK / global
marketing campaign, changing subtly
year on year. Otherwise I suspect the
co-op movement will continue to talk to the
co-op movement.
This report from 2013 shows how a
massive global marketing strategy for
Fairtrade was thought through, why it was
required, and its impact: s.coop/25wlh
Alison Lamond
via Facebook
PARKRUN DISAPPOINTMENT
I was a tourist at Swansea Bay Parkrun
this morning where the Co-op Group was
handing out boxes to the runners. When
we asked when they were coming to
22 | OCTOBER 2017

LOST IN THE TIMELINE
In your recent coverage of the
Co-operative Party, the timeline (News,
September) has a blank section between
2008 and 2017.
In 2008, we were hit by a financial crash.
Both Labour and Tory Chancellors saw
us as an alternative to the dodgy banks.
The coalition warmed to the apparently
healthy co-operative sector, anxious
to use the situation to its advantage.
An ailing building society was nudged
towards the Co-op Bank.
But the law needed amending; a
private members bill and a Tory MP were
the solution. When I challenged Co-op
MPs on the legislation process, and
asked why it was a Tory backbencher
doing the spadework, one Co-op Party
NEC member told me they were working
behind the scenes to ensure the bill
went through. I’ve not heard that claim
since and of course it is not really worthy
of the timeline.
The Tory MP, no doubt, was rewarded –
and it proves there are there are plenty of
MPs available from more than one party.
The Co-op Party has a membership of
10,000 while Labour has soared to over
600,000. It is obvious who provides the
biggest input. Co-op Party membership is
just above Plaid Cymru, which has 8,200.
For the Co-op Party to claim such a
significant number of MPs from such a
small base line is quite bizarre. It is really
a parliamentary interest group, but one
which refuses people from other parties.
Is no one in Plaid Cymru interested in cooperation?
No Northern Ireland member
either? Co-operatives are the mainstay of
their agribusiness.
Leslie Freitag
via email
OBITUARY
Trevor Bottomley (1920-2017)
Co-op development expert and educator
Trevor Bottomley, whose career included
roles at the International Co-operative
Alliance and UK Co-operative Union and
saw him help develop co-ops overseas,
has died aged 96.
Mr Bottomley served at the Alliance
as chief executive for education and
development, where he founded two
important educational advisory bodies –
CEMAS and AGITCOOP.
This followed a lifelong involvement in
co-ops which began at the age of 14 when
he became a delivery boy for Trowbridge
Co-operative Society.
Following service with the RAF in
World War II, Trowbridge sponsored him
to study social and political science at
Stanford Hall Co-operative College.
On graduating in 1948, he served
as regional education officer for the
Co-operative Union and then at Stanford
Hall as national education officer.
His work overseas began in 1960 when
he was recruited by the Commonwealth
Office, helping to develop co-ops and
credit unions in what are now Lesotho
and Botswana – where he was the first
registrar of co-operatives and drafted its
co-operative law.
Mr Bottomley returned to the UK
to work before carrying out more
co-operative development work in Laos
and Jamaica and, in 1974, taking his role
at the Alliance.
He later returned to teach at Stanford
Hall until his retirement in 1986,
after which he carried out voluntary
consultancy work for overseas co-ops.
As co-op consultant and adviser he
carried out missions to more than 20
countries, specialising in marketing,
management and field training.
Mr Bottomley was also a lifelong
member of the Plunkett Foundation,
which promotes rural community
ownership in the UK, served on its
editorial advisory board and as a parttime
consultant.
He wrote several books on aspects
of co-operative education and in 1982
was awarded the Hungarian Medal
for Achievement and Excellence in
Co-operative Development.
He is survived by a daughter, Anne, a
son, Steven, and four grandchildren.
OCTOBER 2017 | 23

MEET...
... Jo Wolfe, managing director for London at social
enterprise Reason Digital
Jo oversees the digital agency’s work with charities based in the south of
England. She has over 10 years’ experience as a digital leader in the charity
sector, most recently as assistant director of digital for Breast Cancer Care,
where she developed innovative online support services. Jo also helped create
the Third Sector Digital Maturity Matrix – to date the tool has helped almost
800 charities understand their current digital capability and set new goals for
the future. She is a keynote speaker at the forthcoming Social Business Wales
conference hosted by the Wales Co-operative Centre on 5 October.
WHY DID YOU TAKE ON THE ROLE AT REASON
DIGITAL?
Reason Digital works with charities to help them
understand what they want to achieve through
digital. I joined recently after working in the in-house
charity sector at Girl Guiding and Breast Cancer
Care. My reason for joining is to do with wanting
to create more change within the charity sector as
a whole. It felt like the best way to do that was by
joining an organisation dedicated to that change.
Lots of charities are on a journey around digital
and they need to mature and improve how they do
things. By working in a dedicated organisation I
think I can maximise the help I can offer.
WHY IS DIGITAL SO IMPORTANT?
We live in a digital age – the revolution has
happened. But while we are feeling the effects of that
in many positive ways, some people struggle with it
and there are still many opportunities for charities
in improving how they deliver their services.
Digital has the potential to reach far wider
numbers of people with care and support tools and
is also a great way of opening new income streams.
A lot of my career was heading in this direction.
The Digital Maturity Matrix has helped nearly
800 charities achieve better digital capability.
It was hard to maintain that overview while
being embedded in one organisation but now I can
work collaboratively.
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY ENTAIL?
“”
DIGITAL HAS THE POTENTIAL TO
REACH FAR WIDER NUMBERS
OF PEOPLE WITH CARE AND
SUPPORT TOOLS
I was appointed to set up our new London office
at Kings Cross. The HQ of Reason Digital is in
Manchester, and will continue to be. However, it’s
a reality that most charities’ HQs are in London,
so we have taken the step of opening an office –
which we share with a housing association as a
co-working space and base to meet people as we are
very minded not to pay too much for London rents!
I go to a lot of events and most days I will be talking
to chief executives of different charities, such as Age
UK or the Terence Higgins Trust, which are two of
our existing clients. Every day I talk to clients about
their plans, organise meetings with people thinking
of working with us – and we are always working on
24 | OCTOBER 2017

new ways of developing digital impact. For example
we have just come up with a new donation app,
‘Gone For Good’, for Oxfam.
WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT THE JOB?
It feels like a perfect fit for me. There are a lot of
things I am excited about, particularly forming
networks to create real change and being able to
focus around collaboration and partnership. It’s by
bringing all those things together that we make the
biggest change.
join our journey
be a member
WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT THE JOB?
Some charities are still to be persuaded of the value
of digital. I feel that working offline and face-to-face
delivery is still very vital because we are human and
have personal relationships. But when charities
refuse to acknowledge that digital can have real
benefits, we are in difficult waters. It’s difficult to be
as effective without that buy-in —the challenge is to
bring charities with us.
WHAT ACHIEVEMENT ARE YOU PROUDEST OF?
Something that I continue to be really pleased
about is the development of the Digital Maturity
Matrix. The NCVO (National Council of Voluntary
Organisations) has now taken this over. I will
continue to work on it but others in the sector can
also volunteer their time so its future is guaranteed,
which is great.
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE REASON DIGITAL
IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS?
The very achievable vision is that in five years’
time we are the first choice partner for any charity
wanting to do good through digital. We will also be
moving forward on a number of different products
of our own which will create real change within the
sector, like Oxfam’s Gone For Good donation app.
WHAT’S YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CO-OP
MOVEMENT ?
On a personal level the thing that appeals to me
about the co-operative movement is having a
different model and a different way of doing things
in the world and creating change. At Reason Digital
our biggest experience of the co-operative model is
around our work with housing associations. I hope
there will be more ways to work collaboratively
in the future – I think that the forthcoming Social
Business Wales conference will be a great way to
start doing that.
news
We’ve relaunched our membership,
offering member-owners more opportunity to
help us plot the future of our independent coverage
of the co-operative movement.
Find out more at:
thenews.coop/join
OCTOBER 2017 | 25

Lessons from the Netherlands:
Dilemmas of old and new co-ops
INTERVIEW
BY ANCA VOINEA
How can co-ops design a successful membership
proposition? This question is a key concern for
the Netherlands Co-operative Council. Arjen van
Nuland, chief executive of the council, was a
keynote speaker at the UK Society for Co-operative
Studies annual conference in Newcastle on 2-3
September. He looked at the main challenges faced
by old and new co-ops in the Netherlands.
The council was set up 85 years ago as a trade
body for co-ops in agriculture, finance and
insurance. However, three years ago it decided to
open its doors to co-ops in other sectors.
Mr Nuland has been leading the federation
since 2013, having guided the organisation
through a reform process that has seen it double
its membership from 50 to 100 members, which
account for more than 90% of Dutch co-ops’
turnover. Around 80-85% of the council’s income
comes from membership contributions.
The country’s first co-operatives started emerging
around 150 years ago in the financial sector,
using the model provided by Friedrich Wilhelm
Raiffeisen. Agriculture was the other main sector
during the movement’s early days. The first agri
co-ops were created by Gerlacus van den Elsen,
a Catholic priest who helped found Coöperatieve
Centrale Boerenleenbank. Between 1895-1920
co-ops were established in almost every large
village in the country.
The Netherlands now has more than 2,500 active
co-ops, with agriculture and finance remaining
the largest sectors. Around 70% of agricultural
turnover is in co-ops, well above the EU’s average
of 45%.
Along with traditional co-ops with a long
history that have been set up in these two sectors,
new co-ops have been founded over the past 50
years in energy, housing, industries or health and
social care. However, these newer co-ops account
for only 5% of the total turnover of Dutch co-ops.
Old and new co-ops face different challenges. For
newly established co-ops, the main focus is to
become sustainable. For traditional, larger co-ops
with a long history, the key issue is maintaining
democracy once they achieve scale.
“When you have a big number of members the
difference between members also becomes greater
as well, so you have to diversify the membership
strategy,” said Mr Nuland.
Since the federation represents both types of
co-ops, the council is supporting newer co-ops in
gaining a professional structure and assisting older
co-ops in maintaining their co-operative ethos even
after they reach scale. They focus on aspects such
as re-strengthening co-ops through new ways of
governance, consolidating members’ influence and
improving communication.
Mr Nuland explained how co-ops had to reinvent
themselves with every generation.
“My grandfather was a father and a supporter of
co-ops. He experienced that he couldn’t manage it
by himself. The next generation didn’t experience
that. As a member of the co-op, you have to see
the value of the structure,” he said, adding that
sometimes members failed to see the value of the
membership proposition.
“Co-ops need to develop new ways of connecting
members and add value to membership because if
they do not the members will act like consumers
and will not feel connected to their own company
any more,” he added.
To address the issue of member involvement
in co-ops, particularly larger co-ops, the council
developed a co-operative academy, which aims
to enable members to play a better role in the
governance of their co-op. They also publish a
magazine four times a year, which gets sent out to
members and politicians.
26 | OCTOBER 2017

“If the distance between co-ops and members events and pop-up labs
becomes too big then members don’t see the value where members can
mportant
of the co-op any more and you have to rebuild a share best
year
practices.
for Co-o
proposition that is valuable for members and fits in They recently hosted
the modern days,” said Mr Nuland.
a pop-up lab on how to
An enabling legislation provides a framework for revitalise a members’
businesses to become co-ops but actually being a council. Members also
co-op is different, he added.
get to explore issues
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for why they should be treated differently from Emma Laycock (legal
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Community
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EWBRAND...Richard
ickle,UKSCSSecretary,
isplaystheorganisation’s
ewlookwithco-operator
ylviaWollstonecraft
range of material. There are
UKSCS Conference: The Co-operative Commonwealth
The overarching theme of the 50th
anniversary conference of the UK Society
for Co-operative Studies was ‘the
Co-operative Commonwealth. This was
broken down into sessions covering:
co-op history, politics, public service,
education, new co-operativism, market
place and sustainability, leading and
managing, governance and accountability.
In particular, consideration was given to
Laurence Gronlund’s vision for a ‘modern
socialism’ and the development of a social
economy from his 1884 treatise entitled
‘The Co-operative
Commonwealth’
and how that may
compare with the
modern concept
of ‘common
wealth’ and the
re-imagining
of ownership,
Rachel Vorburg-Rugh
management and control of public, social
and private institutions.
During the open discussions, however, up.
the ‘commonwealth’ was contrasted with
the ‘commonweal’ (noun: The welfare
of the public), with some participants
arguing that the emerging social
co-operation, such as care services, was
more properly located in the latter.
This was re-enforced in the T.3
session: Co-operation in public service,
where Mervyn Eastman explored the
opportunities and risks within the
developing co-operative social care
approaches and models, as they are
emerging into a fractured market. Mervyn
challenged the co-op movement to decide
exactly what it is seeking to address,
within the current social care crisis.
Jan Myers presented on the different
ideological drivers for the enabling of
both the market and the community within
The Co-operatives Fortnight
Ian Pyper Memorial Lecture 2012
“The unit of the
Co-operative Movement...
is a woman”
Putting women at the heart
us a wider reach and the
ability to publish a wider
some exciting opportunities
to engage with us coming
public service reform, and Cheryl Barrott
latest thinki
spoke about the current architecture
within the co-op movement: Co-operatives message to
UK, the Care Forums, the Co-op party et
It has be
al and the differing assumptions around
public, private and personal models continue of to
care and the role of co-operation and
build that v
co-operatives in the delivery of services.
As part of her presentation, Ms Barrott want. So gi
announced the launch of the Co-operative
a place for
Guild of Social and Community Workers.
The Guild, to be launched in January, • Nick M
will give practitioners an opportunity to
deliberate, create co-operative practice,
develop core competencies and give a
practice perspective
Special
to Mr Eastman’s
o
challenge.
It is intended that the Guild will protect
the practice of co-operative social and
community workers, in any sphere,
public, private or personal, as Fair Care is
intended to protect co-operative services.
In Co-operatives
Fortnight, the Ian Pyper
Memorial Lecture
following last year’s hugely
successful visit by John
Restakis will be given by the
I would like to join
at the special rate
OCTOBER 2017 | 27
There is a l
Ursula Lidb
In the au
Cafe at Co-
Internationa
Last yea
Journal on

PREVIEW: MALAYSIA 2017
The International Co-operative Alliance Global
Conference and General Assembly
q Dr Linda Yueh (left)
and Dr Gro Harlem
Brundtland will deliver
keynote speeches at
the event
In November the global co-op movement will meet
in Malaysia for the International Co-operative
Alliance Global Conference and General Assembly.
The biennial event will bring together delegates
from around the world to explore how co-operatives
are putting people at the centre of development.
Malaysia is home to 12,000 co-operatives with
over seven million members and a turnover of
RM 34,950.98m (USD $8,126.29m). Their apex
body, ANGKASA, was founded in 1966 to unify
Malaysian co-ops and represent them at national
and international level.
The event’s programme promises a diverse
schedule structured around four themes: learn,
experiment, network and explore.
The conference opens on Wednesday, 15
November, with a keynote speech by Dr Linda
Yueh, who will provide a global outlook on
economic, environmental and social challenges
and the possible contributions of co-operatives in
addressing them. Dr Yueh is a member of the World
Economic Forum, a fellow in economics at Oxford
University and adjunct professor at the London
Business School.
There will also be debates, workshops and
networking sessions covering subjects such as
‘Building partnerships for the future’, ‘What is the
Alliance’s member value?’ and ‘An analysis of the
contributing to citizens’ health by co-ops’.
Delegates can also attend a book signing session
by Ed Mayo, secretary general of Co-operatives UK,
who will present his upcoming book A Short History
of Co-operation, and have the chance to meet the
candidates for the Alliance’s board before the
elections at the General Assembly.
On Thursday the conference will continue with
a plenary on ‘Assessing the co-operative sector’,
additional workshops and debates, and a closing
plenary including a keynote presentation by Dr
Gro Harlem Brundtland, former prime minister
of Norway, who will discuss the implications for
building a more sustainable future as a united
movement (see right).
An all-day visit to Malaysian co-ops is available
on Wednesday and Thursday. A closing reception
takes place on Thursday evening.
Friday will be dedicated to the Alliance’s General
Assembly, which is also open to attendees not
representing member organisations. The agenda
will include the election of the Alliance Board, the
approval of the 2016 accounts and appointment of
the auditor and proposed amendments to articles
and by-laws and motions or resolutions submitted.
More information on the Global Conference
and General Assembly and the full programme is
available online at malaysia2017.coop.
28 | OCTOBER 2017

The path to Kuala Lumpur:
An inside look at the Global
Conference from ANGKASA
This November, hundreds of co-operators will converge on Kuala Lumpur for
Cooperatives: Putting people at the centre of development, the Alliance’s
2017 Global Conference. We took a moment to check in with Dato’ Abdul
Fattah Abdullah, president of ANGKASA, the Malaysian National Co-operative
Movement and conference co-host, to see how the conference planning was
progressing and to give participants a sneak peek at what awaits them at the
biggest co-operative event of the year...
WHAT UNIQUE ASPECTS OF THE MALAYSIAN CO-OPERATIVE IDENTITY WILL BE
REPRESENTED AT THE CONFERENCE?
WHO IS DR GRO HARLEM BRUNDTLAND?
Dr Brundtland, who will deliver the
conference’s closing keynote plenary,
is a medical doctor and Master of Public
Health (MPH), and is known as the
‘Mother of Sustainability’.
Under her guidance in 1987, the
World Commission on Environment and
Development produced the landmark
report Our Common Future, also known
as the Brundtland report. The document
coined the concept of sustainable
development.
She graduated from the Harvard
School of Public Health in the USA in
1965 and worked as a doctor in Norway
until 1974, when she was appointed
minister of the environment. She went
on to lead the country as prime minister
in 1981, being in government for more
than 10 years.
She was a key figure in Norwegian
politics until 1996 when she resigned
from the Labour Party to make way for a
new generation of leaders.
Dr Brundtland was chair of the World
Health Organisation between 1998-
2003 and UN special envoy on climate
change between 2007-2010.
She is currently deputy chair of The
Elders, an independent group of global
leaders working together for peace and
human rights.
ANGKASA is very pleased to announce that all preparations to welcome
co-operators from around the world to the Alliance’s Global Conference are
under way and on schedule. As hosts, we are all very excited as the countdown
to the conference draws nearer to the day we receive our first guests.
Our hosting committees are also very busy finalising all the details together
with the Alliance secretariat to ensure that co-operators coming to the
conference will experience the true Malaysian hospitality that the country is
known for in this region.
I am also proud that our hosting of the conference has opened opportunities
to local co-op participation, from providing the airport transfers to bringing
co-operators on our scheduled tour programmes which will allow delegates to
visit successful co-operatives in the country.
The 50 volunteers who will be assisting during the conference will also be
from the Co-operative College; the experience will provide them with a global
insight to the world of co-operatives. As part of the conference, the hosts
have also prepared a programme that will showcase the rich culture and
traditions of Malaysia, such as the sampling of local fruits, enjoying traditional
performances and picking up local crafts.
Nothing was spared from ANGKASA, from the local hibiscus-inspired
Conference logo motif to the daily melting pot of various foods that everyone
will be enjoying.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST EXCITING AND UNIQUE ELEMENTS OF THE
GLOBAL CONFERENCE THAT YOU CAN SHARE WITH DELEGATES?
Again, as host and the apex organisation for co-operatives in Malaysia, we feel
this will be the best opportunity for us to showcase the very best of Malaysia to
fellow co-operators from around the world.
In line with the co-operative spirit, ANGKASA is happy to announce that we
will be providing special tour visits to interesting places for friends and family
accompanying you while you attend the conference. To those visiting Malaysia
for the first time, you will be in for a memorable experience during your visit.
TELL US ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY THAT MACCOPS PRESENTS.
At ANGKASA, we are very proud of our Malaysia Carnival of Co-operative
Products & Services (MACCOPS, for short). It is our way to see Malaysian
co-ops play a greater role in the ASEAN economic integration by linking with
other co-operatives from the region.
The 2017 MACCOPS edition will see more participation from international
co-operatives exhibiting products and services. As it will be organised in u
OCTOBER 2017 | 29

u conjunction with the Global Conference and
General Assembly, delegations from across this
region can also join the planned business matching
and business forum sessions.
Co-operatives need to play a more active role in
the economy, especially when it comes to wealth
creation. Strengthening our domestic position is
important and at the same time we need to look
to international markets and international partner
co-operatives to strengthen our revenue base.
Trade visitors to MACCOPS can expect to meet
decision makers from local and international co-ops
at the exhibition, engage in business matching and
participate in seminars and other events that will
ensure access to industry experts. Co-operatives
will have dedicated Coop-2-Coop networking
sessions. So, if your country’s co-operative or your
members might have something to showcase,
MACCOPS is the place to be.
WHY DID ANGKASA WANT TO HOST THE GLOBAL
CONFERENCE?
Many co-operatives have been comfortable
operating within Malaysia but the future is
bigger than that. We need to see ASEAN as
our domestic market especially as the ASEAN
Economic Community is becoming more important.
Malaysian co-operatives need to find strategic
partners globally who want to leverage the 8 million
co-operative members in Malaysia and vice versa.
We feel that hosting the Global Conference
together with Alliance will allow this to take place,
as the global sharing of experience and expertise
of co-operators from around the world can only
benefit the co-operative movement.
So once again, I take this opportunity to
welcome all fellow co-operators to come to Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia this November for the ICA
Global Conference and General Assembly while
experiencing ‘Malaysia, Truly Asia’.
Terima kasih.
Alliance president Monique Leroux
not standing for re-election
Monique Leroux, president of board of the International Co-operative
Alliance, has announced she will not be putting her name forward for
the position in this year’s elections due to “important personal and
family reasons”.
Ms Leroux was elected in 2015 for a two-year term following the retirement
of the UK’s Dame Pauline Green, and became the second female president
in the Alliance’s 120 year history.
“My time as president of the Alliance has left me with incredible memories,
and enabled me to discover a team of leaders who have marked me through
their convictions as much as by their dedication,” she wrote in a letter to
Alliance members. “I had the opportunity to meet some outstanding people
in more than 30 countries. I thank you for having been so generous with
your time and experience.”
The former chair, president and CEO of Desjardins Group (Canada’s
largest co-operative financial group) added that due to “some very particular
personal circumstances” she is forced to limit her activities outside Canada.
In November, she joined the board of finance and analytics company S&P
Global, and she also serves as chair of the board of Investissement Québec
and on the boards of public companies Michelin, Bell BCE and Alimentation
Couche-Tard.
“I maintain a deep conviction in the strength of the co-operative
movement,” she wrote. “More than ever, we are at a pivotal moment,
where our co-operative contribution can make a tremendous difference in
communities seeking to find a new direction in the face of global challenges.”
Ms Leroux said she was “proud” of what the Alliance has accomplished
during her tenure, citing the agreement with the European Union, the 2016
International Summit of Cooperatives, its representations on international
platforms before the UN and the B20, as well as the Alliance’s Action Plan.
“I would like to thank you for the confidence you have shown me,”
she said, “and I know that I will have the opportunity to express my full
appreciation at the [Alliance’s] annual general meeting in Kuala Lumpur,”
where the Alliance’s president elections will take place.
So far one candidate – Ariel Guarco – has confirmed they are standing
for the position. Dr Guarco has been the president of Cooperar, the national
apex organisation for co-operatives in Argentina, since 2001 and a member
of the Alliance’s board since 2013. He stood against Ms Leroux in the 2015
election, coming second with 28% of the vote.
30 | OCTOBER 2017

Analysis: Could a deal with Nisa change the Co-op
Group’s business model?
A month can be a long time in business. In July
Sainsbury’s was given exclusivity in its bid talks
for mutual grocery chain Nisa. But in August, the
Co-op Group became the exclusive bidder.
During those few weeks, Sainsbury’s grew
increasingly concerned that a formal bid would be
blocked by the Competition and Markets Authority.
This follows the CMA’s close scrutiny of Tesco’s
proposed acquisition of the Booker Group.
Tesco bid £3.7bn for Booker’s, a grocery
wholesale supplier to 5,000 stores branded under
the Londis, Budgens, Family Shopper and Premier
names. This would potentially increase Tesco’s
buying power and turnover by £5bn, but raised
questions about whether it would create an unfair
competitive advantage for Tesco.
Sainsbury’s reconsidered, and its exclusivity
period lapsed on 14 August without it making a
formal bid.
Nisa chairman Peter Hartley told his members:
“Sainsbury’s have made it clear they remain
interested in continuing to work with Nisa and
potentially making an offer, but they have informed
us they do not feel sufficiently comfortable to do so
until they have greater clarity over the evolving
regulatory and competition considerations.”
In a subsequent letter, Hartley indicated that
subject to the results of exclusive due diligence
being undertaken by the Co-op Group, a formal bid
will be made by the Co-op. It will then be up to the
Nisa members to decide whether to accept it.
There are obstacles to a deal being finalised
between the Co-op and Nisa, despite Nisa being
under financial pressure for a sale. Members had
been told that the Sainsbury’s offer was superior
to that from the Co-op and may be disinclined to
now accept what they were told was an inferior bid.
The Co-op has recommitted to its prior bid value
of £140m. This is despite Sainsbury’s withdrawal
and what might be regarded as Nisa now having
a potentially lower market value – Nisa has just
lost an important contract to Morrison’s to supply
McColl’s, reducing Nisa’s turnover.
The intriguing aspect of a Co-op/Nisa deal is
that it could lead to a change in the Co-op Group’s
business model. While Nisa is a mutual, it is a
very different type of mutual from the Co-op. Nisa
membership is based on store
ownership, with members’ stake
being based on how many stores
they own.
It is believed that one of the
attractions of the Sainsbury
proposal was that it offered
store owners a franchise-type
arrangement if they wanted it, so
store owners might both receive
cash and continue to own their
stores under Sainsbury branding.
Could the Co-op also offer a
franchise option?
In fact, the Co-op Group did
agree earlier this year to become a franchisor for
the first time in its history. (Southern Co-operative
already uses franchises for a few stores, but the
Group has not done so before.) MRH is Britain’s
largest independent operator of petrol stations and
associated retail outlets. It announced in May that
it will pilot seven outlets under the Co-op Group
branding as franchised operations. However,
it seems the Group is not willing to extend the
franchise model until the pilot project with MRH
has been assessed. The Co-op’s proposal to Nisa
is to enter into a wholesale supply agreement,
not a full franchise operation. Currently Nisa
does operate as a franchise in its supply to 3,466
convenience stores, owned by 1,300 members.
It is unclear how a wholesale supply arrangement
of branded goods, presumably sold in branded
shops, would significantly differ from a franchise
arrangement. However, it is reasonable to guess
that, having sold the rights to supply to the Co-op,
the store owners would not then pay a franchise fee
to the Group. One person close to the negotiations
referred to this as being a “granular” issue, which
presumably means that in practice the difference
between a wholesale and a franchise arrangement
is one of detail.
These matters must be surmised as the Group
failed to respond to detailed questions. A
spokeswoman for the Co-op Group limited her
comments to a statement issued about the bid. The
Group said: “We can confirm that we’ve entered
into a period of exclusivity with NISA, which will
provide the opportunity for us to carry out more
detailed due diligence in the coming weeks. After
this period and subject to approval from our board,
we hope to be in position where we can put forward
an offer to NISA members.”
The Group is clearly now in the driving seat.
Exactly what vehicle it will be navigating if and
when it takes over is as yet unclear.
ANALYSIS
BY PAUL GOSLING
OCTOBER 2017 | 31

BRICKS&MORTAR
How co-operative architecture has
shaped Britain’s skylines
PLANNING
BY NATALIE BRADBURY
Natalie is a freelance
writer with an interest
in cities, architecture
and art, who is currently
finishing a PhD at UCLan
about post-war art and
education
In 2016 and 2017 Co-operative Congress took place
in Unity Hall, Wakefield (above), representing the
resurgence of one of the co-operative movement’s
most impressive buildings.
Unity House was opened in 1904 as the
headquarters of Wakefield Co-operative Society.
Occupying an imposing corner plot in the centre
of town, it reflects the co-operative movement’s
historic commitment to educational and social
activities as well as trade, combining retail
space on the ground floor with office space and
a grand meeting hall above. Like many other
co-operative buildings of the time, it is adorned
with decorative features such as the wheatsheaf
and the beehive, which unmistakably express ideas
of mutual support and industry, and communicate
co-operative values such as solidarity.
Architectural historian Dr Lynn Pearson is
writing a book about the unique contribution the
co-operative movement has made to Britain’s
architectural landscape, which will be published
by Historic England in 2020. Dr Pearson explains:
“I’ve researched industrial buildings for several
years, and began to realise just how many Cooperative
Wholesale Society (CWS) factories there
were throughout the country. Co-op shops also
made a significant contribution to our townscape
32 | OCTOBER 2017

– they were pretty much everywhere – and the CWS
has left us a legacy of fine warehouses and offices
in some major cities.”
‘Co-opography’, an exhibition held at the
Rochdale Pioneers Museum in 2014-2015, asked
the public to contribute photos of their favourite
co-operative premises. These pictures told a
story of changing shopping, working and leisure
habits. They also demonstrated the vast number of
independent co-operatives that existed; each town,
village and suburb once had its own society, which
made its mark on the local landscape.
Stephen Marland has travelled around
photographing co-operative buildings and took
several of the photographs in the exhibition. “I
was attracted to co-ops as a vernacular typology,”
he says. “I love the tile work and architectural type
that characterises the majority of co-operative
buildings, and the sense of solidity and illusory
permanence that pervades them all – as well as the
ethics and history of the movement.”
The priorities of the co-operative movement
and its needs for space have changed over time.
After decades as a gig venue and nightclub, Unity
House was vacated in the 1990s. The story of its
resurrection and restoration is as remarkable as
the building itself. Following a community share
offer, it reopened in 2014 as a multi-purpose venue
hosting gigs and community activities as well as
housing a café and office space.
Another landmark co-operative building
transformed for a new purpose is the former
Newcastle Central Co-operative Society
headquarters. Opened in 1932, the streamlined
modern building, with distinctive twin clock
towers, had been empty for several years before
it was taken over by Premier Inn and reopened in
2016. This building, like many others, was designed
by the CWS architects’ department, which served
co-operative societies around the country from its
offices in London, Manchester and Newcastle. Dr
Pearson explains that local co-operative societies
were unusual in that they “took part in the
architectural process, helping to design their own
places of work”.
CWS architects embraced trends in architecture,
from art deco to mid-century ‘international style’
modernism. One of the best places to get a sense
of this is in Noma, Manchester’s ‘co-operative
quarter’, where buildings of different styles and
eras formerly occupied by the Co-operative Group
are currently being refurbished for office, retail
and leisure use. The elegant redbrick Federation
House, a former drapery warehouse opened in
1914, was one of the first to be redeveloped; it now
houses Co-op Digital, as well as an array of start-up
companies.
CO-OP BUILDINGS AND PUBLIC ART
Although many popular co-operative buildings date
from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,
a growing number of more modern co-operative
buildings are being celebrated and recognised
for artworks commissioned after the Second
World War. Artworks were often incorporated
into public and commercial developments at the
time, from libraries and schools to offices, as part
of a widespread desire to beautify living, working
and educational environments, to bring art to a
wider section of the population, to demonstrate
progressive values and to confer prestige. Dr
Pearson explains that “the Co-op made a big
impact with some lovely 1950s-60s murals on
shop exteriors, so attractive and colourful, and
now rare”.
Some of these murals were undertaken in-house.
Others were carried out by artists who, while not
household names, worked on some of the most
important buildings of the day and were innovative
in the techniques and materials they used. This
included the prolific architectural sculptor William
Mitchell, whose abstract fibreglass mural is the
centrepiece of the sleek 1960s foyer in the CIS
tower in Manchester. Mitchell undertook work for
commercial and public sector clients across the UK
and internationally; other notable commissions
include the decorative doors of Liverpool
Metropolitan Cathedral.
Next door in New Century House, two glittering
murals by Steven Sykes depicting stylised u
Clockwise from top left:
Unity Hall opened in 1904
as the headquarters of
Wakefield Co-operative
Society (image:
Co-operatives UK);
the former Newcastle
Central Co-operative
Society headquarters
opened in 1932;
Northmoor Road Co-op
in Longsight (image:
Stephen Marland); and
Huddersfield Co-op
(image: Stephen Marland)
OCTOBER 2017 | 33

p Alan Boyson’s ‘The
Three Ships’ mosaic
commissioned for a
former co-operative
department store
q William Mitchell’s
abstract fibreglass mural
in the foyer of the CIS
tower, Manchester
u musicians flank the stage in New Century Hall,
a 1960s ballroom that once hosted pop concerts by
some of the leading acts of the day. Sykes designed
the Gethsemane Chapel in Coventry Cathedral in a
similarly glitzy mosaic style.
A 1950s co-operative department store in
Coventry, built as part of the city’s post-war
redevelopment, was almost demolished after
Heart of England Co-operative moved out in 2015.
Unusual carvings on the pillars outside by John
Skelton, a nephew and apprentice of the artist and
craftsman Eric Gill, depict the history, activities
and ideals of the co-operative movement. These
have contributed to the council recognising the
building’s architectural significance, and it will be
retained and converted into housing.
In Hull, campaigners are fighting for the survival
of post-war artworks by Alan Boyson, as a large
area of the city centre undergoes redevelopment.
‘The Three Ships’ is a huge mosaic composed
of hundreds of glass squares that faces out
from a former Co-operative department store
(later converted into BHS and left empty since the
chain’s closure).
Leigh Bird from Hull Heritage Action Group
explains: “The links to Hull’s difficult wartime
years are very strong. Hull was the second most
bombed city outside of London, and it took 20 years
to rebuild the bombed Co-op that stood on the same
site.” Inside the building, a wall of glass fish, also
by Boyson, references the fishing industry.
Ms Bird adds: “Alan Boyson’s brief from the
Co-op was to create a piece of art that united the
community through art and industry. Its maritime
theme was the obvious subject for one of England’s
foremost fishing ports.”
A petition for the murals to be recognised and
protected has so far received over 3,700 signatures,
and Hull Heritage Action Group is hopeful that
the mural will be incorporated into any future
development.
“We want to ensure that the murals are around
for future generations,” says Ms Bird. “‘The Three
Ships’ has been part of our lives for over 50 years
and people seem to value it more than ever; I don’t
think many people simply view it as a storefront.
It looms large in the city centre and acts like a
compass where ever you are. For many people it
symbolises Hull more than the Humber Bridge.”
34 | OCTOBER 2017

CONCERN FOR COMMUNITY
Planning needs and community wishes
The Co-op Group has recently been at the centre
of several controversies involving sites where
communities opposed plans to build retail outlets
or housing.
In 2015 Dudley Council refused planning
permission for two stores proposed on pub sites
following a widespread protest. The plans were
rejected due to lack of parking provision and
possible adverse effects on business.
In Sandwell, plans to build a new co-op on the
car park of the Haden Cross pub were also rejected.
Friends Of Haden Cross group was formed and
more than 550 people signed a petition to ‘save the
pub’. In Essex, controversy continues over plans to
build a co-op retail store in the beer garden and car
park of the Eagle pub in the village of Galleywood
with an ongoing campaign as Chelmsford Council
considers the proposal.
Whatever the specifics of each case they all
face challenges in how co-operatives engage with
communities. Is the priority to engage just co-op
members or the people who actually live where the
buildings are proposed?
The question applies not just to the retail
sector but the increasing number of housing
and other projects in which co-ops are involved.
In Bedfordshire, a fresh application for four
properties in Wrestlingworth has been submitted
by the Group following a rejected bid for 30 houses
two years ago.
The original application was strongly opposed
locally and refused by Central Bedfordshire
Council on the grounds it “would cause harm to the
character and appearance of the area by extending
built development into the countryside”.
The Group has already taken steps towards wider
engagement – in December 2015 it became the first
major retailer to commit to protecting community
locals by joining with CAMRA – the Campaign
For Real Ale – to develop a set of principles for
convenience store developments on pub sites.
A spokesperson for the Group said: “Whenever
we propose a new development we always submit
a planning application – we value the views of
the community, and the submission of a planning
application allows residents and interested parties
to register views. As a community retailer, we
always take seriously the views of any community
where we are planning a development. Where we
have opened new stores on surplus land next to
pubs it is often the case pub owners invest in the
property, safeguarding it as a community asset and
ensuring it is well-placed to benefit from a new
neighbouring store. It is our experience that the
store and pub work really well together as a new
community hub, reinvigorating the area.”
The Group isn’t the only society to meet
opposition from sections of the local community
for issues around planning.
At Coleford in Gloucestershire, for example,
the Forest Of Dean council had to pay £35,000
in legal costs after the Midcounties Co-operative
successfully challenged a decision to permit a rival
Aldi outlet on undeveloped land.
High Court judge Mr Justice Singh made the
ruling in August after telling the council it had
failed to fully address the retail impact of a new
store – leading to residents setting up a ‘We Want
Aldi’ Facebook page, with some threatening to
boycott the Midcounties store. u
PLANNING
BY SUSAN PRESS AND
REBECCA HARVEY
p The Haden Cross
pub in Sandwell, where
plans to build a new
co-op on the car park
were initially rejected
OCTOBER 2017 | 35

q The site (in red)
at Desborough where
Central England Co-op
and two other landowners
are looking for permission
to build a residential
developmemt
u And in Rugby, Heart of England leased a stretch
of land to the council as a recreational area; after
the lease expired in 2015, the society applied for
planning permission to build 50 houses on what
had become known as Oakfield Recreation ground.
In March 2016 permission was refused. According
to the council, the co-op then fenced off the land
and refused to enter discussions on a new long-term
lease, instead of launching an appeal against the
decision, causing consternation among local dog
walkers, joggers and Sunday League footballers.
The appeal was withdrawn in April 2017 and this
summer Rugby Borough Council submitted a formal
offer to Heart of England to buy Oakfield Recreation
Ground – now listed as an asset of community
value following a successful application submitted
by the Save Oakfield Rec group.
Midcounties and Heart of England were not
available for comment at the time of going to press.
In Desborough, Northamptonshire, Central
England has appealed against a decision by
Kettering Council to refuse an outline planning
application for a residential development of up to
304 dwellings.
Andrew Buckley, head of property at
Central England Co-operative, says the society
“understands the complicated nature of the
planning process and the need to balance the
interests and needs of local communities”.
“We apply our co-operative values to the projects
we are involved in and work to ensure a fair and
balanced approach to the planning process as a
whole,” he says. “In relation to Desborough there
is a proven local need for more housing in the
area. The society submitted an outline planning
application in 2016 for the redevelopment of
land owned jointly with two other landowners
(including the local council).”
The application also incorporates public space,
nature areas and surface water management
measures. The plans would provide at least 30%
affordable homes and these would be a mixture of
rented and shared ownership.
“A public inquiry is due to be held at the end of
October and while the society is aware that there
has been some local opposition to the proposal, we
believe that the proposal presents an opportunity
to create an attractive built edge to the southern
boundary of Desborough and will provide a
development which will be both respectful of the
local character of the area and sympathetic to its
surroundings,” adds Mr Buckley.
“The application includes a landscape strategy
which will enhance both the biodiversity of the
area and create greater access opportunities for the
local community through the creation of a ‘green
corridor’ through the site creating community
recreation space. We believe the application will
bring significant benefits to the local community as
well as providing needed local housing.”
THE NEED FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
David Rodgers is an expert member of the
International Co-operative Alliance’s Principles
Committee and was interpretive editor of the
Guidance Notes to the Co-operative Principles
published by the Alliance in November 2015.
In his view, meaningful engagement with the
wider community is key to resolving conflict and
achieving positive outcomes.
“Communities object to development when
development is seen as being imposed on them and
impacting adversely,” he says.
“These impacts may be numerous and diverse,
such as disruption caused by construction, noise
154110 Desborough South | Design and Access Statement | AFL Architects
38 | OCTOBER 2017

and inconvenience of heavy traffic, additional
strain on local services such as schools and GP
services, loss of green space, poor design and
impact on visual amenity and provision of homes
that are not affordable to the local community.”
Mr Rodgers sees a clear distinction between
the private sector and co-operative approaches to
development.
“Most private sector developers and indeed
most housing associations and councils will make
some attempt to consult with a local community to
minimise objections to save time, cost and risk in
securing planning consent,” he says.
“However, they will ultimately rely on their
knowledge of the planning framework and their
ability ultimately to secure consent on appeal if
they are confident their development complies with
the LDF and they have agreed on terms for a section
106 agreement – which includes the provision of
some affordable housing – in advance with a local
authority planning officer.”
In these cases most consultation efforts are
tokenistic, says Mr Rodgers, and plans will only be
modified to take account of objections if this does
not affect the developer’s bottom-line profit from
the development. In contrast, the co-operative
principles, particularly Principle 7 (concern for
community), require a co-operative proposing
development to take a significantly different
approach to that of a private sector developer.
A CO-OPERATIVE APPROACH
“Principle 7 requires co-operatives to measure
‘value’ in a different way by having concern for the
wider ‘value’, not measured in money terms, for the
sustainable development of communities in which
they operate,” he says.
The Alliance’s guidance note to Principle 7
explains the concept of ‘sustainable development’
which emerged from the United Nation’s World
Commission on Environment and Development
1987 report ‘Our Common Future’. It was
incorporated into the additional Concern for
Community Principle 7 in the 1995 reformulation of
the Principles by the Alliance.
“It is a principle that commits co-operatives to
ensure all their business activities – including
any housing development – are undertaken with
concern for the sustainable economic, social and
environmental development of communities,”
says Mr Rodgers. “That requires a co-operative not
only to propose a development that is narrowly
beneficial for the co-operative and its members,
but which is one that meets this wider ‘concern for
community’ principle”.
The approach he would expect a co-operative
to take is one of positive community development
and engagement that starts early in the design
and planning process – as in the Central England
example in Desborough.
This requires “positive transparent engagement”
with the local community about both the proposal
and the development of planning application
designs, he explains. This can come through proper
consultation with representatives from existing
community organisations, where they exist, or
through setting up a representative consultative
group if necessary. This would look at all the
impacts of a proposed development and all realistic
and appropriate ways of mitigating adverse
impacts. The aim should be to ensure through
this engagement that the community ultimately
supports rather than objects to a proposal.
“This approach may not satisfy devoted NIMBYs
but it should ensure Principle 7 is complied with
even if all objections are not overcome,” adds
Mr Rodgers.
“Given the high demand for affordable housing
in most areas, I would expect such an approach
to produce a higher percentage of homes that are
genuinely affordable for a local community than
the minimum percentages required – and for
those to be owned or managed by a local housing
co-operative or community land trust which the
developer co-operative would help to establish.”
He would also expect the planning and
community consultation process to look at the
wider economic and environmental impact and
to achieve higher environmental design and
build standards than a private sector developer. If
done effectively it can lead to a development that
produces the same or better overall value for money
for the developer co-operative when compared with
the more usual private sector approach.
“The co-op should take a very different approach
– not just maximise value but recognise that value
can be measured in other ways.”
Mr Rodgers cites the Freiburg Charter – which
has 12 principles of sustainable urbanism – as an
exemplar of how co-ops can comply with the 7th
principle when developing surplus land assets.
“The local authority took a different approach
with a substantial site for 300 units,” he says.
“They had a community development approach
which reserved some units for self-build, some
of which were small-scale. They held a design
competition to make sure the development was
attractive and environmentally sound with some
units reserved for co-op housing. The Freiburg
charter for sustainable development which
emerged from that is, in my view, an example of
how you get the very best value from land and this
pays dividends because people become engaged.
“This is not just about disposing of your surplus
land and assets – that’s not the co-operative way.”
p David Rodgers, an
expert on the
Co-operative Principles,
says co-ops should view
the value of development
not just in financial terms
OCTOBER 2017 | 39

CO-OPS
HEAD OFFICES
Among the
most beautiful
buildings
in the world
q The Kyosi Plaza
in Japan includes a
rain chain that guides
rainwater from the roof to
the plants on the ground
As sustainable design is moving into the
mainstream of architecture and building, some
co-ops are leading the way in terms of highperformance
head offices. Apart from showcasing
their green credentials, co-ops are saving energy
costs by developing sustainable office buildings.
In July the World Architecture Festival has released
its shortlist of the most beautiful office buildings
in 2017. Among them is Co-op Kyosai Plaza of the
Japan CO-OP Insurance Consumers’ Co-operative
Federation (JCIF). The environmentally friendly
office building was completed in May 2015 when it
became the new headquarters of JCIF.
Designed by architects at Nikken Sekkei, the
building has a heat source system and task ambient
lighting and uses low-temperature waste heat. JCIF
was set up in 2008 by the Japanese Consumer
Co-op Union (JCCU) after a revised co-operative law
required co-ops involved in insurance to separate
their organisation from the insurance business.
Writing about their work, architectural firm Nikken
Sekkei said it integrated the latest environmental
building systems. They added that the Great East
Japan Earthquake had damaged many buildings,
with ceilings falling in several cases. “Co-op
Kyosai Plaza integrates the latest in environmental
building systems, making the most of the lessons
learned after the earthquake,” they wrote.
Co-op Kyosai Plaza features a green wall
decorated with crawl evergreen vine plants and
a rain chain that guides rainwater down from the
building’s roof to the plants on the ground.
The building exceeded its initial target of CO2
emissions of 335t/year, having had measured
values of CO2 emissions of 317t/year from June 2015
to May 2016.
Co-op Kyosai Plaza is not the only headquarters
building used by a co-op that has made the headlines
for its architecture and environmentally friendly
features. Back in 2013 the UK’s Co-operative Group
officially opened its new headquarters – One Angel
Square. The construction had been completed
in December 2012. The 14-storey site obtained a
Building Research Establishment Environmental
Assessment Method (BREEAM) score of 95.16%,
one of the highest ever achieved. At the time it
was declared the most environmentally friendly
building in the world.
One Angel Square uses half of the energy and 80%
less carbon than the Co-operative’s previous HQ.
It contains 325,000 sq ft of open plan office space
and a large central atrium. Two basement floors
include underground car parking, auditorium and
fitness facilities.
The innovative design by Architects: 3DReid
includes a twin skin façade and optimised lighting,
as well as its own source of heat and power
generation due to a CHP (combined heat and
power) plant located within the building. The head
office was designed to save 40-60% of the current
energy cost incurred by a standard head office
building. It also features low energy LED lights and
36 | OCTOBER 2017

IT systems and greywater and rainwater recycling
systems for toilet flushing and irrigation.
Thanks to the double skinned façade and soaring
open atrium the building uses natural heating,
cooling and lighting. One Angel Square also has
an on-site Combined Heat and Power plant, which
provides the majority of the heating and electrical
requirement and surplus energy is fed back to
the national grid. The building produces surplus
energy and zero carbon emissions.
Similarly, in Canada, a retail co-op is pioneering
a new approach to office buildings. The Mountain
Equipment Co-op’s (MEC) headquarters in
Vancouver features natural light, fitness
equipment, showers and a bike room, embodying
the spirit of the co-operative. Founded in the 1970s,
the co-op is a keen promoter of outdoor lifestyles
and environmental awareness.
The 12,100 sq m building is estimated to be
65% more efficient than conventional commercial
buildings based on the Model National Energy
Code for Buildings. It was designed by Proscenium
Architecture + Interiors Inc.
Heating and cooling is provided through a series
of 20 geothermal wells optimised through a ground
source heat pump. Fresh air is also tempered
through ceiling-mounted hydronic heating and
cooling panels.
The roof captures rainwater in a 7,700-gallon
underground cistern, which is used for flushing
toilets and irrigating the rooftop garden, providing
up to 80% of the non-potable water needed.
Due to the narrow floor plates, natural light
penetrates to the centre of the building, which
means that artificial light is only needed for a few
hours during the day and very little at all during
sunny days.
The sustainable approach ensured the building
was the winning project at the 2015 Canadian Green
Building Awards. It has also received the Award of
Excellence at the Canadian Consulting Engineers
Award gala in 2015.
Another Canadian business, Desjardins is now
home to one of the world’s tallest interior living
walls. The group is the largest association of credit
unions in North America.
The wall was designed by Green over Grey, a
design firm based in Vancouver that specialises
in the creation of living walls. For this 15-storey
wall they used more than 11,000 individual
plants, which were arranged according to colour,
texture, pattern and size. The plants are growing
in a hypodroponic system that is made of 100%
synthetic recycled materials.
The living wall is 213 feet high and has a total
surface area of 2,139 square feet. It includes 42
plant species, such as philodendron, monstera, fig
trees, ginger, snake plants (Sansevieria trifasciata),
elkhorn ferns (Platycerium bifurcatum), scheffleras,
clusias and banana plants. These will also help
clean and purify the air.
Chief designer for Green over Grey, Mike
Weinmaster, spent five months designing the wall
and selecting the plants to ensure the right balance
between the different colours and textures.
Investing in sustainable office buildings not
only helps save costs, but also leads to happier
employees and higher productivity. A 2016 report
by the World Green Building Council noted that
organisations all over the world are profiting from
increasing the health and wellbeing of the people
in their green buildings.
Beth Ambrose, director within the Upstream
Sustainability Services team at JLL and chair
of the WorldGBC Offices Working Group, said:
“The business case for healthy buildings is being
proven. All over the world, companies, both large
and small, are redesigning their offices, changing
working practices and trailing new technologies,
to improve the wellbeing of their staff, tenants
and customers.”
The Co-op sold its iconic
headquarters in February
2013 for £142m but the
building is being leased
to the Group until 2038.
q Desjardins is home to
one of the world’s largest
living walls
OCTOBER 2017 | 37

SUSTAIN:
The student-led co-ops embracing real food
ALBANY, PICCADILLY
The oldest continuing co-owned
housing complex in the world?
HOUSING
BY DAVID J THOMPSON
Co-op author and
historian David J.
Thompson learned of
Albany’s existence over
a decade ago. Finally, in
the summer of 2017, he
was able to see Albany in
person, but only dared to
venture far enough into
the Albany Court Yard to
take a few photographs,
as time and the ominous
doormen would not allow
more...
People have been living co-operatively (one
member, one vote) at Albany in London, since
1804, making it the longest continuously co-owned
apartment building in the world. That’s longer than
British monarchs have been living at Buckingham
Palace (Queen Victoria moved there in June 1838).
Albany, a set of iconic Georgian buildings
just off Piccadilly in central London, has been
co-owned by its members (known as ‘Proprietors’)
for 213 years, and has been home to some of
Britain’s most famous people.
Women were only allowed to officially visit from
the 1880s and were not allowed to become owners
(or ‘lessees’) until later. In the official founding
documents, the buildings were specifically and
legally called “Albany” but in recent years some
have begun calling it “The Albany”.
Albany was built in 1774 as a palatial threestory,
London mansion in the Georgian style for
the First Viscount Melbourne. The mansion was
sold to Prince Frederick, the son of King George
III, who in turn sold it to Alexander Copeland in
1802. Copeland hired architect Henry Holland to
subdivide the mansion, add other buildings and
convert the entire site into 69 different living “sets”
(more on this word later). At that point, Albany was
to be co-owned only by wealthy bachelors.
Since then, Albany has been a gathering place
for the Who’s Who of British life. Among its early
famous members were Lord Byron, William Ewart
Gladstone (PM) and Thomas Babington Macaulay
(historian). It the 20th century, Edward Heath
(PM), Sir Thomas Beecham (conductor), Graham
Greene (novelist), Sir A.M. Carr-Saunders (co-op
historian), Aldous Huxley (writer) and JB Priestley
(writer and co-founder of the Campaign for Nuclear
Disarmament) all called it home. And its 21st
century members (now open also to women, but
40 | OCTOBER 2017

not to any child under 14) have included Terence
Stamp (actor), Fleur Cowles (US writer & editor), Sir
Simon Jenkins (writer), Anthony Armstrong-Jones,
Lord Snowden (society photographer), Margaret
Thatcher, for just a few days (PM), and David and
Evangeline Bruce (US ambassador to UK).
One element of the expected etiquette of Albany
is that existing members should not disclose the
names of others who live there (although, clearly,
there are too many famous people living there
for their presence not to be divulged). Another
protocol, in this case followed quite seriously, is
that no one should talk to anyone while on the rope
walks which connect all the “sets”.
Owing to its unique prominence in English high
society, Albany has also been the well-described
literary abode of major fictional characters created
by writers such as Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan
Doyle, Georgette Heyer (who lived there), E. W.
Hornung, and Oscar Wilde.
In legal documents dating from its founding,
apartments at Albany have been described as a
“set(s)”. There are few clues in English real estate
parlance as to how the Albany apartments got
the name “set”; the layout of the building, which
is a series of passageways, scores of doors, many
separate entrances and in some cases shared
bathrooms, suggest that “set” was derived from
“setts,” the English name given to the underground
labyrinth occupied by Britain’s beloved badgers. As
with Albany, badger “setts” can house one or more
different badger families.
One study (T. J. Roper, Journal of Zoology, August
1992) that looked at British badger setts found the
largest sett to be almost 1,000 yards long, with
178 entrances, 50 underground chambers and 10
latrines. There can be between 6-15 badgers living
in each sett, which is often interconnected. Most of
the time badgers sleep alone in a separate chamber
in the sett. Given that the original intent for Albany
was a series of apartments for bachelors coming
to London from their ancestral homes in the
countryside in order to have their own individual
sleeping chambers, the term “set” might easily
have been borrowed from British badger life.
The owner of a set is called a Proprietor. The
Proprietors elect a board of trustees which governs
Albany and vets prospective proprietors prior
to completion of the purchase and taking up of
residence. William Stone (1857-1958), a long-time
Albany resident, purchased 34 of the individual
sets, one by one, and bequeathed them upon his
death at 101 years of age in 1958 to Peterhouse
College, Cambridge. Peterhouse College long-term
leases its sets, but those leasing residents still
have to be approved to live there by the Board
of Trustees.
Thousands of people hurry past the little-known
address every day. The entrance is set back at the
rear of Albany Courtyard, a small inconspicuous
narrow entry leading from Piccadilly only to
Albany. The entrance is guarded diligently by
foreboding liveried doormen.
Yet when you walk out onto Piccadilly from
Albany you enter one of the most famous and
busiest pedestrian streets in London. Across
Piccadilly from Albany is Fortnum and Mason,
Britain’s most prestigious department store for
both England’s almost 1,000-year-old aristocracy
and London’s nouveau riche. Living at Albany is
still one of the most treasured and sought-after
addresses in London. In 2017, a two bedroom set at
Albany was listed for £7m. None of the “sets” can
be found on Airbnb.
The history of co-operative housing has many
interesting beginnings and Albany is one of the
earliest forms of co-ownership. There are no indepth
studies on how Albany actually operates,
but it would be very interesting to map out how
the organisational and legal form of this unique
co-ownership has worked over its 213 years.
p Albany Courtyard from
Piccadilly (top); David J
Thompson on his visit to
the complex
q Some of Albany’s
notable former residents
include (left to right):
Lord Byron, Margaret
Thatcher, Fleur Cowles,
Aldous Huxley and
JB Priestley
OCTOBER 2017 | 41

MALAWI
MALAWI
Supporting co-op development
in the Warm Heart of Africa
MZUZU
LAKE MALAWI
LILONGWE
MALAWI
The Co-operative College has been delivering co-op development work in
Malawi for over five years, firstly through the Supporting Co-operatives in
Malawi project (2012-2015) funded through the Scottish government, and now
through the CEPEESM project (2015-2018).
CEPEESM (Co-operative Enterprise Pathways for Economic and Environmental
Sustainability in Malawi) is run by the College to encourage young people to see
co-ops as a viable livelihood option. It also aims to empower women; promote
environmentally sustainable agriculture; create awareness of renewable energy
technologies; and help grow co-operative support organisations through
strengthening the national apex body.
In August, Dr Amanda Benson and Dr Sarah Alldred from the UK’s Co-operative
College visited Malawi, attending focus groups in the central and northern
regions, and visiting co-ops to witness first hand the impact of the project.
Drawing on her experience of learning and agriculture, Dr Benson documented
the trip in a series of blogs for the College.
“This was my first time in Malawi,” she says. “The stunning scenery and
changing landscapes were breathtaking, but what was more amazing was to
see how the College’s work has made such an enormous difference, not only to
grassroots co-operatives and individual farmers, but also to strengthening the
movement so it’s sustainable in the long term.
“It was also impressive to hear about the training results of the College’s work
in Malawi, delivered by the CEPEESM project team, including John Mulangeni
(project manager) and three project officers, which has meant co-operatives are
becoming more recognised as a form of enterprise up and down the country.”
The following pages include edited extracts from Dr Benson’s blogs, and some
of the photos she took along the way...
u Read the full blogs online at co-op.ac.uk/news
42 | OCTOBER 2017

THURSDAY 10 TH
MZUZU FOCUS GROUP
TUESDAY 8 TH
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN MALAWI – WHAT CAN WE DO BETTER?
After a few days of adjustment and planning, we attended the first CEPEESM
focus group in Lilongwe, hosted by Portia Chirwa (project officer for the southern
region). It aimed to share information and experiences between co-ops from
the central and southern regions of Malawi. Around 40 co-operators attended,
along with participants from co-op support organisations such as the Malawi
Federation of Co-operative Organisations (MAFECO) and government ministries.
Participants emphasised the continuous support of the Co-operative College in
supporting them to develop the co-operative movement, while project manager
John Mulangeni highlighted the importance of participants strengthening their
co-ops by working together. He also demonstrated how co-operatives can help
achieve the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, making links
between each of the goals and the work that co-operatives are doing in Malawi.
Working groups then explored themes such as members (particularly young people and women), governance, production and value
chains. Many attendees felt that improvements have been made in the areas of governance and membership – but that more support
was needed to encourage young people to be trained in leadership roles. Access to improved agricultural information was also seen
as important, as was having better links to other co-ops.
The second half of the day focused on an open discussion session which aimed to find out how MAFECO can better serve the
Malawian co-operative movement, and also how the co-operative movement can help this fledgling organisation develop the most
appropriate services. Attendees were keen to emphasise that it is a reciprocal relationship, and that it is important for everyone to
feed into and support the apex as it grows, so it can best respond to what is needed.
WEDNESDAY 9 TH
THE LONG ROAD TO MZUZU
On Wednesday we drove five hours north to Mzuzu with John and Caanan Gondwe
(chair of COMSIP, the Malawian savings and investment promotion credit union).
The north is mountainous with a more temperate climate, and is home to the
famous Mzuzu Coffee Producers Co-operative Union. Mzuzu itself is a very peaceful
town nestled in the hills, with low bungalow-style buildings surrounded by trees and
smallholder plots and gardens. We had a trip to the Mzuzu Coffee Den to buy some
coffee beans, before driving up to the Mzuzu Coffee Suites, a lodge-style compound
with rooms to stay in. Both of these businesses are a good example of how the co-op
union is diversifying its business to increase incomes for its members.
The second CEPEESM focus group covered the
northern region of Malawi and followed the
same format as the first – although the types of
co-operative here are very different due to the
change in climate and geography.
Along with coffee, there are also rice, sunflower,
apple and fishing co-ops, along with the usual
soya and maize. More unusual co-ops include
the Maringa soap-making co-operative and even
a gemstone co-op dealing in precious and semiprecious
stones.
One of the points that came up was that many of the co-operatives were not part of a co-operative union, and so there was a lot of
discussion around the benefits of working together to strengthen their co-operatives. This generated some debate around how some
co-ops may struggle to pay the fees for the union. It was argued that sometimes their margins are very tight – particularly when they
are struggling to find markets for their goods or the price fluctuations in the markets affecting their profits.
Another issue that came up was that of supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities, the elderly and the chronically ill.
t Granite outcrops on the road to Mzuzu, known as ‘the elephant’
p From top: A CEPEESM focus group; the Mzuzu Coffee Den; Dr Amanda Benson (centre) with project manager John Mulangeni and project
officers Annie Nyirenda, Portia Chirwa and Judith Chisiye
OCTOBER 2017 | 43

FRIDAY 11 TH
MLONGOTI HORTICULTURE CO-OP AND HARA RICE CO-OP
The next day we travelled even further north to visit the Mlongoti
Horticulture Co-operative Society.
As we rose out of Mzuzu, the weather and landscape again
changed, from lush green misty hills to much warmer and drier
plains stretching to the base of sharp mountains. We turned off
the main road and into one of the valleys where the river has
been partially channelled into an irrigation canal which runs
beside the co-op’s main production area.
Members’ plots are irrigated via a number of ditches which feed
into their gardens and can be opened and closed as needed. We
saw cabbage, sugar beans, okra, castor, cassava, sweet potato,
tomatoes, yam and banana as well as other more perishable leafy
plants grown for home consumption in smaller quantities. The
co-operative members talked about how they have enormously
benefited from the organic fertiliser training offered by CEPEESM,
saying it has not only helped their production but also helped
them to stop having to use money lenders to buy fertilisers.
One woman joked that her husband used to hide when the
money lenders came at the times when he couldn’t afford to
repay them. I told her that also happens to people in the UK, and
they were surprised that people had similar issues in Europe.
One of the other important outcomes of the project they were
keen to share was the success of the gender training, saying
it had made real changes in their lives and that now both men
and women shared more of the domestic tasks, with men often
cooking and helping to clean the house.
Later we visited the Hara rice co-operative, close to Lake
Malawi. The drive there was stunning; the full panoramic view
of the lake was truly breathtaking. After following the shore for
half an hour we turned inland to the rice fields. They stretched
for miles, fed by irrigation channels which had formed part of a
government food security programme from the late 1960s.
The Hara rice co-operative has quite a sophisticated set-up with
a large processing unit containing storage facilities, hulling and
grading machinery along with a cleaning and packaging section.
After a tour of the processing unit, we met with co-operative
members, board members and staff in the shade of a mango tree.
One issue that came up through the course of the meeting
was the fact that there are 153 co-operative members, of which
87 are women, yet only three of the nine board members are
female. John and Annie Nyirenda (CEPEESM project officer for
the northern region) suggested that before the next AGM in
September they should run some sessions on gender equity and
women’s capacity building training for leadership.
John emphasised that as women form the majority of the
membership, they have the responsibility to ensure they have
representation on the board.
This has been a big focus of our work across Malawi, with the
number of women in leadership positions within co-operatives
up by over 10% since the College started delivering these training
programmes in the country.
SATURDAY 12 TH - SUNDAY 13 TH
THE JOURNEY BACK TO LILONGWE
For the journey back to Lilongwe, John suggested we visit the lake
shore. We drove via some of the lakeside tourist resorts as well as
small fishing communities; people fish using very small boats similar
to canoes, most of them seemingly made from one single tree trunk.
Much of the fishing is done at night, with lights used by the fishermen
creating the ‘Lake of Stars’.
The main fish for sale along the shore was Chambo, both fresh and
dried or smoked, but people were also selling very small dried fish,
Usipa, and catfish, Mulamba. John stopped to buy some fish to take
home, which were tied to the windscreen. This meant they were kept
cooler and the constant air movement prevented flies from landing on
them, but did make for an interesting view from the front seat!
Clockwise from top left: One of the irrigation channels at Mlongoti Horticultural Co-op; the Hara Rice Co-op; meeting with the Dzaonewekha
Dairy Co-operative; Mwansambe Coffee Co-op chair, Niffa Chumachiyenda, with CEPEESM project manager John Mulangeni; the Kusamala
forest garden; and Lake Malawi at dusk
44 | OCTOBER 2017

MONDAY 14 TH
DZAONEWEKHA DAIRY CO-OP AND MWANSAMBE COFFEE
CO-OPERATIVE
The Dzaonewekha Dairy Co-operative in the central
region of Malawi, approximately 40km south of Lilongwe,
started as an informal group in the 1970s. The group
was given refresher training by Judith Chisiye (CEPEESM
project officer for the central region), which they said
equipped them with the knowledge to generate profit
and be self-reliant, enabling them to buy a generator and
cooling tank, and the newer of their two buildings.
The co-op has 356 members (172 men and 174 women)
and an average of two cows per member, each with a daily
yield of approximately 15 litres. People said this yield has
greatly increased since they received training through the
CEPEESM project, from 1,000 litres to 1,400 litres per day,
mainly through training on feed improvement and organic
fertiliser. The members also emphasised how much the
training on how to buy shares in the co-operative had
enabled them to improve the dairy’s infrastructure, as
well as the business training and record keeping. They
also spoke of how the project has connected them to
other co-operatives, which has enabled them to share
information and ask for advice.
Heading even further south we reached the Ntcheu
district where the Mwansambe Coffee Co-operative is
based. There we met with Niffa Chumachiyenda, chair of
the co-operative. John said that her surname very fittingly
translates as ‘worth the travels’!
We looked at a plot of coffee plants and discussed
some of the issues farmers were facing, such as sandy
soil. We talked about compost making and introducing
organic matter in to the soil – I asked them if they made
compost with their food waste such as banana peels and
they said they just throw them away, so we talked about
building a compost heap and adding leaves and other
plant waste to break down and improve the soil structure.
The co-operative was registered in 2015 and now
has 300 members, 229 of whom are women. Before
registering they had received a visit from the CEPEESM
project and realised that they would be able to generate
better profits if they formed a co-operative. Since then,
they have received training on organic manure-making,
liquid manure, leadership and governance. They said
was very important for them to understand the difference
between leadership styles, distinguishing between
dictatorship and democracy. They also learned about
business management, saying that this really opened
their eyes to how they can better run their business;
previously, as individual farmers, they were growing
things without thinking about what was wasted and what
they were getting in return, so it was impossible to know
if they were making a profit.
I asked what had been the most important aspect of
their training that the College had delivered and they
agreed that it was the leadership training. They felt this
had been the most helpful as it had greatly improved the
working relationships between the co-operative leaders.
TUESDAY 15 TH
VISIT TO KUSAMALA
Kusamala is the Malawi host organisation for the College’s project with
the William Jackson Food Group, situated on the outskirts of Lilongwe. The
aim of this project is to improve the livelihoods of farmers in the region
and increase organic production. It also aims to increase awareness
of issues around gender and youth, and HIV and AIDS. The College’s
involvement focuses on overall project governance and promoting the
ways in which the co-operatives can benefit small-scale farmers.
Kusamala worker Biziwiki showed me around the site, which is zoned
into different areas comprising demonstration plots, chicken and pig
enclosures, staple crops and a forest garden. There is also an outdoor
classroom, a communal kitchen and accommodation area along with
various compost toilets.
We talked about the fact that indigenous varieties of vegetables suffer
from a lack of perceived value, but how they are often hardier and more
nutritious than the imported varieties. One of the most interesting plots
was the ‘home garden’ plot. This is used to show people how best to make
the most of the area around their homes by growing a range of crops at
different levels and with mixed vegetable beds of complementary plants
– and ensures that there is always something in the garden to eat, even
when water is scarce.
The Co-operative
College’s work
empowering
communities in Malawi
and other regions is
ongoing. To find out
more about this work,
and how you can
support it, contact Paul
Cocker on 0161 819
3000 or email paul@
co-op.ac.uk.
OCTOBER 2017 | 45

SOCIAL SATURDAY 2017
RAISING AWARENESS OF BRITISH SOCIAL ENTERPRISES
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
BY REBECCA HARVEY
pu Michael Sheen, a
patron of Social Enterprise
UK , features in a new
short film promoting
Social Saturday
WHAT ARE SOCIAL ENTERPRISES?
Social enterprises are businesses – including cooperatives
– that ‘put people and planet first’, and
Social Saturday is the annual celebration of these
organisations, held to raise awareness and inspire
consumers to buy from them.
The first Social Saturday, organised by Social
Enterprise UK, took place in 2014, and since then
awareness of social enterprise among the general
public has risen from 37% to 51%. The annual event
is supported by the Department for Digital Culture,
Media and Sport and in 2017 is sponsored by the
Co-op Group.
“Social enterprises are using the power of
business as a force for good,” says Peter Holbrook,
CEO of Social Enterprise UK. “Through where they
work, who they employ and how they operate,
they are creating jobs for those who need them
most such as the long-term unemployed or the
homeless. They’re protecting our environment and
rejuvenating our communities.”
Social enterprises are businesses that put people and planet first, by
re-investing their profits to provide training, employment, housing,
health, education, clean water and much more. Due to their structure,
co-operatives can be classed as social enterprises, and this year co-ops
are getting involved in the celebrations...
Social enterprises reinvest their profits back into
their social mission, and the event aims to focus on
the work different UK social enterprises are doing
across the country.
“The best way to support social enterprises is
to buy from them,” adds Mr Holbrook. “This year
we’re asking consumers to swap their purchases for
social enterprise ones, be that coffee, socks, sofas,
chocolates, jewellery or even changing where your
get you bike fixed. Whatever you’re after, chances
are there’ll be a social enterprise supplier out there
– you may be making one small change, but it will
have one big impact.”
The campaign is being supported by actor
Michael Sheen, a patron of Social Enterprise UK,
who features in the campaign’s 2017 video. “We
have a choice about where we spend our money
and how that money gets used,” he says. “We can
choose to support social enterprises which make a
difference on issues that matter to us.”
Last year’s Social Saturday campaign reached
47.3 million people globally, and this year will build
on that through short films, media campaigns, a
dedicated microsite and a range of events across
the country.
According to Steve Murrells, Co-op Group CEO,
the retailer is supporting the campaign as “it’s
a great way to let people know there’s a different
way of doing business that meet the needs and
expectations of consumers today”.
46 | OCTOBER 2017

SOCIAL SATURDAY EVENTS AROUND THE UK
“The Co-op was created back in 1844 with a
set of values and principles that serve a social
purpose,” he says. “This difference is something we
know our members value and increasingly see as
being relevant both to themselves and within their
communities, but also in addressing issues that our
country faces today.”
Lord Victor Adebowale, Co-op Group director and
chair of Social Enterprise UK, believes consumers
have a right to know about the choices available
to them when making purchases. “By choosing
to support social enterprises people can use their
money to make a difference to communities that
are important to them,” he says. “Social Saturday
aims to inform consumers of this choice.”
MON 9TH OCTOBER: SOCIAL
SATURDAY LAUNCH EVENT BY THE
CO-OP GROUP (MANCHESTER)
The Co-op Group, sponsor of Social
Saturday, is hosting a launch event
at its Angel Square HQ, with speakers
and co-ops (including Bala Balls)
exploring and celebrating social
enterprises. For an invitation, email
edward.powell@coopdigital.co.uk.
FRI 13TH OCT: NORWICH (YOUR OWN
PLACE CIC)
Local and not so local social
entrepreneurs will be joining a crosssector
group of enthusiasts to hear
about the impact of social enterprises,
and how they can work together to
make best use of the Social Value Act
in communities and promote social
enterprise locally.
FRI 13TH OCT: HEY GOOD SPENDER
– SOCIAL MARKETPLACE AT THE
TRAMPERY (LONDON, FROM 4PM)
The Trampery Old Street will be
hosting a one-of-a-kind event to
inspire shoppers to buy from other
social enterprises. There will be 15+
stalls selling clothing, accessories,
homeware and more. Ethical drinks
and nibbles will be served.
“”
PEOPLE CAN USE
THEIR MONEY TO
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
TO COMMUNITIES
THAT ARE IMPORTANT
TO THEM
SAT 14TH OCTOBER: SOCIAL
ENTERPRISE POP UP MARKET
AND COOKERY DEMONSTRATION
(BOROUGH MARKET, LONDON)
Borough Market will host a pop-up
social enterprise stall, plus cookery
demonstration from social enterprise
restaurant, Brigade, and speeches
throughout the day by social
entrepreneurs.
SAT 14TH OCTOBER: SOCIAL
ENTERPRISES IN THE MARKETPLACE
(COVENTRY, 10AM-4PM)
Coventry achieved Social Enterprise
Place status in November 2016 – and
to celebrate, it is co-hosting a ‘market
place’ within one of its newest social
enterprises, Coventry Priory, where
social enterprises can sell their goods
and services to the public.
VIEW ALL 60+ EVENTS AT S.COOP/SOCIALSAT17EVENTS
OCTOBER 2017 | 47

REVIEWS
Recalling the co-op wartime chapter in the career of cartoonist Giles
Giles’s War
Edited by Tim Benson
(Random House Books,
2017)
THREE
READS
Carl Giles (1916-1995) is best known for his decadeslong
career with the Daily Express and Sunday
Express newspapers, which saw him become one
of the country’s most popular cartoonists.
But – despite working for Conservative
newspapers, a love of the finer things in life that
saw him drive a Bentley, and the apolitical tone of
his work – Giles was a committed socialist. And
he spent his formative years as cartoonist for the
Reynold’s News, a left-wing Sunday paper owned
by the Co-operative Press.
This phase of his career makes up the bulk of a
new book of his cartoons from World War II, edited
by Dr Tim Benson, an expert on political cartoons.
In his introduction to Giles’s War, Dr Benson
says the cartoonist originally set out to work as an
artist on animated films – and the influence of this
remained in the detailed single-framed cartoons
that won him fame.
This style was honed during his time with the
Reynold’s News, which began printing his work in
1937 and was to present him with the challenging
subject matter of the war.
“Giles’s earliest cartoons at the Reynold’s News
already contained the energy and wit that would
make him famous,” writes Dr Benson.
“Giles later called his wartime work ‘primitive’
compared to what came after, and at times this was
certainly true. However, towards the end of the war
one can see that he had already honed his skills as
an accomplished draughtsman.”
The war solidified his political allegiance to the
Reynold’s News, as he shared the paper’s dislike
Gillian Lonergan is librarian at the National
Co-operative Archive.
1. Life as We Have Known It, edited by Margaret
Llewelyn Davies (Hogarth Press, 1931, reissued by
Virago in 2016). A rare volume enabling working
class women to tell their stories in their own words.
In letters to the Women’s Co-operative Guild,
members describe the experience of their lives
in the period between the wars. They show how
involvement in the Guild, co-operatives and the
wider community enriched their lives and improved
their communities.
2. A Century of Co-operation, by G D H Cole (George
Allen & Unwin for the Co-operative Union, 1944).
As part of the centenary celebration for the
Rochdale Pioneers, the Co-operative Union
commissioned Cole to write a history of the
co-operative movement. Beginning with the
Rochdale Pioneers, he goes back to “Co-operation
of prime minister Chamberlain and his policy of
appeasement towards the Hitler regime.
And this shared politics saw him make life-long
friends among colleagues at the paper, and also
write several articles.
But he soon felt he had outgrown the
co-operative Sunday title, which offered a lower
salary than its daily rivals and also had less
space to run his cartoons. So, in October 1943, he
switched to the Express where he would spend the
rest of his career.
“Giles either felt guilty about resigning from
Reynold’s News,” writes Dr Benson, “or was made
to feel so by his former colleagues, who believed
he had sold his soul to the Tories. This reaction hurt
him deeply.”
Giles would seek to defend what he called his
“Judas act”, declining to correct rumours that the
Reynold’s News had cut down his work to free up
space. He also claimed he had been headhunted
by the Express when in fact he had approached the
paper himself.
His departure was met with sorrow by Reynold’s
News readers, Dr Benson notes, and even prompted
one forlorn reader to send in a poem which asked
“tell me, oh why have you robbed us of Giles?”
Giles’s War collects nearly 150 of his cartoons
for Reynold’s News, along with his later efforts for
the Express.
The cartoons offer a vivid portrayal of the war, of
Giles’s formative years and of a brief chapter in the
history of co-operative journalism, when it boasted
a future icon among its ranks.
before the Pioneers”,
then forward to show
the development of
the movement. It is still
the clearest history of
the movement I know.
3. Self Help by the
People: the History of
the Rochdale Pioneers
1844-1892, by George
Jacob Holyoake (Swan
Sonnenschein & Co,
1893). Holyoake was a regular visitor to Rochdale
and knew several of the original 28 Rochdale
Pioneers. This is not just a history, it was written,
very deliberately, to use the story of the Pioneers
to inspire others to follow their example and
develop co-operative societies of their own. Copies
translated into French, German and Russian helped
to spread the story.
48 | OCTOBER 2017

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be a member
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DIARY
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Sarah Deas will
speak to the Scottish Cross Party Group on
Co-operatives in Edinburgh on 24 October;
Carwyn Jones is among speakers at the
Co-op Party conference, held in London
13-15 October; the Co-operative Retail
Conference is being organised for 9 March
next year in Kenilworth; and Cheryl Barrott
from Change Agents speaks at a Co-op
Party centenary event in Southampton on
4 November.
5 Oct: Social Business Wales Conference
2017 Free annual conference to provide
inspiration, ideas and practical skills.
WHERE: Llangollen Pavilion, Llangollen
INFO: s.coop/25wdl
12 Oct: Co-ops Collaborating
for a Sustainable Future
Free conference and lunch from
Co-operatives South East with a focus
on sustainability, new trading streams,
reduced operating costs and stronger
connections across the co-op movement.
WHERE: Brighthelm Church & Community
Centre, Brighton
INFO: s.coop/25wkn
13-15 Oct: Co-op Party Annual Conference
Speakers include Labour leader Jeremy
Corbyn, deputy mayor for London Joanne
McCartney and first minister for Wales
Carwyn Jones.
WHERE: Central Hall, Westminster and
Tower Bridge, London
INFO: party.coop/event/conference-2017
20-21 Oct: Community Woodlands and
Making Local Woods Work Conference
With speakers, presentations, site visits
and workshops. Friday’s events begin
with a networking lunch and are followed
by a dinner and ceilidh.
WHERE: Westerwood Hotel, Cumbernauld
INFO: s.coop/25vvs
24 Oct: Scottish Cross Party Group
on Co-operatives
An opportunity to listen to and help
inform MSP thinking on how worker
ownership can contribute to Scottish
government agendas on growth and fair
work. With contributions from James Kelly
MSP, convenor of the group, and Sarah
Deas from Co-operative Development
Scotland.
WHERE: Committee Room 6, Scottish
Parliament, Edinburgh
INFO: s.coop/25wko
4 Nov: The Future for Co-operation
Co-op Party centenary event by the
Dorset and Hampshire & Isle of Wight
branches, looking at banking, housing,
sustainability, local councils, and older
people. Speakers include Alan Michael
MP, Lord Roy Kennedy and Cheryl Barrott
of Change Agents.
WHERE: Southampton Old Bowling Club,
Lower Canal Road, SO14 3AX
INFO: s.coop/25wm6
9 Nov: Making The Co-op University
Co-operative College event offering the
chance to network and share thoughts on
how a co-op university should look.
WHERE: Federation House, Manchester
INFO: www.co-op.ac.uk
14-15 Nov: Locality Convention 2017
Two days of inspiration and learning
for Locality’s members, partners
and everyone working in the
community, voluntary and social
enterprise sectors.
WHERE: Midland Hotel, Manchester
INFO: www.locality.org.uk
LOOKING AHEAD
14-17 Nov: ICA Global Conference and
General Assembly (Malaysia)
16 Nov: Practitioners Forum 2017
(Manchester)
27-28 Nov: Employee Ownership
Association Annual Conference
(Birmingham)
9 March, 2018: Co-operative Retail
Conference (Kenilworth)
50 | OCTOBER 2017

#SBWConf17
Alan Mahon
Jo Wolfe
Ken Skates AM
Keynote speakers include:
Alan Mahon, Co-founder, Brewgooder
Jo Wolfe, Managing Director, Reason Digital
Ken Skates AM, Economy Secretary for Wales
Derek Walker, Chief Executive, Wales Co-operative Centre
Topics to be covered include:
• Future of finance
• Public sector procurement
• Digital transformation
• Leadership and succession
• Developing new products
• Agile project management
• Power of PR
• Opportunities for growth
Derek Walker
Social Business Wales
Conference 2017
Supporting social businesses with aspirations
to grow and be more sustainable
Llangollen Pavilion, Denbighshire
Thursday 5th October, 9:30am - 4.00pm
This free national conference will provide an environment
for knowledge exchange, sharing best practice and
networking within the sector; encourage innovation;
and provide opportunities to learn from and build
partnerships with the private and public sector.
To register for your free place, visit:
bit.ly/sbwconference2017

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