MAY 2018

How can co-ops keep their place on a political
agenda so heavily dominated by Brexit?
With Brexit dominating the political forum in the UK,
getting co-operatives on the government’s agenda
could prove to be a challenge.
A survey conducted for the Independent newspaper
by BMG Research in December 2017 showed that 60%
of people believe important domestic issues were
being ignored by ministers who were preoccupied
with Brexit. Key concerns highlighted in the survey
included the UK’s housing crisis and the increasing
demand faced by the NHS.
Similarly, at their annual conference earlier this
year, members of the British Chamber of Commerce
called on the government not to let Brexit overshadow
domestic issues.
Claire McCarthy, general secretary of the
Co-operative Party, says that while the UK’s exit from
the EU continues to dictate national headlines, the
day-to-day work of making the case for the co-op
model continues.
“In the last 12 months, Labour & Co-op MPs and
peers have questioned ministers, laid amendments
to legislation and instigated debates on a wide range
of topics,” she says. These topics have included
support for community energy, the expansion of
credit unions, support for employee ownership and
employee share ownership, the contribution of the
co-op sector to the British economy, the benefits
of mutual guarantee societies, regulatory burdens on
co-ops, the need to grow the co-operative sector and
tackling modern day slavery.
t The Welsh Government is supporting the
Development Bank of Wales to help agricultural
co-operatives u The farming minister met with
co-ops to discuss the challenges the farming
industry faces because of Brexit
44 | MAY 2018