DECEMBER 2018

DECEMBER 2018
ENGAGEMENT
A co-operative
way to make
connections
Plus ... the 2018
Practitioners Forum ...
New real living wage
rates ... MND elections
ISSN 0009-9821
9 770009 982010
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news
Co-op engagement: Spreading
the word, bridging divides
CONNECTING, CHAMPIONING AND
CHALLENGING THE GLOBAL CO-OP
MOVEMENT SINCE 1871
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Rebecca Harvey
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INTERNATIONAL EDITOR
Anca Voinea | anca@thenews.coop
DIGITAL EDITOR
Miles Hadfield | miles@thenews.coop
EDITORIAL
Jen Banks | jen@thenews.coop
DESIGN:
Keir Mucklestone-Barnett
DIRECTORS
Elaine Dean (chair), David Paterson
(vice-chair), Sofygil Crew, Gavin
Ewing, Tim Hartley, Beverley
Perkins and Barbara Rainford.
Secretary: Richard Bickle
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cooperativenews
Widening economic equality and years of austerity have left a
divided and disillusioned society. The co-operative movement has
responded by offering a positive way forward, bolstered by falling
confidence in the old ways of doing things – from top-down,
centralised politics to conventional, corporate business models.
But how does the movement reach out to convince people of the
benefits of its new approach? At last week’s Practitioners Forum in
Manchester (p25-27), Co-operatives UK launched the theme for next
year’s Co-operatives Fortnight (p9). This calls on co-ops to share films
of themselves performing acts of co-operation on social media to
help build a society based on the movement’s ethos.
But the public may be wary after years of top-down public
services reform have only brought disruption, cuts and job
losses. It’s important to keep them on board when moving to a
mutual approach to ensure new models are truly democratic
and that this time, change is for the better. This month, we take a
look at how UK housing mutuals, and the growing movement of
co-operative councils, are working to do just that, by building
democratic engagement into their development process (p34-39).
In the US, there’s an even more direct approach being taken, with a
scheme by Cleveland’s Evergreen Co-operatives to buy up businesses
and convert them to worker-owned firms (p32-33).
For a young co-op, success can bring challenges: we speak to a rising
star of the worker co-op movement, Outlandish, about how it keeps
its co-op engaged (p30-31).
For more established players, there are other concerns – witness the
wage dispute at Canada’s Saskatoon Co-op (p40).
Elsewhere, we take a look at the Californian housing co-op model
(p42-43), the campaign for the Living Wage (p44-45), and the work of
the Co-op Group’s member-nominated directors (p46-47).
MILES HADFIELD - DIGITAL 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.
DECEMBER 2018 | 3

THIS ISSUE
CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT
Lord Victor Adebowale spoke at the
Practitioners Forum (p25-29); Hazel Blears
tells us why you should think about applying
to be an MND (p46-47); Merthyr Valley
Homes are engaging with tenants in new
ways (p34-39); and Kayleigh Walsh from
Outlandish talks about the challenges
of engagement facinga young worker
co-operative (p30-31).
COVER: The 2018 Practitioners
Forum took place on 22 November,
covering communications; finance;
governance; HR and membership
(Image: Co-operatives UK)
Read more: p25-29
22-23 MEET... KATIE COSGRAVE
Youth engagement officer at the Reclaim
Project, a youth leadership and social
change organisation
25-29 PRACTITIONERS FORUM
Updates from the annual professional
development event organised by
Co-operatives UK
30-40 A CO-OPERATIVE WAY TO MAKE
CONNECTIONS
30-31 ENGAGEMENT AND GROWTH:
LESSONS FROM OUTLANDISH
We speak to Kayleigh Walsh, who
says delivering service should be the
key focus, rather than growth
32-33 A DIRECT APPROACH
In Cleveland, Ohio, Evergreen
Co-operatives is stepping in when
business owners reach retirement,
buying their firms and switching them
to employee ownership. Could other
cities and countries follow suit?
34-39 MUTUALISING PUBLIC
SERVICES: HOW DO WE ENGAGE WITH
WORKERS AND THE PUBLIC?
From housing mutuals to co-op
councils, mutual alternatives are
being increasingly explored. So how
can public involvement in this
be managed – and how can they be
convinced to come on board in the
first place?
40 ENGAGEMENT DISPUTES
ln a co-operative, engagement with
colleagues doesn’t always run smoothly.
We take a look at Canada’s Saskatoon
Co-op, which is locked in a pay dispute
with its staff
42-43 HOUSING
David Thompson on a low-cost
ownership oasis in a desert of apartment
unaffordability
44-45 REAL LIVING WAGE
New rates were announced last month.
What impact can it have, and what are
co-ops doing about it?
46-47 MND SELECTION
Current member-nominated director at
the Co-op Group, Hazel Blears on why you
should think about applying
REGULARS
5-14 UK updates
15-21 Global updates
24 Letters
48 Books
50 Events
4 | DECEMBER 2018

NEWS
RETAIL
Central England Co-operative appoints Debbie Robinson as new chief executive
p Debbie Robinson will join the society next spring, from Spar
Debbie Robinson has been appointed
CEO of Central England Co-operative,
following the announcement that Martyn
Cheatle will be retiring in May.
Ms Robinson, who has previous
experience at the Co-op Group, will join
the society in the spring from Spar, where
she has been UK managing director
since 2011.
She has held directorships for food
retailers specialising in store innovation,
brand strategy and global development
and has over 30 years of experience in
retail with Marks & Spencer, WH Smith
and others.
In her new role she will be responsible
for developing the strategic and
commercial direction of Central England,
which has 400 trading outlets across
16 counties.
“I am delighted to be joining a
progressive and truly co-operative society,”
she said. “I look forward to building on
the fantastic work Martyn has done and
working with the team to ensure Central
England Co-operative fulfils its ambitions
and potential, making a real difference
for our members and the communities
we serve.”
She added that her vision for the future
of the society is to “grow sustainably and
make the most of the society’s key USP;
our co-operative principles”.
Elaine Dean, society president, said
Central England was “delighted” to
welcome Ms Robinson at a time of growth
and development for the society.
“Debbie is no stranger to co-operative
ethics and values, having previous
experience at a senior level within the cooperative
movement,” she said.
“She has a sound track record of
success and is highly respected in the
retail sector.”
Ms Dean added: “This is the first time
in the society’s history that we have had
a female chief executive and the board
is confident in her ability to take us
forward as a dynamic and independent
co-operative society.
“We look forward to working with
Debbie as we build on our strong
foundations and plan for the future.”
Mr Cheatle said: “I am incredibly proud
of the society and our colleagues, all of
whom have contributed to the continued
success Central England Co-operative
has worked so hard to achieve in the time
I have been chief executive.
“I wish Debbie all the very best for her
future with the best independent retail
co-operative in the UK.”
Ms Robinson sits on the boards of
the Association of Convenience Stores
and the British Retail Consortium, and
outside of work has many hobbies and
interests in the art and music world.
She is a keen marathon runner and
has completed numerous charity cycle
rides – including those organised by the
convenience and wholesale retail sector
for the Mines Advisory Group.
DECEMBER 2018 | 5

CO-OP GROUP
Co-op Group’s new depot to create 1,200 jobs and grow business in the south
The Co-op Group has agreed terms for a
new £45m distribution depot to support
its growth across London, the South and
South East.
The new 661,000 sq ft depot, to be built
near the A1 at Bedfordshire’s Symmetry
Park, Biggleswade – is expected to open
in early 2022, creating up to 1,200 jobs.
Symmetry Park, which extends to
around 50 acres, has been granted
detailed planning consent for up to
1 million sq ft of logistics space. The Group
has secured a 20-year lease on the site,
and it is anticipated that construction will
begin towards the end of 2019.
The Group is also working to reduce
its environmental impacts, so the depot
will have low-energy lighting and
refrigeration, rainwater harvesting and
will work towards a BREEAM excellent
rating – an independent assessment of
a building’s environmental, social and
economic sustainability.
In August, the Group opened its £6m
Dalcross distribution centre at Inverness
Airport Business Park, which is now
p The Group’s new Dalcross centre at Inverness
servicing the retailer’s network of stores in
the region, and will facilitate future store
expansion in the region.
Jo Whitfield, the Group’s retail chief
executive, said: “The new site will extend
capacity across our logistics network.
“This will help stores to better serve
communities and support our ambitious
growth plans across London, the south
and south east. This is an exciting
development – we believe a strong
Co-op can create stronger communities.
The investment is indicative of both the
performance of the Co-op and the delivery
of our food strategy.”
Andy Perry, the Group’s supply chain
and logistics director, added: “The site will
deliver greater agility, scale and efficiency.
It will reduce road miles, overall supply
chain costs and supports our stores in
the south by having more of our products
closer to our members and customers.”
Everybody needs
good neighbours ...
and here’s the proof
A Sheffield man has been named national
Neighbour of the Year by Co-op Insurance
and Neighbourhood Watch.
Paul Zeun, 53, was nominated by his
neighbour, 38 year-old Abby Wilson, for
his consistent caring and kind behaviour
over the past decade. Paul and Abby
became friends 10 years ago when he
came to her rescue after she locked
herself out of her flat.
Since then, Paul has helped Abby
with lifts to hospital, cat sitting and
decorating. He’s shared his DIY skills
with other neighbours and brings their
local community together at Christmas
parties and barbecues. As a result of the
gatherings, the neighbours now celebrate
their birthdays together.
Paul has also cared for terminally ill
neighbours and looks after others by
doing their shopping for them. He plants
flowers and shares vegetables from his
allotment with his neighbours, as well as
the food he makes with his own-grown
produce, such as jams and pickles.
For the awards, Co-op Insurance and
Neighbourhood Watch asked the public
for nominations – and Co-op members
were asked to come up with criteria for
the awards. Their suggestions include
looking out for each other, offering
practical help and being respectful
of everyone in the neighbourhood.
Paul said: “I’m overwhelmed. I enjoy
helping people and getting everyone
chatting. If we all did this, the world
would be a much happier place.”
£50k for slavery fight
The Co-op Group is donating £50,000 to
the modern slavery campaign from sales of
selected own-brand Christmas sandwiches.
The donation, raised from sales in
November and December, goes to Stop The
Traffik, a campaign group which shares
advice and intelligence to stop modern
slavery trafficking.
Stop the Traffik’s initiatives include an
app which allows anyone who has seen or
heard a situation they believe to be linked to
human trafficking or modern slavery to share
their story, safely and securely.
“Every story, no matter how small, whether
current or historic, is important and relevant.
What’s more, it may be the missing piece of a
bigger picture,” says Stop the Traffik.
6 | DECEMBER 2018

Sam Walker wins equal
pay claim against Group
at industrial tribunal
The former Co-op Group HR director Sam
Walker has won her industrial tribunal
case against the society, on equal pay and
unfair dismissal.
She took the Group to the tribunal
claiming she had been dismissed after
raising issues about her own pay and
warning leading figures in the company
of a pay gap between men and women
performing the same roles.
The tribunal did not agree with Ms
Walker’s claim that her sacking was a
result of discrimination, but ruled that
the Group had “directly discriminated
against the claimant on the grounds of
sex”, because it graded her work as only
“partially achieved” without giving her an
adequate year-end appraisal.
Ms Walker said: “This is a major victory
for women. My case proves that pay
discrimination can happen to anyone.
I was in a senior position doing a job of
equal value to my male senior colleagues,
but was paid significantly less. This is
happening all over this country.”
She said she would now join forces on
a new initiative with Carrie Gracie – the
BBC journalist who resigned in protest
over the gender pay gap – gender equality
campaign group the Fawcett Society and
Yess Law, a group of lawyers dedicated
to resolving workplace disputes without
litigation. The scheme will help women
p Sam Walker said she would work to help other women who had suffered discrimination
earning £30,000 a year or less who are
experiencing pay discrimination.
“Justice is ... beyond the reach of most
women who simply would not have the
resources to bring a claim of this kind,”
said Ms Walker. “The law needs to change.
“The Women and Equalities Select
Committee is looking at this, but we need
societal change – why would people want
to work for companies who treat their
employees differently?”
She added: “I want to thank my network
of colleagues, family and friends who
have supported me – and that includes
many still employed by the Co-op (you
know who you are).
“I hope the Co-op responds to this
ruling in a way that reflects its stated
values, holds those accountable to
account and listens to their other female
employees who I hope will now feel able
to step forward and demand equal pay.”
A spokesman for the Group said: “The
tribunal dismissed most of Ms Walker’s
claims and held that Ms Walker’s
dismissal was not discriminatory. We are
pleased that the tribunal accepted our
evidence in relation to these claims.
“While the tribunal upheld the unfair
dismissal claim on procedural grounds,
we are pleased it found the Co-op
had substantial reasons justifying the
termination of Ms Walker’s employment.
“The tribunal upheld the claim for
equal pay. We are reviewing the tribunal’s
judgement and considering whether to
appeal. We maintain we did not pay Ms
Walker unfairly and continue to believe
we acted in the best interests of our Co-op
and its members.”
Group brings in JDA Software to revamp its supply chain process
The Co-op Group has announced a
project with supply chain specialist
JDA Software to revitalise its category
management processes.
The first phase of a multi-year plan
which will see the retailer “getting closer
to the needs of members and customers”,
it will upgrade Group stores to the latest
version of JDA Space Planning, Floor
Planning and Category Knowledge Base.
JDA says this will create “an end-to-end
streamlined approach to managing its
retail stores from floor to shelf”.
Michael Fletcher, retail chief
commercial officer at the Group, said:
“Our powerful JDA Category Management
solution footprint enables us to anticipate
shopper demands with agility and speed.
We look forward to continuing to build on
this robust foundation as we continue to
deliver our strategy.”
The Group worked with a collaborative
team from JDA, and partners Tata
Consultancy Services (TCS) and Deloitte,
for the first step of the project.
JDA says it will allow the Group
to automate its planograms – visual
representations of a store’s products or
services on display – to localise its offer.
The retailer will also be able to work with
its teams and suppliers to ensure they are
delivering accurate and early stocking
information for each store. There will be
more insight into shopper behaviour at
macro and local level, allowing the Group
to better plan its store layouts, tailored
from store to store.
“Maintaining a competitive edge
and anticipating shopper demands is
more important than ever,” said Johan
Reventberg from JDA. “We’re pleased
to enable such a critical piece of the
Co-op’s retail business transformation
by underpinning it with our best-in-class
category management solutions that will
give them the right balance of right item,
right store, right time, with the efficiency
and agility they need.”
DECEMBER 2018 | 7

BUDGET
Co-op sector pours cold water on Hammond’s budget
p Philip Hammond
There were a number of measures in
Philip Hammond’s budget last month
which could impact on the co-op sector.
The sector welcomed some of the
changes around housing policy, credit
unions and support for small retailers,
but warned that it lacked a strategic
dimension to address the issues facing the
UK economy after Brexit.
Ed Mayo, secretary general of
Co-operatives UK, said: “A number
of the specific measures will be welcome,
including a degree of support for small
retailers and for social housing, but this
is a tactical and not a strategic budget. It
does little to answer the question of what
kind of economy Britain is to pursue.”
Jim McMahon MP, chair of the Co-op
Party group of MPs, said: “This was
a budget that failed to champion the
fairest forms of business: co-operatives
democratically owned by their customers
and employees.”
A Co-op Party budget would require
companies to demonstrate basic standards
of tax transparency through measures
such as the Fair Tax Mark, he added,
and would bring in “a radical redesign
of business rates to end to the unfair
advantage enjoyed by online retailers”.
He said: “It’s within our power,
through the decisions we make as
consumers and here in parliament
as policymakers, to shape those trends
and decide the kind of economy we
want, and the kind of business culture
that can deliver it. At a time when the
country needed boldness, this is a
missed opportunity to transform how our
economy is run.”
Peter Holbrook, chief executive of Social
Enterprise UK, said: “The chancellor had
an opportunity to back social enterprises
that share growth by paying their staff
fairly and reinvesting their profits back
into their communities. Unfortunately,
he decided to rely on old fashioned and
failed economic ideas.”
But there were some positives in the
budget. The Association of British Credit
Unions (Abcul) welcomed a pilot savings
scheme for credit unions to boost peoples’
financial resilience and raise awareness
of the sector.
Head of policy and communications
Matt Bland said: “This initiative will be
good for both credit unions and their
members; it will provide people with a
further incentive to save regularly with
their local credit union for planned and
unplanned expenses. Abcul is working
closely with the Treasury on the pilot
scheme and we look forward to ensuring
the best solutions moving forward.”
EDUCATION
Co-op College launches
centenary year
p The centenary launch event
The Co-operative College has officially
marked the launch of its centenary, calling
on the movement to help shape its future.
Founded in 1919 as part of a
Co-operative Congress Resolution, the
college is an independent, memberled
educational charity that delivers
education, training, events and projects,
and undertakes research.
A launch event, held in central
Manchester on 22 November, showcased
how the organisation has changed over
the years and how its work continues to
transform communities and change lives
in the UK and across the world. It was
also revealed that the College’s annual
Education and Research Conference
would take place in Rochdale –
the modern birthplace of co-operation –
from 26-28 November 2019.
“Our bedrock is the co-op movement,”
said Nigel Todd, College chair, at the
event. “Our mission is to take the values
and the distinctiveness of what we do out
to the wider world. We’ve been around
for 100 years – we can look forward
confidently and with maturity to
the next 100 years, guided by our
co-operative principles”
Simon Parkinson, CEO and principal
of the College, said that while the
organisation was proud of its history and
heritage, the centenary year would also
be used as a launchpad to project a new
image of the College.
“Next year we’re re-launching our
formal learning and development offer,”
he said. “We’re becoming a registered with
the chartered institute of management,
able to offer accredited qualifications,
and we’re still on track to achieve a longheld
ambition of the movement to see a
co-operative university here in the UK.”
He added: “2019 will be a landmark
year for us, as we re-focus our energies
and ask the movement to help shape our
next 100 years. With members at the heart
everything we do, there’s never been a
better time to join and help us build
a fairer world for everyone.”
8 | DECEMBER 2018

CO-OPERATIVES FORTNIGHT
Film yourself and get online to
build a co-operative nation
The Co-op Group
Board Member
Nominated Director
The Co-op is looking for candidates from its
membership to join its Board and contribute to its
ongoing success.
p Co-operatives Fortnight will run from 24 June - 7 July
Co-operatives UK has announced the theme for next year’s
Co-operatives Fortnight (24 June-7 July), which will focus on
creating a co-operation nation.
The Fortnight campaign was launched today at the Practitioners
Forum in Manchester. Co-operatives UK, the apex body for the
sector, is calling on all co-operatives to join the campaign by
carrying out an act of co-operation, and film or photograph it
for social media using the hashtag #CoopFortnight/ They should
also nominate or tag another co-op to do the same.
For the first time, co-ops are also being asked to pledge to take
part by completing a quick online form, with a rough idea of what
they plan to do.
The campaign was designed to kickstart a chain reaction from
co-op to co-op.
Co-operatives UK, which is co-ordinating the campaign, will
then add up the number of participants and create national
and regional press releases featuring the most interesting and
inspiring events.
“From community clean-ups, to collecting donations for a local
food bank or opening up your co-op to educate people about coops,
what practical ways can your co-op involve people working
together in co-operation?” asked Ed Mayo, secretary general of
Co-operatives UK. “Can you set a target for the number of bags of
litter, families fed or people you teach?
“Together we’ll show everyone why co-operation is what the
world needs right now.”
He added: “The theme is about joining together – it’s about
action rather than just raising awareness. We’re turning Co-ops
Fortnight into a real vehicle for action.”
Wendy Carter, head of communications and marketing at
Co-operatives UK, said: “We want to capture people’s attention
and to do this we need to paint a picture of the sheer number
of people joining our call for a Co-operation Nation. Even if it’s
just a seed of an idea for now, tell us your plans and we’ll use
this information to promote the campaign, and your activity up
to and during Co-op Fortnight.”
More information on the Co-operatives Fortnight and how to
get involved is available at www.uk.coop/fortnight.
As a Member Nominated Director (MND) you’ll be
the voice of Co-op members in the boardroom.
You’ll oversee commercial and financial
performance, and make sure Co-op businesses
keep co-operative values and principles front and
centre.
Potential candidates must demonstrate:
• A track record at an equivalent level and
awareness of the strategic and operational
challenges of a big, complex business like Co-op
• Integrity, independence and empathy with Co-op
values alongside the broad experience required
of any non-executive director
• The ability to contribute at board level while
developing an excellent working relationship with
the Co-op Members’ Council
There are two MND positions available. If you are
selected as a candidate you will be invited to take
part in a contested election in which its members
will vote. If successful you will be appointed to the
Board in May 2019. The Board meets monthly in
Manchester. The remuneration is commensurate
with the role and responsibilities.
The Board aims to represent the geographical,
gender, cultural and ethnic diversity of the
communities it serves and is an equal opportunities
employer.
For more information about the role and eligibility
criteria please visit: www.saxbam.com/jobs. If you
would like to apply please visit www.co-operative.
coop/mndelection
The closing date for applications is 17 December
2018
Saxton Bampfylde will be working with the Co-op
throughout this process as its chosen professional
search advisers
u Practitioners Forum reports: p;25-27
DECEMBER 2018 | 9
335567_COOP_MND_Advert_78x226_v1.indd 1 19/11/2018 15:18

REMEMBRANCE DAY
100 years on from the Armistice, the co-op
movement pays tribute to the fallen
The world marked the centenary of the
end of World War 1 on 11 November, and
the co-op movement paid its own tributes.
Stores across the retail movement
joined the two minutes silence on
Remembrance Sunday.
And a number of Co-op Group Funeral
homes, as well as those of independent
co-operative societies, created window
displays honouring the war generation,
while Co-op Funeralcare introduced a
poppy-themed hearse to it fleet.
Displays mounted by the movement
included a memorial windows at Southern
Co-op. At the society’s Fratton Branch in
Portsmouth, funeral co-ordinator James
Wiltshire-Bowles paid tribute to his great
uncle, Pte Frederick James Pluck, who was
killed aged 26 on the first day of the Battle
of the Somme, on 1 July 1916. His photo
was included in the window display.
In a ceremony on 8 November, Co-op
Group staff gathered in Manchester,
to read out the names of the 810
Co-operative Wholesale Society
colleagues killed in the conflict.
In a blog post on the Group website,
chief executive Steve Murrells paid his
own tributes to the fallen colleagues. He
also highlighted CWS’s measures to keep
soldiers’ jobs open for their return, and to
avoid wartime price inflation.
And he spoke of the work of the society
and its female members and staff to
promote peace, with the Co-op Women’s
Guild launching the white poppy in 1933.
This year, the white poppy – which
commemorates civilian as well as military
casualties – reached a record 122,385
sales, up 20% on last year, said organiser
the Peace Pledge Union. It said the news
was a sign of growing acceptance of its
anti-militarist values.
Midcounties Co-operative held a range
of activities, including a poppy design
contest for schools in its trading area. The
winner was Shrubland Street Community
Primary School, which won £500 to
spend on history resources. And society
colleagues raised funds for the British
Legion, laid wreaths and planted poppy
flower seeds in parks and green spaces.
Lincolnshire Co-op gave the Royal
British Legion Poppy Appeal a £7,000
donation – as well as support with instore
promotion and fundraising.
p A Co-op Group colleague remembers fallen
CWS workers at the Manchester ceremony
(top) and a Southern Co-op display (above)
REGULATION
Co-operatives UK urges movement to join FCA consultation
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is
considering abolishing the annual fees it
charges societies, which could save them
between £67 and £495 a year, under a
series of proposals which have been put
out for consultation.
Apex body Co-operatives UK welcomed
the suggestion to abolish the fees, as
well as the proposal to make it free for
the public to access the online Mutuals
Register – which currently costs £12.
Co-operatives UK says it is already free
to access similar records on the online
Companies House register, and claims
the cost to access the Mutuals Register
has reduced its accessibility, causing
difficulties for societies.
Secretary general Ed Mayo said: “This
is one more proof – alongside our work to
reduce accounting fees by cutting the need
for mid-year audits and our HR service
which saves members money through
joint purchasing – that Co-operatives UK
is good for our members’ wallets.
“I’m proud of our advocacy on behalf of
our members around regulatory fees and
I certainly want to recognise the FCA for
doing the right thing as a result by co-ops
and credit unions.”
Co-operatives UK also suggested the FCA
Mutuals Team continue to receive funding
to carry out its “critical functions” as an
“enabler of co-operative and community
business” and as “a protector of the
integrity of these special legal forms”.
It wants members to respond to the
consultation, which is open until 14
January 2019: email cp18-34@fca.org.
uk or write to David Cheesman, FCA, 12
Endeavour Square, London, E20 1JN.
10 | DECEMBER 2018

Co-op Academy students give Bright Futures a new look
p Revolver’s new drinking chocolate
FAIRTRADE
Revolver tops the table
of ethical coffee
Ethical Consumer magazine has ranked
the Revolver Co-operative first in ethics
among 32 European coffee brands, ahead
of Cafe Direct (5), Lavazza (17), Carte Noir
(18), Illy (24) and Douwe Egberts (29).
Revolver obtained a score of 17 out of 20.
The co-operative behind the Revolver
World brand sources its coffee and
commodities from co-ops around the
world. It boasts Fairtrade certifications
as well as Ethical Consumer’s positive
Product Sustainability mark. More than
half of its products are certified organic by
the Soil Association.
Revolver was also awarded Ethical
Consumer’s best rating for Supply
Chain Management and Environmental
Reporting, and positive GMO policy. The
co-op is certified by both the Fair Tax
Mark and the Living Wage Foundation,
holds the City of Birmingham’s Charter
for Social Responsibility and has been
awarded a positive Company Ethos mark.
Revolver chief executive Paul Birch said
the co-op’s coffee had “great taste to match
the great ethics”. Revolver won seven
Ethical Consumer Great Taste Awards in
2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
In partnership with Belgian Chocolatiers
Callebaut, Revolver is launching a new
range of drinking chocolate. Luxury
Belgian Callebaut Drinking Chocolate is
not made of cocoa powder but real shards
of chocolate, both milk and white.
Callebaut chocolate supports the work
of Cocoa Horizons Foundation, a nonprofit
organisation devoted to improving
the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their
communities.
The hot chocolate is available for sale at
Midcounties Co-op stores.
Pupils at Co-op Academy Failsworth in
Manchester have won a competition to
design the logo for the Bright Futures
programme, pioneered by the Co-op Group
and City Hearts charity to offer paid work
to survivors of modern slavery. Students
Jamie Brabin and Daniel Aitken submitted
the winning design. The competition, run
across several Co-op Academies, taught
students about the issue of modern slavery.
Scotmid passes go to secure a Monopoly spot
A bright new look for Suma Wholefoods
Scotmid Co-operative appears in the
new Edinburgh edition of the Monopoly
board game. The city’s oldest retailer,
Scotmid appears as a Community Chest
card. Scotmid chief executive John Brodie
said: “Scotmid are delighted to be part of
such an iconic game and it is fitting that
we are included as we’ve been part of the
Edinburgh landscape since 1859.”
Worker co-op Suma Wholefoods launches
a rebrand in December. A spokesperson
said: “We are refreshing the way Suma
looks to help products stand out, boost
sales for customers and reflect the fact that
Suma is a bold and colourful business.
Although the way we look is changing,
what we stand for, and what’s inside the
packaging, will stay just the same.”
Locality calls for more help for the community sector
The head of community group network
Locality wants more support for the sector.
CEO Tony Armstrong made the remarks
while welcoming the government’s Open
Doors project, allowing community
groups to use empty shops. “Community
organisations are stretched, with rising
demand and limited funding,” he said.
Co-operative Party calls for public vote on Brexit deal
The Co-op Party repeated its call for a
public vote on the Brexit deal, which
has prompted continued disagreement
within the government. Party chair
Gareth Thomas said the deal “will have
implications for all of us ... it can’t be
right that such decisions are made behind
closed doors by a handful of people.”
DECEMBER 2018 | 11

RETAIL
How a human chain made world news of a small co-op bookstore
Radical bookstore co-op October Books
has made a move to new premises – with
the help of 250 volunteers.
The Southampton co-op made headlines
around the world when supporters formed
a human chain to move more than 2,000
books to its new home.
Locals came together after the co-op
appealed for help on Facebook, and lined
the 850m route between its old home
and the new premises to pass the stock
along. Passers-by stopped to join in and
cafes along the way provided volunteers
with refreshments.
News of the joint effort – designed by
the co-op as an accessible way for people
to come together to contribute – went
global, with admiring reports by the
Washington Post, New York Times, the
Guardian, Huffington Post, BBC and CNN.
The move meant high-profile reports
not just on October Books, but about
co-operation, community action and
community fundraising, with the story
shared in countries including Brazil,
Taiwan, France and Canada.
p Books are passed along the human chain
“It was a tremendous show of support
and community and we’re moved
and incredibly touched by it,” Clare
Diaper, who works at October Books,
told reporters. “We are of, and for, our
community and it is truly heartening to
see that reciprocated.”
As a shining example of the sixth cooperative
principle – co-operation among
co-operatives – volunteers included
members of the co-op youth organisation
the Woodcraft Folk and local community
interest company Art House Cafe, which
also helped decorate the new store.
Ian Rothwell from Co-operative
and Community Finance (CCF),
which supported October Books in its
purchase of the new site, also joined
the chain, alongside members of the
city’s Hamwic housing co-operative and
sector organisations Co-op Culture and
Co-operantics.
One of the locals who joined the human
chain, Jani Franck, told the Southern
Daily Echo: “It’s amazing. The power
of community coming together and
achieving something like this. October
Books have done really well. I’m in awe.”
October Books, which formed in 1977,
bought the site, a former NatWest bank, in
August and plans to create a community
hub. The stock will be stored in the old
vault of the bank.
It raised the £487,800 it needed to buy
its new premises through a combination of
loan stock, crowd funding, personal loans
and gifts, and a loan from Co-operative
and Community Finance.
CREDIT UNIONS
Credit Unions of Wales
launches campaign
against high cost
credit providers
In the lead-up to Christmas, Credit Unions
of Wales – the association of the country’s
18 credit unions – is spearheading the
campaign ‘Credit2Wales’ to protect people
from high cost credit providers.
According to the Money Advice Service,
more than one in six people in Wales are
at risk of being unable to keep up with
credit repayments.
Marking the launch of Credit2Wales,
patron of Credit Unions of Wales, Jane Hutt
AM, said: “Unmanageable debt isn’t just
a finance issue. It impacts all elements of
our lives, including relationships, work,
health, mental health and, of course, the
ability to look after our families.
“Credit isn’t bad, we all need help
sometimes, especially at Christmas, but it
should be fair and manageable. We must
refuse to allow ourselves, our families and
our communities to fall prey to high cost
lenders, and stamp them out by turning to
credit unions instead.”
Credit Unions of Wales compared the
cost of an iPad with a well-known rentto-own
company against buying it on the
high street using a credit union loan. The
rent-to-own retailer would charge a 99.9%
APR interest rate, meaning the total repaid
over two years would be £676. This was
at least £254 more than borrowing from
a credit union – almost enough to buy
another iPad.
Andrew Johnson, advice manager at
the Money Advice Service, said: “Credit
unions are financial co-operatives, owned
by the people who use their services, and
not by external shareholders or investors.
Where profits are passed on to their
members in the form of better rates and
lower fees when compared to high cost
credit alternatives.
“At a time when people are more likely
to seek high-cost short-term credit, access
to affordable credit and understanding
your options is vital.”
Credit Unions of Wales recommends
that people look at the interest rate, term
of the loan (how many weeks, months or
years) and total amount repaid to be sure
they are getting the best deal.
The campaign will encourage people
to use the social media hashtags
#credit2wales and #credydigymru.
12 | DECEMBER 2018

CREATIVE INDUSTRY
Aardman, the home of Wallace and Gromit, transfers control to workers
p Aardman co-founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton; and the studio’s biggest stars, Wallace and Gromit
The co-founders of Aardman, the Oscarwinning
animation studio which created
Wallace and Gromit, is to transfer a
75% stake to its workers, to protect the
company’s independence.
Peter Lord and David Sproxton
announced “that they are preparing the
company for continued success over
the next few decades by transferring
the company into employee ownership,
effectively selling the company to
the workforce”.
They say this will secure “the creative
legacy and culture of the company”,
which produced hits including Chicken
Run, Creature Comforts and Shaun the
Sheep, “for many decades to come”.
The majority of Aardman’s shares will
be transferred into a trust, holding them
on behalf of the company’s workforce,
along similar lines to the John Lewis
Partnership. The senior management
team will remain in their existing roles
and will form the executive board to
ensure continuity.
Mr Sproxton will continue as managing
director but is looking to appoint a
successor – who will be accountable to
the trust – within the next 12 months
before moving into a consultancy role.
Mr Lord will remain in his role as
creative director with a focus on the
company’s feature film output, set to
include a second Shaun the Sheep movie
and a sequel to Chicken Run. “We’re
not quitting yet,” said the two men in a
statement, “but we are preparing for our
future. This approach, the creation of an
employee trust, is the best solution we
have found for keeping Aardman doing
what it does best, keeping the teams in
place and providing continuity for our
highly creative culture. And of course,
those that create value in the company
will continue to benefit directly from the
value they create.”
They added: “The statistics show
that employee-owned companies are
significantly more successful than
conventionally owned companies. So we
are very excited by the prospect of seeing
Aardman roll far into the future under
this arrangement and can rest easy that
those four decades which have slipped by
have paved the way for many more years
of great creativity.”
Founded in 1972, the Bristol-based
studio – whose portfolio also includes
children’s TV character Morph, Peter
Gabriel’s Sledgehammer video and
computer-animated film Flushed Away –
has branched out into video games, theme
park attractions, commercial advertising,
interactive content and rights and brand
development.
Oscar-winning director Nick Park –
the key creative voice behind Aardman’s
hits – will continue to have an active role
in the studio’s feature film and shorts
productions. He will sit on the new
executive board of directors, which will
report to the board of trustees, which
will ensure the executive follows the core
values of the organisation and acts in the
interest of its workforce.
The executive board also includes
Heather Wright, executive director,
partner content, who said: “Employee
ownership is a perfect way of
futureproofing [Aardman’s] independent
spirit and thinking, and allowing us
to protect the legacy while continuing
to nurture new talent and ideas and
diversify our storytelling into new areas
of theme parks, console games and
interactive content.”
Deb Oxley, chief executive of the
Employee Ownership Association,
said: “We congratulate Aardman on its
transition to employee ownership, which
is a great example of where the employee
ownership trust model can be used to
secure the businesses ethos, creative
values and independence for the longer
term while helping those who supported
its creative success to share in the value
they create.
“This has been an exciting journey
for us to support David, Peter and the
team knowing that Aardman’s iconic
productions will continue to bring joy to
fans for many more years to come.”
DECEMBER 2018 | 13

OBITUARIES
Sir Dennis Landau, former CWS chief executive, 1927-2018
Sir Dennis Landau, former chief executive
of the Co-operative Wholesale Society
(CWS), has died after a short illness.
He joined the CWS – now the Co-op
Group – in 1970 as food controller and
was deputy CEO from 1974 to 1980 and
CEO from 1980 to 1992.
In the their history of the Group,
Building Co-operation, John F Wilson,
Anthony Webster and Rachael Vorberg-
Rugh wrote that, as deputy CEO, he played
a leading role in the rationalisation of
CWS’s activities in the 1970s, with efforts
to modernise production and distribution
and to increase productivity.
Stepping up to the role of CEO, he
tried to improve CWS’s commercial
performance by increasing integration
of the its retail activities, renationalising
production and distribution activities,
and developing closer links with retail
societies. He tightened up management
controls and reorganised CWS into seven
business groups to give the executive
team greater focus.
He also attempted to more closely
integrate the retail movement, including
unsuccessful moves to merge CWS with
Co-operative Retail Services.
Sir Dennis was born on 18 June 1927;
the third child of Michael Landau, a
metallurgist and Florence Landau. He was
educated at Haberdashers’ Aske’s School
Hampstead. His service in the British army
included participating in the liberation of
Bergen Belsen concentration camp.
He started his career as a food chemist
for Jaffa Juice. He then worked for
Schweppes, later Cadbury Schweppes
in various roles, including managing
director of Schweppes East Africa from
1958 to 1962 and deputy chair and
managing director of Cadbury Schweppes
Foods in 1970.
After leaving the helm of CWS he was
chair of the Unity Trust Bank from 1992
to 2000.
He was a member of the Metrication
Board from 1972 to 1980, chair of the
Council of the Manchester Business
School from 1991 to 1993 and a member
of the Court of Manchester University from
1992 to 2000.
Sir Dennis was knighted in 1987. He
was a keen rugby and cricket player and
was president of the Lancashire County
Cricket Club from 2003 to 2007 and vice
president until his death.
p Sir Dennis Landau
He leaves a widow, Lady Pamela Landau
(formerly Garlick) whom he married in
1992 and two stepsons; Christopher
and Stephen.
He is also survived by his sisters Daphne
Heiser (born 1921) and Vivienne Tabor
(born 1924) and his nephew Michael and
nieces Dahlia and Sarah as well as many
friends and relations.
Leo Barcham, founder of Queenslanders Credit Union, 1922-2018
p Leo Barcham
The founding father of the Queenslanders
Credit Union in Australia, Leo Barcham,
has died in Brisbane at the age of 96.
He helped set up the credit union during
his time as a Queensland public servant,
after some of his colleagues struggled
to purchase basic household items. At a
council meeting of the State Service Union
in 1963, he moved a motion that it sponsor
the formation of a credit union to help
members secure small loans.
Credit unions were the first in the
country to process payroll deductions
for their members once the federal
government lifted the embargo on credit
union registration in 1944.
“Because the borrower is a shareholder,
a part owner of the society, there is no
stigma of debt attached to the loan,”
Mr Barcham said in a subsequent
meeting, which led to the creation of the
Queensland Public Service Employees’
Credit Union.
“The needed finance is made available
to him, not as a favour, but as a right.
He himself has contributed to build up
this organisation to meet just such an
emergency for himself and his neighbours.”
Mr Barcham’s contribution to the
movement was recognised with a Pioneer
Award at the Australian Credit Union
Convention. The accolade praised his
devotion to the movement and practical
demonstration of the co-operative
principles and philosophy of credit unions
at state and national levels.
This year, Queenslanders merged with
Queensland Country Credit Union, forming
the state’s second largest credit union.
Former Queenslanders chair and current
deputy chair of Queensland Country,
Christine Flynn, said: “Although Leo
retired from the board over two decades
ago, he was still well known and loved by
everyone in our team.
“Each year, including the last, he
attended our AGM and would often get up
and speak. His passion for the customer
owned banking movement was inspiring
and will leave a lasting legacy.”
14 | DECEMBER 2018

GLOBAL UPDATES
USA
Credit unions respond to US mid-term election results
p The Democrats have taken the House of Representatives and the Republicans have held the Senate
US credit unions have reacted to the results
of the mid-term elections, which saw the
Democrats take control of the House of
Representatives and the Republicans hold
on to their majority in the Senate.
The Credit Union National Association
(Cuna) said a credit union-friendly
majority had been elected to Congress.
“Credit unions invested a record $7m
into this election to help continue the
positive momentum we’ve seen for
credit union priorities in Congress,” said
Cuna CEO and president Jim Nussle.
“We’re pleased that we’ll have many
friendly faces in the next Congress,
and we’ll be working hard to connect
with new members and engage with
returning members to advance credit
union priorities.”
“Credit unions will continue to have
a strong seat at the table as we enjoy
bipartisan support in Congress,” said Dan
Berger, president and CEO of the National
Association of Federally-Insured Credit
Unions (Nafcu).
“Whether working with Republicans,
Democrats or independents, our goal
is to achieve an appropriate regulatory
environment that provides a tailored
approach to regulation, a level playing
field, and transparent and independent
regulatory oversight for credit unions and
the 114 million members they serve.”
In May, president Donald Trump signed
the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief
and Consumer Protection Act, which
will result in a reduction in regulatory
requirements for small and medium-sized
banks, including credit unions.
The legislation was welcomed by Cuna,
which described it as a “monumental
win for credit unions”.
But the now-split Congress could
curb legislative activity. Leadership
changes within some committees with
jurisdiction over the financial industry
and tax issues are also expected. “Any
legislation, other than must-pass items,
will need to be strongly bipartisan to
have a chance at passage,” warned Nafcu
vice president of legislative affairs Brad
Thaler.
“For credit unions, this means Congress
may act on items including fintech, data
security and personal privacy, and housing
finance reform if bipartisan solutions can
be found.”
He added: “Targeted regulatory relief
for financial institutions is also still
possible in areas addressing the Bank
Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering.
We expect that there could be a number
of hearings, as each side seeks to stake
out its position on issues, but getting
something moving will take building
bipartisan support.”
The association is calling on both
chambers to address data security and
regulatory relief measures.
DECEMBER 2018 | 15

pTop: USAID provided food aid to help Wilfred Charles to build community irrigation for agriculture. Bottom: USAID supported Doaa Mohammed
Bakr Turky of Egypt with her duck farming enterprise. (Photos: USAID)
USA
USAID awards $60m for co-operative development
Ten US organisations have received
funding from the government to promote
co-operative development.
The US Agency for International
Development (USAID) granted $60m
(£46.04) over five years (2019 – 2023)
for the Cooperative Development
Program (CDP). Dating back to 1962,
the programme enables US co-ops and
their members to work on projects with
co-operatives in developing countries.
The US Overseas Cooperative
Development Council (OCDC) and its
member organisations received funding to
expand their work on agriculture, finance
and health.
Paul Hazen, OCDC executive director,
said: “The CDP is the only programme
within USAID that is focused on
co-operatives and the programme’s
impact has been significant, lifting
millions of people from poverty by
leveraging private funding to amplify
public funds.”
The eight OCDC members who received
funding are Cooperative Resources
International, Equal Exchange, Global
Communities, HealthPartners, Land
O’Lakes International, NCBA Clusa,
NRECA International and World Council
of Credit Unions (Woccu). Frontier
Cooperative Herbs also received a grant
from USAID.
In addition, OCDC was granted $6.9m
through the CDP to research the impact
and effectiveness of co-operatives in
international development.
One of the OCDC members to benefit
from funding, Woccu is running
a co-operative development project on
Technology and Innovation for Financial
Inclusion (CDP TIFI). The initiative
will increase sustainable lending to
small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
by deploying Woccu’s SME Lending
Toolkit and building a global
knowledge-sharing platform.
For this project, Woccu is working
with a number of regional partners – the
Confederation of Financial Institutions
of West Africa (Confédération des
Institutions Financières de l’Afrique
de ‘Ouest, CIF) in Burkina Faso; the
National Federation of Savings and
Credit Cooperatives (Federación
Nacional de Cooperativas de Ahorro y
Crédito, FENACOAC) in Guatemala; and
the Kenya Union of Savings and Credit
Co-operatives (KUSCCO).
Land O’Lakes International
Development was awarded funding
to support new agricultural capacitybuilding
and food safety programmes in
Georgia, Egypt, Bangladesh, Lebanon,
Rwanda and Malawi.
John Ellenberger, executive director
of Land O’Lakes International
Development, said his organisation
“welcomes the ongoing partnership
of USAID and USDA as we
continue leveraging the expertise
of a nearly century-old, farmer-owned
co-operative to improve livelihoods
and enhance agriculture worldwide.
“We’re excited to build collaborative
efforts for international economic
development that unite host country
agricultural stakeholders, Land O’Lakes,
Inc. farmers and technical staff,
government leaders and academic experts
to maximise results.”
16 | DECEMBER 2018

USA
America’s community credit unions
gather to welcome an Inclusiv new start
p Delegates including Cathie Mahon (third from left) and Matt Bland (third from right)
The umbrella body for the USA’s
community development credit unions
announced its new brand at its national
conference last month.
The event, in Florida, saw chief
executive Cathie Mahon unveil the name
change from the National Federation of
Community Development Credit Unions
to Inclusiv.
She said: “For decades, the federation
and community development credit
unions (CDCU) have been building trust
and delivering relevant products to
underserved people with dignity and
respect. Inclusiv will build on the 44
year legacy of the Federation to grow the
visibility and impact of mission-driven
credit unions.”
CDCUs have a mission of serving
low- and moderate-income people, and
specialise in serving populations with
limited access to safe financial services.
The conference was attended by a
delegation from UK sector body the
Association of British Credit Unions
(Abcul), including representatives
of Enterprise Credit Union, First Scottish
University Credit Union, Pennine
Community Credit Union and Transave
Credit Union.
David Harris, marketing manager at
Pennine Community Credit Union (PCCU)
presented a workshop sharing how he
transformed PCCU’s digital marketing
strategy and how it has coincided with a
significant growth in the credit union’s
lending book.
Abcul’s Matt Bland also addressed
delegates in a plenary session drawing
comparisons between credit unions in the
UK and US.
Pablo DeFilippi said he saw the
partnership between Inclusiv and Abcul
as a “great opportunity to be able to share
our experiences and learn from each other
as we face so many common challenges in
successfully serving communities”.
He added: “It’s been great to continue
our partnership with Abcul and the UK
credit union sector.
“We hope to be able to build on this
partnership in the coming years to the
benefit of underserved people in both the
UK and US.”
Electric co-ops use low-interest loans to power efficiency savings
Electric co-ops in the USA are offering
low-interest loans to members, which
are repaid with their monthly power
bills, so they can afford energy-efficiency
improvements.
The loans, which come at 3% interest,
are available under the Rural Energy
Savings Program (RESP), a scheme from
the US Department of Agriculture which
has made up to $100m available for loans
during the 2019 fiscal year.
NRECA, the umbrella body for the
country’s electric co-ops, says its member
organisations can obtain funds from the
pool at 0% interest and use them to help
consumer-members make long-awaited
efficiency improvements with no need for
down payments.
Energy upgrades funded through the
scheme include high-efficiency heat
pumps, attic insulation, caulking, and
weatherstripping – which will help
co-op members keep electricity costs
down and be “bill neutral”, with the
monthly savings from the upgrades
offsetting the monthly loan payments.
Help is also being offered to members
who get energy audit options for financing
energy-saving improvements and
upgrades. That’s particularly attractive
for higher-cost improvements they
otherwise might delay or avoid because
of upfront costs.
NRECA says the scheme comes at a
welcome time, as the demand for winter
heating begins, and is particularly
important in states like South Carolina,
where a quarter of co-op members live in
prefabricated housing which can be prone
to heat leaks as they age, forcing utility
bills through the roof.
It gives the example of Diane Taylor,
a member of the state’s Aiken Electric
Cooperative, who once received a
bill of more than £700 for her poorly
insulated home. The co-op enrolled her
in its Help My House programme, which
saw contractors make improvements
including insulation, caulking and
weatherstripping, a new energy-efficient
heat pump with a thermostat, and sealed
duct work. Ms Taylor told NRECA the
changes are saving her family around
$250 a month, compared to bills before
the upgrades.
“Help My House makes the members’
home more comfortable, saves them
money and they are appreciative,” said
Gary Stooksbury, CEO of Aiken Electric. “If
we are truly about the member, we should
help them lower their energy costs.”
DECEMBER 2018 | 17

GLOBAL
International Conference of Labour
Statisticians adopts draft co-op guidelines
The 20th International Conference
of Labour Statisticians adopted a series
of guidelines to develop a set of statistics
on co-operatives.
Held once every five years, the
conference brings together experts from
governments, employers’ and workers’
organisations, and other interest groups
to make recommendations on labour
statistics.
Once the governing body of the
International Labour Organization (ILO)
approves them, the recommendations
become part of international standards on
labour statistics.
The International Co-operative
Alliance (ICA) has been involved in this
process, along with the ICA Committee
on Cooperative Research (CCR) and the
International Organisation of Industrial
and Service Co-operatives (CICOPA).
The draft guidelines point out that
statistics on co-ops should allow for
monitoring of their contribution to labour
markets and the economy; inform the
design, implementation and evaluation
of economic and social policies and
programmes; and facilitate analysis
of groups of workers or members such as
women and men, young people and other
groups of particular concern.
According to the recommendations,
the set of statistics should include data
regarding the number and the type
of co-ops, the members of co-ops, the work
generated in co-ops, and the economic
contribution of co-ops.
In addition, the guidelines mention that
statistics on co-ops should be developed
in consultation with the various users of
the data, “in harmony with other social
and economic statistics and in accordance
with international standards”.
The document also includes reference
concepts and definitions, looking at the
different types of co-ops.
The draft guidelines had been discussed
earlier in April at the second meeting
of the Copac Technical Working Group
(TWG) on Cooperative Statistics at the
ILO’s headquarters in Geneva.
Set up by the Committee of the
Promotion of Co-operatives (Copac) in
2016, the TWG unites key stakeholders
such as national statistics offices, the
co-operative movement, COPAC members,
UN agencies, government representatives
and researchers, to improve the
quality, accessibility and comparability
of statistics on co-operatives around
the world. Its first meeting took place
in 2017.
CANADA
Credit unions pioneer an authenticated voice banking service
Two credit unions in Canada have
launched an authenticated voice
banking service using Amazon Alexa.
The technology is being pioneered by
Innovation Credit Union and Conexus
Credit Union, who partnered with credit
union service organisation Central 1.
The service will enable customers to
make payments, send money to vendors,
transfer money between accounts, and
better understand their financial wellness
with just their voice.
The technology will also help those who
are visually impaired, or are unable to
leave their homes or to use their keyboards
or smartphones to conduct their banking.
“Credit unions need to fix the public’s
perception that banks are more innovative
than they are, and this is a giant step in
that direction,” said Alexander Chan,
product manager with Central 1, who led
the team that developed the technology.
“This new technology is a game
changer in that it improves the banking
experience for a specific demographic of
user; it simulates talking to a live agent,
is secure, flexible and helps people
better understand and manage their
financial wellness.”
Mr Chan added that the technology
was the result of “a highly collaborative
environment and the values that drive
co-operative businesses”.
“The credit union system is different
from other financial institutions in the
sense that bureaucracy doesn’t factor in to
the decision-making process. As a result,
p The new service uses Alexa
we were able to create something very
special, very quickly. Not putting profit
before people means we can focus on the
innovation and design process.”
“Conversational user interaction is
going to play a significant role in future
member interactions, particularly with
millennials and Gen X,” said Dean Gagne,
chief digital and technology officer,
Innovation Credit Union, which provides
financial services to over 49,000 members
including individuals, businesses, and
organisations across the province of
Saskatchewan.
At Conexus – Saskatchewan’s largest
and Canada’s sixth largest credit union
with 125,000 members – chief digital
officer Jeremy Trask said: “We are
passionate about providing solutions
that make a meaningful difference for our
members. Banking is no longer a place
you go, but a thing you do. Partnering
with Central 1 means we’re able to ensure
our members are getting game-changing
technology.”
18 | DECEMBER 2018

COLUMBIA
Step to equality: Co-op insurance body
manages equal gender split at Americas event
p Delegates at the LARG event in Panama City
(Photo: ICMIF)
The International Co-operative and
Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF)
had an equal number of men and women
participate in its Americas conference as
speakers, panellists and moderators.
The event, held on 19-21 November in
Cartagena, Colombia, focused on how
co-operative and mutual insurers can
future-proof their businesses to ensure
sustainable competitiveness and the
ability to remain resilient.
Earlier in September, at the annual
meeting of the Latin American Association
for Reinsurance Education (LARG) in
Panama City, women overtook men on
the agenda, with 15 women speakers as
panellists and moderators compared to
12 men.
The federation’s 2017 Biennial
Conference saw a 28% representation
by women on the speaker list and 30%
representation by women on the delegate
list. ICMIF also ran a Young Leaders
Programme at this event, with 49% of the
young leader delegates being women.
“Thirty-one companies from 16
countries sent young leaders to participate
as delegates, and one of the threads
running through the whole conference
was the need for mutuals and co-ops to
develop the next generation of talent,”
says ICMIF vice-president for Business
Intelligence, Ben Telfer.
“The young leaders’ attendance
was embraced by the CEOs and senior
executives who attended and their
presence added to the diversity of thought
at networking events and discussions.
I was delighted to see such an equal
diversity split amongst the participants
too,” he added.
ICMIF set up a Young Leaders Forum for
millennials who have been identified by
their senior managers as strong candidates
to become future leaders within their
organisations. The Forum includes seven
women and five men reflecting current
membership.
Promoting equality is a concern for the
whole co-operative and mutual insurance
sector. Previous research carried out
by ICMIF showed that the percentage
of women on the boards of directors of
mutual and co-operative insurers rose to
20.6% in 2015, compared to an insurance
industry average of just 17.8%.
According to the report, 85% of ICMIF
member companies had at least one
woman director on their board in 2015
and 48% of companies had three or more
women directors, a significantly greater
percentage than the industry average of
just 17% at that time.
SWITZERLAND
Credit unions
to benefit from Basel’s
revised stress tests
Revised stress testing principles from the
Basel Committee on Banking Supervision
are expected to reduce the regulatory
burdens on credit unions and other
community-based financial co-ops.
Regulators across the world implement
the Basel standards when conducting
stress tests of credit unions and other
community -based co-operative depository
institutions. The changes, agreed last
month, will help ensure these tests are
carried out on a more proportionate basis.
“These principles are intended to
be applied on a proportionate basis,
depending on the size, complexity
and risk profile of the bank or banking
sector for which the authority is
responsible,” read the guidelines issued
by the Basel Committee.
The decision represents a major
success for the World Council of Credit
Unions (Woccu), which earlier this year
called for the change.
Michael Edwards, who leads Woccu’s
advocacy efforts, said: “World Council
members have often reported ‘goldplating’
and excessi.
“The Basel Committee’s updated
stress testing principles should help end
those excessive compliance burdens on
credit unions.”
The changes should reduce
unnecessarily high capital requirements
on a case-by-case basis, he added.
“The results of stress testing often
lead to the credit union’s prudential
regulator requiring the institution to
hold more regulatory capital than the
applicable rulebook would normally
require,” he said, “so making those
tests more proportional should in
general reduce capital requirements
on community-based institutions that
are subject to stress testing, but may
help increase capital requirements for
the much more complex too-big-to-fail
banks that the stress testing rules were
originally developed for.”
p Woccu’s Michael Edwards welcomed
the decision
DECEMBER 2018 | 19

EUROPE
The last straw: Co-ops get behind the EU’s plastic crackdown
On 24 October MEPs voted to ban singleuse
cutlery, cotton buds, straws and
stirrers – which make up over 70% of
marine litter – by 2021.
Euro Coop, a trade body that represents
European consumer co-op, welcomed the
decision, which also bans products made
of oxo-degradable plastics, such as bags
or packaging and fast-food containers
made of expanded polystyrene.
Under the draft regulations, nonbanned
plastics for which no alternative
exists, such as single-use burger boxes,
sandwich boxes or food containers
for fruits, vegetables, desserts or ice
creams, will have to be reduced by 25%.
Furthermore, beverage bottles will have
to be collected separately and recycled at
a rate of 90% by 2025.
Measures also cover waste from
tobacco products, in particular cigarette
filters containing plastic, which would
have to be reduced by 50% by 2025 and
80% by 2030. Tobacco companies will
be expected to cover the costs of waste
collection for those products, including
transport, treatment and litter collection.
In addition, members states will
need to ensure that at least 50% of lost
or abandoned fishing gear containing
plastic is collected per year, with a
recycling target of at least 15% by 2025.
Fishing gear represents 27% of waste
found on Europe’s beaches.
Rosita Zilli, deputy secretary general
of Euro Coop, said European consumer
co-operatives were already active in
making the shift from a linear to a
circular economy.
“One of the main conclusions is that the
throwaway society in which we currently
live has its days numbered and that it is
no longer the time to speak about ‘waste’
but of ‘reusable resources’,” she added.
“Being retailers mainly active in the
food area, consumer co-operatives that
are members of Euro Coop translated
this precept into action to tackle and
transform waste and rethink how current
production and consumption patterns
take place. Against this backdrop,
yesterday’s EP vote is certainly a move
that supports Euro Coop members’ vision
and spirit towards an enhanced global
circular economy.”
Europe’s industrial and service
co-ops join social economy group
The European confederation of industrial and service
co-operatives, Cecop–Cicopa Europe, is the latest organisation
to join Social Economy Europe (SSE).
SSE represents the 2.8 million social economy enterprises,
including co-operative and mutual insurers, health mutuals,
industrial and service co-ops, foundations, associations of
general interest, social enterprises, ethical and alternative
banks, and cities and regions which support the social economy.
Its president, Juan Antonio Pedreño, said: “We are extremely
happy to welcome Cecop–Cicopa Europe. Co-operatives active
in industry and services are a key pillar of the social economy.
Together, we will continue strengthening the voice of the
European social economy, we will boost our visibility and we
will tirelessly work for a more conducive ecosystem for all
social economy enterprises and organisations.”
Cecop–Cicopa Europe president, Giuseppe Guerini,
added: “SEE is the natural place to grow together with
other organisations that share and promote economic
democracy, and citizens’ participation in the construction of
a fair, free and inclusive market composed by different forms
of enterprises.
“We are very pleased to become a member of SEE with
whom we have been sharing vision and goals for a long time.
In this delicate moment of EU history the role of organisations
bringing people together, fostering unity and participation in
order to achieve solidarity and social inclusion is crucial.”
20 | DECEMBER 2018
Untitled-1 1 20/09/2018 14:10

EUROPE
MEPs explore
the role of social
co-ops in agriculture
p The meeting at the European Parliament
Social co-operatives play a key role in
the agricultural sector in Italy. Their
contribution was the topic of a meeting
hosted by MEPs Elena Gentile, Paolo De
Castro and Roberto Gualtieri (S&D, Italy)
at the European Parliament.
Social agriculture enterprises are
co-ops or other businesses that operate
in the agricultural sector to foster social
inclusion. Around 46% of all enterprises
involved in social agriculture in Italy are
co-operatives. They employ people from
very vulnerable backgrounds such as
ex-offenders, people with disabilities,
refugees, and people struggling with
addiction and mental health issues.
Others provide jobs for people in territories
previously controlled by the mafia.
Ilaria Signoriello from the Euro+Med
Agri Network said decision-makers
should be aware of the economic and
entrepreneurial dimension of social
co-ops in agriculture, which is also seen
in Portugal, Czech Republic and Hungary.
Paolo De Castro expressed concerns over
the cuts to Common Agriculture Policy
(CAP) funding. The budget allocated to
the CAP represents a share of 28.5% of the
overall EU budget for the period 2021-2027,
down 5% from the previous budget.
Roberto Gualtieri called for a European
legal framework for social agriculture.
And CECOP president Giuseppe Guerini,
former president of Federsolidarietà,
looked at the importance of economic
biodiversity, stating that in order to
thrive, societies had to promote a variety
of economic models. He concluded by
calling for an alliance of social co-ops
active in agriculture and public decision
makers to promote this model.
Former refugee hostel re-opens as sustainable hostel
WELCOMMON, the hostel that provided
accommodation to refugees and asylum
seekers in Athens, is now open to
tourists. In February, the UN Refugee
Agency told organising co-op Wind of
Renewal that it will now focus on small
structures such as apartments, rather
than larger facilities such as the hostel.
Funding is still an issue and they are
looking for donations and investors.
New creative co-op for New Zealand’s Wairoa District?
A creative co-op looks set to be formed in
New Zealand’s Wairoa District following
a visit from Craig Presland, CEO of Coop
Business NZ – the country’s representative
body for co-ops – to encourage the
development of local co-op businesses
in the area. He said he wanted to help the
region build upon this economic success
using the co-operative model.
The Co-operators to provide medical cannabis coverage
Canadian insurer the Co-operators is
introducing optional medical cannabis
coverage for its members. Medical cannabis
does not have a Health Canada Drug
Identification Number and is not eligible
for coverage under prescription drug
plans. The Co-operators will consider it
an eligible expense under the ‘all other
extended health care’ category.
Mauritius Business minister pledges support for co-ops
Co-operatives are on the government’s
agenda in Mauritius, according to the
Minister of Business, Enterprise and
Cooperatives, Soomilduth Bholah. Speaking
at the National Awards for Co-ops 2018 on
14 November, the minister highlighted
some of the government’s policies around
co-operatives.
José Antonio Chávez Villanueva Award winners
Young co-operators making contributions
to the movement were presented with
awards at the 5th Co-operative Summit
of the Americas. The awards are a tribute
to the late youth member of the board of
the International Co-operative Alliance,
José Antonio Chávez Villanueva, who was
killed in a car accident in December 2014.
DECEMBER 2018 | 21

MEET...
Meet ... Katie Cosgrave,
Alumni Lead at RECLAIM Project
Katie Cosgrave is youth engagement officer at the RECLAIM Project, a youth
leadership and social change organisation. The charity works to support
and amplify the voices of working class young people. One of its projects
involves running leadership programmes for 12-15 year olds from working class
communities and support them through an Alumni Network until they are 22.
The charity also developed a range of pilot projects and campaigns on issues
that affect working class communities.
CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE RECLAIM
PROJECT? HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THIS?
Reclaim Project is a charity for working class young
people. We work with working class communities;
we go into that community, talk with them and
work out what assets are already there. We then
work with them on asset building, looking at how
we can make the spaces better for young people,
and how we can ensure those young people are
being represented in the community.
I started in 2007 on the first Moss Side project as
an internship when [founder] Ruth Ibegbuna was
the CEO. From there I always supported the work,
and I received a paid position four years ago. I love
it! It’s an absolute privilege to work with these
young people.
DO YOU WORK WITH ANY CO-OPS?
We have worked with co-ops in the past where
they have come in and spoken to our young
people. Recently, Co-operatives UK’s John
Atherton came to a session to speak about
what co-operatives are, their values, and their
importance. It was interesting as the way
co-ops do things aligns with how the Reclaim
Project believes communities should be run.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR TIPS FOR CO-OPS AND
ORGANISATIONS LOOKING AT REACHING YOUR
TARGET AUDIENCE THROUGH CAMPAIGNING?
I would say that there needs to be an offer there.
They need to make sure that they are positively
representing young people. They need to make
sure that there is definitely something in it for the
young people and provide spaces to listen. Young
people need spaces. If they are in school they don’t
have space – they are just there going from lesson
to lesson. The only time they get is when they are
home facetiming with their friends. They need a
space where they can be themselves. Young people
have a lot to say they are just not being asked the
right questions.
CAN CO-OPS HELP TO EMPOWER YOUNG PEOPLE
WITH THEIR ONE MEMBER, ONE VOTE PRINCIPLE?
The way in which co-ops are set up is what our
young people want to see. They want an equal
society. They want people to do things not just
A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE REFER TO RECLAIM
AS A FAMILY. IT’S A SPACE WHERE LIKE-MINDED
YOUNG PEOPLE CAN HAVE CONVERSATIONS
ABOUT ISSUES THAT PEOPLE ASSUME THEY
WOULD NOT WANT TO TALK ABOUT.
22 | DECEMBER 2018

for money but because they need doing. They
understand that and want to take action on things
that needs doing.
RECENT RESEARCH FOUND THAT 40% OF YOUNG
PEOPLE FEEL LONELY. HOW IS THE RECLAIM
PROJECT WORKING TO ADDRESS THIS?
RECLAIM project helps to address loneliness
within young people by offering that space for them
to meet. When they are with us, our young people
are in a non-judgemental environment. They
are listened to, they are treated like adults, with
respect. We would never ask anything of them that
they felt uncomfortable with and there’s a space for
them to come and talk. A lot of young people refer
to the Reclaim Project as a family. It’s a space where
like-minded young people can have conversations
about issues that people assume they would not
want to talk about. A lot of our young people talk
about politics and society and it’s a chance for
them to express their views and opinions safely.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE CAREER PROGRESSION OF
YOUNG PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE SCHEME?
We’ve got a few young people that have worked for
us. We’ve given jobs to them, internships; we’ve
supported young people to go to university and
study law or other subjects. We can provide books
for them as well. But also it’s about having someone
who listens to them. A youth worker stays with the
young person a long time and has conversations
about how they feel, including when they feel upset
or that they don’t fit in. Having that conversation
with someone they can trust is what they need.
DECEMBER 2018 | 23

YOUR VIEWS
RE: BUTTERFLY AWARDS, BEST
BEREAVEMENT WORKER IN THE UK
In the last issue of Co-op News, I read
about Co-op Group Funeral director
Annabel L Davies being nominated for a
national award.
It’s an honour for the funeral director,
but her first question asked: “Why me?”
Why not?. Many never bother to give that
little extra. It cost nothing.
I was nominated for the ‘Pride of East
Yorkshire Award’ a few years ago. It’s a way
of saying ‘thank you’ for thoughtfulness,
and an appreciation of what you freely give
back to people who need help
David Teacher, Hull
Have your say
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letters@thenews.coop
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Co-operative News
JOIN IN LIVE WRAPS UP
Over the last three months, the Co-op
has hosted 24 ‘Join in Live’ events up
and down the country. It’s been a chance
for members and colleagues to engage
with us about our progress as a business,
the connections we’ve built with our
communities, the funding of our local
causes, and the important issues we’re
tackling now for the future.
What a brilliant, insightful time it’s
been! The workshops we ran on our ‘Future
of Food’ plan particularly provided us
with lots of insight and talking points on
recycling plastics and becoming greener.
On behalf of the National Members’
Council, I want to thank everyone who
came along to one of the events – your
feedback and suggestions will really help
us to shape the work we do and how we
plan our events for next year, making sure
that your interests are at the heart of it all.
It was great to hear from members who
found the events as worthwhile as we did.
I’ve picked out some of my highlights to
share with Co-op News readers.
“I really enjoyed the event tonight. It was
great to meet and talk with other members
and Co-op colleagues and representatives,
and to hear about all the latest
developments. A fantastic opportunity to
feed back our views on what the Co-op is
doing. I hope you will consider running a
similar event in our area in future.”
“Thank you so much for today. As I said
at the end of the meeting, it was a real
eye opener to see what else the Co-op is
about. As a retired farmer, I appreciate the
way Co-op supports British farming and
that is what drew me into membership in
the first place.
I also appreciate the work that is being
put into free-from foods. I have a grandson
who is allergic to cows’ milk protein, so
your efforts are much valued.
As a Women’s Institute (WI) member,
we are in the middle of our ‘plastic soup’
campaign (tackling ocean pollution), so I
can report back on what was promised at
the meeting.
The meeting was most informative, and
considering I only attended to be nosey, I
came away with lots of information.”
“Thank you for a really interesting
session at the Join in Live event in
Wrexham. I enjoyed hearing from Member
Pioneers and others about all the good
things that were happening with the
community projects. It is uplifting to think
that so many people are benefiting from
our 1%.”
Join in Live has been a great success, and
we have our members and communities
to thank for getting stuck in and being so
passionate about helping us to make a
difference. Here’s to making 2019 even
better, hope to see you there.
Nick Crofts,
President of the Co-op Group
Members’ Council
24 | DECEMBER 2018

‘Business as usual’ is going to kill the planet,
according to Lord Victor Adebowale, and it is up
to co-operatives, social enterprises and associated
organisations to change the future.
Lord Adebowale, who chairs Social Enterprise
UK, is chief executive of the social care enterprise
Turning Point and sits on the board of the Co-op
Group, opened the Practitioners Forum, telling
delegates that their different way of doing business
was the future.
He highlighted how shocks to the economy,
including the 2008 financial crisis, have meant
that every survey for the last decade shows public
opinion of business going the wrong direction.
“People don’t trust business,” he said. “They
don’t trust business leaders and they don’t trust
the notion of business. This is worrying, as
business is important to society – but the future of
society relies on new models of business.”
The public is looking for a new vision, he said.
“But we’re it! The co-op economy contributes
more to GDP than the country’s entire agriculture
sector. The top five co-ops pay more UK tax
than Google, Apple, Amazon and Starbucks
combined. The UK’s 11th largest taxpayer
is Nationwide.”
He believes that younger generations know that
their future does not and cannot rely on ‘business
as usual’. Instead, business will be about helping
people and their communities thrive.
“We are standing on a burning platform,” said
Lord Adebowale. “We don’t have the luxury of
time. Business as usual is going to kill the planet.
We have to grow faster than business as usual in
order to influence the economy and the politics
that drive it.
“These are big issues, and we have to succeed.
Our kids depend on it. It means delivery of real
business results.”
He said the emergence of businesses ‘for good’
shows that ‘business as usual’ recognises the
positive difference co-ops can make. “We need to
understand and protect what that difference is,
and understand why they want to be us.”
Part of that difference, he said, lies in the
co-op values and principles, and their practical
application. On membership and democracy, he
challenged delegates: “You have to get people who
aren’t in this room to join. We think democracy
is the same as voting. It’s not – it’s the process of
debate. We have to take the debate out there and
we have to use language that is understandable
outside of this room.”
Co-op leaders gathered at the Practitioners Forum in Manchester
on 22 November for a series specialist forums on communications;
finance; governance; HR and membership. This one-day event,
organised by Co-operatives UK and sponsored by Co-op Insurance,
was designed to offer experts advice and peer-to-peer networking.
He believes that in terms of education,
“we haven’t achieved anything until people
leaving business schools know what a co-operative
business is. We need to change how economics
and MBAs are taught. We need to teach how
co-ops are led with the culture and values of the
business in mind.”
He also noted how, according to the UN, the
UK’s government’s austerity measures inflicted
“great misery” on its people. “It’s cruel,” said
Lord Adebowale. “If we’re not part of the solution,
what’s the point? If we can’t provide a solution
for people at the sharp end of the economic scale,
what are we doing?”
He added: “We are standing on the edge of the
future. The energy that should provide us with
should be tremendous, there is no better energy
than the future. The future is precious, it’s not a
game, isn’t not something that can be put to one
side. Success is the difference between a good
society for our kids and business as usual.”
F PPractitioners
Forum 2018
Lord Victor Adebowale
DECEMBER 2018 | 25

Successfully engaging a digital audience requires
understanding human behaviour, said Zoe Lawrie
from the Co-operative Bank during a session
on marketing. She offered a series of tips for a
successful digital engagement.
With 90% of adults in UK having an online
presence, going digital can help businesses
listen, respond and engage with their customers
or clients, she said.
Digital marketing has an advantage over
traditional channels because it is not limited
to a geographical area, which means that local
co-ops can run national campaigns and have a
24/7 online presence.
“From a business point of view, social media
is crucial but it is not a shop window – it is an
opportunity to have a dialogue and learn from
people,” said Ms Lawrie.
She argued that the key to a successful approach
is taking into account the fact that people buy
benefits, not products. Digital marketing also
enables co-ops to track the success of their
campaigns, measuring impact with analytics tools
from search engines and social media platforms.
campaign. The Bank does not have a Snapchat
account but spread the message through the filter.
IMPROVE SEO RESULTS
Another marketing challenge is search engine
optimisation. Ms Lawrie advised co-ops, when
considering this, to type searches for the things
PRODUCE VIDEOS
New technology has brought new ways to present
information, and Ms Lawrie said co-ops should
produce videos for promotion on social media –
making sure they are pinned posts.
“Video far exceeds engagement more than
anything else – if you are not filming stuff do it,”
she said. It is predicted that 80% of all internet
traffic will be video in the next two years.
CHOOSE APPROPRIATE CHANNELS
Choosing the right platform for each promotion
is crucial, said Ms Lawrie. Engagement on social
media and responding to customers helps to
boost a post shared on Facebook, she said, while
effective use of hashtags and tagging key people
can bring more retweets on Twitter.
“Followers and those commenting on posts
become advocates for you,” she said.
Retailers can also use Instagram to share visual
and user-generated content, which will also attract
bloggers and influencers. LinkedIn can help
co-ops engage more formally with executives,
other businesses or potential employees.
This year, the Co-operative Bank designed
a Snapchat featuring one of the Manchester
bees it had sponsored. The filter was used by
members and employees to promote a marketing
they want to be known for, the things are interested
in, and the names of their competitors – and then
to study the results of the search to inform their
own web presence.
Giving away something for free boosts search
engine results and so does registering the
business’s address on Google.
Another way to maximise online presence is
to encourage members and customers to write
reviews of the business and its services. And
having their business listed on Google will help it
get more reviews and be found more easily.
“You can include photos, how the business
looks, what you sell, add videos and people can
post reviews that you can respond to, thank and
share,” said Ms Lawrie. “You can ask people to
post reviews and give them vouchers.”
She explained that being relevant and
unique, having other websites linking to the
business and being active on social media could
all help bring a business higher up in search
engine results.
Zoe Lawrie,
The Co-operative Bank
26 | DECEMBER 2018

START BLOGGING
Blogging is also an important method
of promotion; posts can be used to share skills,
insider tips, member stories and recipes.
“Give something back – don’t start by expecting
members, communities and customers to
contribute and buy something from you. Give
them something first,” said Ms Lawrie.
“Ask your communities and network to write
for you and use those on your blogs. Get in
touch with people who have content and who
share each others. You have a community of like
- minded people. Build it. Exploit it. Use them.
Get involved in videos, share value. Add value to
people’s lives. Remember we want people buying
into better versions than themselves. How can you
help them do that?”.
Delegates were given the chance to view
Co-operatives UK’s draft framework and guidance
around Key Performance Indicators for co-ops.
The document is based on the seven co-op
principles. It takes each principle, identifies a
number of core questions to consider, and sets
out examples of KPIs and how support metrics
can be used.
It aims to help co-ops think about how KPIs
help deliver member value, member voice and
co-operative values. The guidance uses
an open set of questions, which can be used
as a starting point for discussions around core
objectives and how the mission is delivered.
“The framework was designed to be simple
and flexible, bringing together co-op principles and
business principles. It’s a living document waiting
for feedback from members. We are still consulting
with people on it,” said John Sandford chair
of the Co-operative Performance Committee.
“It’s a question-based framework, not aimed
to be prescriptive,” added Shelagh Everett
of Co-operatives UK. “It’s about getting the right
KPIs for your co-op.”
She explained that the context or answer
to questions may differ across co-operatives.
Some KPIs may be relevant to certain types of
co-operatives only but all can be used to prompt
debate, she said.
The framework can be used by all co-ops,
irrespective of type, size or sector and will soon be
available online.
DECEMBER 2018 | 27

HOW TO ENGAGE AND CAMPAIGN WITH YOUNG PEOPLE
LESSONS FROM THE RECLAIM PROJECT
Ask any co-operative business to list some of its
biggest challenges, and more likely than not the
issue of ‘engaging young people’ will come up.
Almost one third of the world's population is under
18. Young people have an influence on decisionmaking
a all levels; they are future members,
customers and colleagues.
At the 2018 Practitioners Forum, organised
by Co-operatives UK, Katie Cosgrave from the
Reclaim Project looked at the issue of engaging
and campaigning with a younger audience.
How do you reach a younger demographic
through campaigning? Who really benefits
from the campaigns? And how can you reach
the ‘unreachable’?
Reclaim is a youth leadership and social change
organisation set up in Moss Side in 2007 to enable
working class young people to be seen, be heard
and lead change. It was started by Ruth Ibegbuna,
a teacher, who was one of many to be angered
by how the shocking murder of 15 year-old Jessie
James in broad daylight was reported. To the
media it was the death of another black youth in
an area rife with crime and drug use.
“The image of young people in Moss Side at the
time was that they were thugs, in gangs, and up
to no good,” said Ms Cosgrave, youth engagement
officer at Reclaim. “Ruth knew differently. She
knew that they were clever, articulate and had
the answers – they just weren’t being asked the
right questions.
“Ruth organised an event for 30 young black
boys from the area who, during their half term,
spent a week talking about stereotyping, racism
and representation. They worked on how to
articulate their problems without sounding like
they were kicking off.” This first event evolved into
a campaign, and then the Reclaim Project.
FREEBIES
Presenting alongside Ms Cosgrave was Olivia
Clarke, a 16 year-old student who has worked
with Reclaim for several years. She first attended
Reclaim events as a “shy young girl” – drawn in
by free food.
“It was goodness knows how many chicken
mayos and KFCs later, that I realised that I had
a passion for political change. It was then that I
became an independent young woman!” she said.
“My point is, that in order to engage young
people, you have to give them something –
specifically, something free. Free food or tech –
they’re the two things that young people love the
most. I can almost guarantee that attendance will
be high if there’s a freebie. There will be people
who just come for that freebie – but by the end of
the session you will find a core group of people who
will actually want to work with you on whatever
your campaign is.”
ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS.
Ms Cosgrave highlighted how it is unlikely that
anyone aged 12 would say they are interested in
politics, for example, “but you just need to ask
different questions”.
“If instead you ask ‘Do you care how you are
educated?’, ‘Do you care how many people are in
your classroom?’ or ‘ Do you care how you get to
school or what the bus journey is like?’ then yes,
they’ll be interested and they’ll have a lot to say.
“It’s about removing the terminology. Young
people just want honesty. Tell them what
you’re doing and why you’re doing it. And keep
them updated.”
MANIFESTO
Creating a manifesto is another good way to start
a campaign. “It’s a professional document for
young people to refer back to,” said Ms Cosgrave.
Above: Alumni Lead at
Reclaim Project, right,
Olivia Clarke, a student
who works with Reclaim
28 | DECEMBER 2018

REPRESENTATION
A lot of terms used when talking about young
people are overly negative, said Ms Cosgrave. So
start talking positively about them and represent
them in a way that they would be proud to
be represented.
“When something represents you, you want
to look at it and say ‘Yes, you haven’t done a
disservice to me, that absolutely represents me’.
“If you have boards or are doing consultations,
make sure that everyone there represents a
different part of society, so young people can look
and think ‘Yes, I look like them, I sounds like
them, I could be in those positions’.”
But it’s also important not to stereotype or use
tokenism, added Ms Clarke. “I don’t choose where
I live – that place doesn’t label me. OK I may be
poor financially, but I’m rich in values. I don’t
need money or a postcode to define me.”
She related a story of how a politician,
campaigning in her area, asked if he could get a
picture with her. “I had to tell him: ‘No, I’m not
your little campaign prop’! Just because you pose
with a young person doesn’t mean you benefited
them or worked with them.
“They can see what they’ve stated, what it is that
they want to do.”
Reclaim runs a conference week where young
people are given space to discuss ideas around
leadership, activism, enterprise and community
development – and at the end they create their
own manifesto.
One such manifesto led to the creation of Moss
Side Pride, a 2015 event entirely run by 14 and 15
year olds, which brought 1,500 people together at
a food festival in an effort to celebrate Moss Side’s
diversity and remove some of the stereotypes
people had about the area.
BE PROACTIVE
“Companies need to make more of an effort to
get involved with us,” said Ms Clarke. They need
to start engaging with young people, rather than
complain about young people not being engaged.
“You’re not going to find out our opinion without
asking us. So ask us what we feel, what we think
and how we can help. We’re young, but we’re not
stupid. We do have a voice and an opinion. It may
not be as advanced an opinion, but it’s still an
opinion and that opinion matters. We’re not scary,
and we don’t bite either.”
ENCOURAGE ACTIONS
Use a simple campaign that involves an action that
young people can take part in. “The young people
I spoke to before I came here liked Movember, Odd
Sock Day (for bullying), no-make-up selfies and
the polished man campaign [which challenges
men (and women) to paint one nail and raise
funds and awareness for children affected by
violence globally] as they were something they
could do,” said Ms Cosgrave. “You have to take
part physically – then they start conversations.”
HASHTAGS GO A LONG WAY
“Social media is often shown in a negative light,”
said Ms Clarke. “The benefits are never really
talked about – like how it educates people without
realising it.
“Social media, to a certain extent, is the only
education working class people get, especially
politically. It’s broken down and presented on
a platform that is accessible to everyone from
all walks of life. Using social media to engage
young people automatically shows them that
you’re willing to engage with them in their own
spaces. And those spaces to talk can start with
a hashtag.”
Hear more from Katie
on our Meet feature
on page 22-23
DECEMBER 2018 | 29

Engagement and growth:
Lessons from Outlandish
As worker co-ops develop or grow, what challenges can this present in terms of engaging with members or
clients, to ensure that its founding co-op ethos is effectively communicated and maintained? We spoke to
Kayleigh Walsh from Outlandish – a co-op of collaborators and co-owners who build digital applications,
which is one of the rising stars of a new generation of young co-operatives.
30 | DECEMBER 2018

Has the growth of Outlandish made
engagement with members more difficult?
We haven't ever been huge, but last year we did
get to about 30 people invoicing us, which is the
biggest we've been. It did change the feel of the
co-op – there were more people because we had
a lot of work on, which is good! But it also means
there was a bit less familiarity among the team,
and our culture is really important to us. We think
there's a lot of trust required in a worker co-op,
and inevitably when there are more people, the
environment changes slightly.
In terms of engagement with members, it hasn't
really affected us because at most there have
only been nine, but we recognise that Outlandish
relies on more than just nine people to be the
success that we are today.
The point here is that we don't want to grow,
we just want to work with nice people and deliver
things that they need which contribute positively
to the world. That's our aim, rather than growth
or hitting specific financial targets or taking on
Google. It's just not our bag.
What practical challenges have there been?
How have these been dealt with?
As a small business, we need to be efficient and
capable of delivering more work when there is
demand. Our business structure means that we're
three concentric circles consisting of freelancers
and members, so when we need to scale up,
we can call on people with relevant skills from
our network who have the opportunity to work
with us over the short or long term.
We've experienced the challenge of having
more work on than the team are capable of
delivering, so in response to that, we set up
CoTech – a network of digital co-ops in the UK.
It covers more or less everything you need for a
successful digital project, and it means that we
can scale up without the overhead of recruitment
and deliver high quality and valuable work
through collaborating with other experienced
co-ops. In turn we're supporting the longevity
of other digital co-ops, because we're sharing
the work and practising collaboration and skill
sharing, as well as showing solidarity.
Lots of people assume that we want to be really
big, but we don't. We have an agreement that
we won't be more than 20 members. We think
there's a lot to be said for smaller co-ops with
defined expertise who are open to collaboration,
"We just want to work with nice people
and deliver things that they need which
contribute positively to the world. That's our
aim, rather than growth or hitting specific
financial targets or taking on Google.
It's just not our bag."
rather than a huge organisation that seems to do
everything ... albeit not very efficiently. This also
means that we offer high value and quality work
to our clients i.e. we're cheaper than corporate
agencies because of the reduced overhead and
profit extraction, which is really important
to us (and really, that should be what every
organisation aims to do).
Have new measures been put in place as
Outlandish gets bigger to maintain the close
relationship with its workers (and, indeed,
its members?)
We've always been quite social, and have a
shared lunch paid by Outlandish every Tuesday
and Thursday to make sure that we look after
the human side of our co-op. Outlandish started
around a kitchen table so even though we're in an
office, we still like to have a good meal and chat.
We wholeheartedly understand and value
the importance of culture, so we've invested
a lot of time and money into training around
communication, sociocracy and feeling
empowered to speak up when things aren't
right. We know that there's no point delivering
work and focusing on commercial projects if
we're not taking care of the internal well-being
and happiness of our workers - without them
Outlandish doesn't exist.
With that being said, l don't want to make it
sound easy or perfect. It's not, but the point is that
we're committed to making it better because we
all know it's worth it.
DECEMBER 2018 | 31

Reaching out to baby boomers
to leave a co-op legacy
The baby boomer generation is reaching
retirement age – and with a huge number of
business owners in their ranks, there is an
opportunity for the employee-ownership sector to
win new converts.
In the UK, the question of what happens when
these firms transfer ownership has already
caught the attention of the co-op and employee
ownership sectors. Encouraging the switch to
worker control has been highlighted as a route
towards doubling the size of the UK co-op sector,
a target set by the Co-operative Party.
In an independent report commissioned by
the Party, the New Economics Foundation said:
“There are around 120,000 family-run small
and medium enterprises in the UK expected to
undergo a transfer of ownership in the next
three years. If just 5% of these businesses were
supported to make the transition to employee
ownership or one of the other mutual or
co‐operative models available in the UK, then
the number of entities in the sector would double.”
So how can the movement engage with
businesses to encourage this process?
In the USA, Evergreen Co-operatives, with
strategic advice from Democracy Collaborative,
has launched an initiative to drive a new wave
of business transitions. A network of co-ops,
Evergreen is a key player in the Cleveland
model which uses co-op ideas to build local
democratic economies, which helped inspire the
co-op councils movement in Britain. Democracy
Collaborative is a nonprofit working on building
community wealth.
Evergreen’s new project, the Fund for Employee
Ownership, will purchase businesses in its home
state, Ohio, for conversion to worker-ownership.
The team says the scheme offers a better
alternative to the current situation, where
businesses are often bought out by private equity
firms, who then cut jobs or move them overseas
or out of state.
The fund is also looking at industries that
employ the workers Evergreen and Democracy
Collaborative want to target – those on low
incomes or facing barriers to employment.
Evergreen’s executive vice president Brett
Jones, who is director of the fund, says: “We are
just getting started but we are really optimistic
about our ability to acquire firms in Cleveland
that would be a great fit to convert to employeeowned.
And we’re also optimistic about our
ability to support those businesses to succeed
and grow.
“Key to our success will be identifying
partners who can help us connect with local
business owners”.
Part of this engagement process is making
business owners a positive offer. Jessica Rose,
director of employee ownership programs at
Democracy Collaborative, told business website
Fast Company: “What we need to do is leverage
One of Evergreen’s
co-op enterprises in
Cleveland, Ohio
32 | DECEMBER 2018

Evergreen wants to
encourage a new wave
of worker-owned
businesses
mission-driven capital that can offer business
owners an experience that’s as frictionless as any
other exit option they have available to them.”
But can this model be used to spread the worker
-ownership message elsewhere? Brad Jones says
the fund is trying to demonstrate “a new way for
impact capital to be put to use. The next few years
will be focused on executing our strategy so one
day perhaps the model can be replicated.”
Ed Mayo, secretary general of Co-operatives
UK, says: “Here is a programme that is embedded
in local networks in the city and state. Could
we see cities in the UK operate in as proactive a
way? If the fund can prove that it pays for itself
over time, the wider benefits in terms of the local
economy can be considerable.”
Deb Oxley, chief executive of the Employee
Ownership Association, called the fund “a very
exciting route to support regional economic
resilience”, adding: “As the UK looks for new
ways to protect jobs and stimulate regional
productivity, while at the same time socialising
capital, we need policy makers and politicians
to be more ambitious and brave. In this regards,
the UK could learn important lessons from
the USA.”
Others are more cautious. Cath Muller from
Co-operative Business Consultants suggested
economic democracy would be better improved
if the fund promoted worker co-ops, and pointed
to a report for New York community development
group The Pinkerton Foundation by Steven
Dawson, which warned against “over-promise”
by social enterprise investments.
“After six years and promises of creating 5,000
jobs, the three Evergreen Co-operative Enterprises
in inner-city Cleveland today employ in total
fewer than 150 workers – despite investing more
than $17m in construction costs alone” wrote
Dawson in February 2017; he pointed to similar
problems in projects run by other cities.
Ms Muller added: “That said, of course there’s
room here to take this proactive approach ...
Anyone providing large funds to further any level
of worker agency is a great thing, even if I think
there are more ambitious things that could be
done with that amount of money.”
“What we need to do
is leverage mission
-driven capital that can
offer business owners
an experience that’s as
frictionless as any other
exit option they have
available to them”
DECEMBER 2018 | 33

Mutualising public services: How do
we engage with workers and the public?
Austerity has impacted massively on local government, decimating frontline services across the country,
with councils facing more cuts to funding and worsening financial challenges
Against this bleak backdrop, local authorities
are fighting back and increasingly recognising
that mutual and co-operative ways of working
can help rebuild communities disheartened
and demoralised by years of cuts. Preston City
Council led the way, supporting a wide range
of co-operative enterprises built around the
city’s anchor institutions – including the county
constabulary, a public sector housing association,
colleges and hospitals.
Council leaders also decided to buy goods and
services locally to stop 61% of their procurement
budget being spent outside of the Lancashire
economy. In the process, the town’s fortunes
have been turned around and the results are
inspiring other local authorities to go back to their
roots engaging local communities.
Preston is also a key player in the Co-operative
Councils Innovations Network (CCIN), which
is offering an alternative approach to
delivering services, using co-operative values
and principles.
It comprises 23 councils across the UK, from
Bassetlaw to Bristol, which have committed
themselves to finding better ways of working for
and with local people. Members share the belief
that working co-operatively with communities
holds the key to tackling today’s challenges
– replacing traditional models of top-down
governance and service delivery with local
leadership, built on the founding traditions of the
co-operative movement.
Ethical expertise is provided by its Values and
Principles Board, which includes representatives
from the Co-op Party, Co-operatives UK, the
Co-operative College and Co-op Press.
Director of communications Nicola Huckerby
says there has been a surge of interest in the last
12 months.
“This year, our annual conference in October
attracted a lot more council leaders, MPs,
peers and council officers who want to help.
Councils need to join to help them identify
solutions to the challenges they are facing with
ever-reducing budgets.
“More and more councils are coming forward
and saying let’s have a conversation – and we
are more than twice the size we were at the
Key Figures
CCIN
comprises of
23
Councils
This figure has
increased by
11
since the
beginning of 2017
34 | DECEMBER 2018

eginning of 2017 with new affiliates and 11
associated member councils. This year we went
over to Brussels to meet the president and director
general of the ICA and were at the autumn
political conferences.”
CCIN has just launched a new round of Policy
Lab funding whereby members put forward their
ideas for partnership projects they would like to
see delivered in 2019/20 with £10,000 going to the
lucky recipients.
“Ordinary members are taking back ideas
wanting to share with their councils. It resonates
very well with co-operative ethics and values. The
principle of the network is investing to save and
looking at delivering services more effectively
and with social value. Whether tackling food
poverty, asset transfers or procuring ethically it is
about how do you deliver services for the benefit
of residents. Different authorities have lessons
we can learn so rather than starting a journey on
our own we are sharing information.”
The network’s list of co-operatively led projects
is a very long one. It includes CATERed, a
co-operative trading company jointly owned
by 67 local schools and Plymouth City Council,
providing high quality school food to children
“Ordinary members are
taking back ideas wanting
to share with their councils.
It resonates very well with
co-operative ethics and
values. The principle of the
network is investing to save
and looking at delivering
services more effectively and
with social value”
be provided more appropriately locally, the
council, health care trust and parents/carers
began to work on a programme to commission
the scheme.
“The parents/carers have been actively
and equally involved throughout the process,
playing an active role in tendering for the scheme.
They have worked with the successful tenderers,
identifying an appropriate site and working on the
and young people across the city not just in school
time but in vacation periods to alleviate holiday
hunger and food poverty.
In Rochdale, Parent Carers Voice, an
independent group of parents of children with
disabilities, is working with council officers to
deliver better services.
Their latest project is a new independent living
facility for young people with autism.
Spokeswoman Helen Walton said: “There is
currently no provision locally for these young
people. Many of them live in out of borough
placements, far from families, friends and
communities and at considerable expense to
the local authority. Recognising provision could
design and layout speaking with local residents
at consultation events and at planning
committees to ensure young peoples’ voices
were heard.”
The development, set to open in summer 2019,
will be named Pioneer Fields, acknowledging
Rochdale’s place in the history of co-operation
and the ongoing approach designed to meet
young people’s needs. It will provide 15 highquality
bungalows with carer accommodation,
communal social space, a café, small farm and
horticultural facilities – all purpose-built to meet
individual needs.
Knowsley Council and its partners are set
to launch a six-month period of engagement
Facing page: Nicola
Huckerby of CCIN
with Cllr Liam
O’Rourke from
Rochdale Borough
Council and Slough
MP Tan Dhesi
DECEMBER 2018 | 35

Stevenage community safety manager Sarah
Pateman said: “We look at it more from the victim’s
perspective. We are involving people, empowering
them to become survivors and asking them what
their preferred option is. By working together in
this co-operative way we can help victims, families
and our partners to offer a joined-up approach
to tackling domestic abuse and helping to keep
victims safe.”
Cllr Paul Stewart from
Sunderland Council
“It is early days but a resolution is going to
council this month which will hopefully give
me authority to plan a more formal
community wealth building programme,
helping us further develop our existing
co-ops and build support for them”
with the community, after the council’s cabinet
agreed a new approach to planning for the future.
The council will work with residents, businesses
and partners to help shape what kind of place
Knowsley will be in 2030, identifying ways to
achieve that vision, focusing on the physical
environment but also covering important issues
such as educational attainment, job creation
and health of the borough’s residents. The new
long-term strategy for Knowsley, which will be
developed over the next 18 months, will launch in
2020 and run until 2030.
Stevenage Against Domestic Abuse has
developed a strategic and co-ordinated approach
to tackling and reducing domestic abuse working
with internal and external partners, putting
the victim and their family at the heart of the
project and working co-operatively to involve
them in decision making.
The service is believed to the first in the
country that encourages organisations to refer
victims and their families a Safe Space provided
by the council to stay for up to seven nights
while they make decisions on their future.
It encourages and empowers victims and
survivors and has so far supported 85
victims of domestic abuse with input
from independent domestic violence
advisors, children’s services, the mental
health team, health visitors and the police.
The SADA team also includes the Domestic
Abuse Forum, a survivors group that informs
direction of the service and delivers training
to neighbouring local authorities and
partner agencies.
New initiatives in Sunderland include REuse
– a project working with vulnerable groups and
local charities which uses the council’s IT system
to recycle old furniture/equipment .
The council also supports Bishopwearmouth
Co-operative Nursery, which delivers a wide
range of professional horticultural and floristry
services to customers across the North East.
All profits are invested into the company to
provide paid employment, education, training
36 | DECEMBER 2018

and work-based placements for vulnerable
adults with learning or physical disabilities.
The co-operative is in the process of opening a
café on site in spring next year.
Cabinet secretary Paul Stewart, a Labour
/Co-op councillor who is in charge of the council’s
finance and corporate services, is enthusiastic
about all these initiatives. A founder member of
the CCIN, he now serves on its executive and is
optimistic about what can be done despite the
fact Sunderland alone has lost £290m in central
government funding since 2010.
“We are all under a lot of pressure however the
network helps us promote our ideas and values as
best we can. All our members have a constitution
which says we are co-op councils trying to pursue
co-op values. Preston Council is a key member
of the network and its leadership have been
very helpful sharing their experiences.
“Here in Sunderland we are in the process
of putting a programme together to implement
an ethical procurement system and looking at
how we can support local businesses more. In
Sunderland 30 per cent of our money is already
spent here and two-thirds in Northern region. We
are looking to expand that further by reducing
the size of contracts as the larger the contract the
more likely it is to be a national company.”
The Council is also setting up a Co-operative
Development Fund to help set new up co-ops or
expand existing ones.
“It is early days but a resolution is going to
council this month which will hopefully give
me authority to plan a more formal Community
Wealth building programme helping us further
develop our existing co-ops and build support
for them .
“In Sunderland low pay affects 25% of the
workforce and we want to ensure that local
employees are paid a decent Living Wage
but it is going to take time because of the
financial climate. It is a long-term project – however
it is the right thing to do if you genuinely believe as
a council you should be ensuring where you have
ability to influence other employers. By trying to
move things forward we can increase the pace
at which we move towards further development
of co-operatives. The important thing is
to promote the agenda ensuring you are open and
honest as a council.”
August this year saw the publication of the
Social Housing Green Paper. Almost 1,000 tenants
shared their views with ministers at 14 events
“By working together we provide better places for our
members, tenants and employees to live and work. Drawing
on the area’s rich co-operative heritage, our pioneering model
places members at the heart of decision-making, allowing
everyone to enjoy a sense of security and belonging in places
we make great together”
across the country, with over 7,000 submitting
opinions, issues and concerns online as the
government aimed to re-balance the relationship
between tenants and landlords in the wake of the
fire at Grenfell Tower,
One way forward has already been pioneered
by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, the UK’s first
tenant and employee co-owned mutual housing
society, with over 13,000 homes in its remit.
RBH became a mutual in 2013 following a
standard stock transfer from the council in
2012. It now has 5490 tenant members and 461
employee members .
Spokesman Iain Lindley says their model is key
to engaging tenants and employees and giving
them an extra stake in the society and its future.
“I think people feel they have a better influence
and they feel a bit closer to the decision making
process. You have not got that adversarial
situation where it is them and us. Our tenant
and employee members elect the people who
sit on our representative body which appoints
non-executive directors and six of the eight
board members.
“We are trying to do things together with
tenants and get them involved as much as we
can as an integral part of the decision-making
process. Our tenants have the opportunity to
make decisions and influence things in a way
they did not before.”
Unlike other housing associations, RBH is
very much about keeping things local, he adds.
“We are committed and focused on Rochdale.
Infomation:
£290m
cut in central
government funding
since
2010
In Sunderland
30%
of money in
Sunderland is
spent in the
area with –
2/3
spent in the
northern region
Low pay affects
25%
of the
workforce
DECEMBER 2018 | 37

I do not think we will be an enormous developer
like other housing associations. We have just
approved our new corporate strategy, our
tenant members and employee members are
integral to that and have the final sign-off. It has
been developed together and not imposed by
a management team.
“By working together we provide better places
for our members, tenants and employees to live
and work. Drawing on the area’s rich co-operative
heritage, our pioneering model places members
at the heart of decision-making, allowing
everyone to enjoy a sense of security and
belonging in places we make great together.”
A meeting at Merthyr
Valleys Homes
“Member-owned housing is still not recognised as a new
approach to housing but post-Grenfell this is an approach
which puts tenants right at the heart of the organisation”
In May 2016 Merthyr Valleys Homes (MVH)
became the first in Wales to allow tenants
and employees the opportunity to become a
member, and own a share in the organisation.
First established in 2009, it currently owns and
manages over 4,200 homes across the borough.
Outgoing CEO Mike Owen explains the
transition: “Our first five years were dedicated
to achieving promises made to tenants upon
transfer, and also achieving our Welsh Housing
Quality Standard targets. In 2014, we started to
look at the future of our organisation, and how we
them to become members, giving them a
real say, and playing an important role in
decision making. Under the old model, tenants
found they could not really be representatives
because they had to be company directors and
there was no way to go back to constituents and
be accountable.
“We decided we really needed to have a
re-think of our position when there was a very
big issue around the TV show Skint, filmed in
Merthyr Tydfil. We sat back and said why have
these people gone on TV and trashed their own
Merthyr Valleys
Homes now owns and
manages more than
4,200 homes
wanted the organisation to develop in the coming
years. We always listened to and involved our
tenants and employees, but our board wanted
to take this a step further and opted to develop
a new governance model where we could
empower our tenants and employees by allowing
community and how far are they from any power
and responsibility for communities? Maybe we
ought to rethink the power relationship.
“We decided to set up a commission with
tenant and councillor reps from the community.
We started to explore different models and went
38 | DECEMBER 2018

to mutual pretty quickly. Everyone liked this idea
of partnership between tenants and employees. It
was then a case of how it would work and operate.
The council leader was really supportive and all
33 councillors voted in favour of change. We had a
good momentum and moved on from there.”
MVH is now recruiting a new CEO and starting
a young members’ group, added Mr Owen.
“The most subtle change has been that the
board are not at the top of the pyramid. They
see themselves as accountable to the democratic
body who appoint them. We had an AGM three
weeks ago which was really well attended.
Our head office is in the middle of an estate, we
have a community zone bringing all providers in
together making sure what we do fits our mutual
values. We have been braver in our approach
to how we deal with stuff like new build.
Constitutionally we would only build houses in
Merthyr and we would not be taken over without
the consent of tenants and employees. The people
of Merthyr built these houses and should stay
in control.”
Cliff Mills, principal associate at Mutuo,
specialises in corporate governance and
constitutional advice in the establishment and
running of co-op, mutual and membership-based
organisations. He agrees the housing model
adopted in Rochdale and Merthyr, which he
helped to develop, offers real opportunities for
better engagement although they are currently
the only two examples of tenant and employee
based membership. There are other examples in
England and Wales with just tenant members.
“The most subtle change which I see
has been that the board are not at the
top of the pyramid. They see themselves
as accountable to the democratic body
who appoint them”
“Member-owned housing is still not widely
recognised as a mainstream approach in social
housing, but post-Grenfell this is an approach
which deserves to be more widely explored as it
puts tenants right at the heart of the organisation.
“Rochdale and Merthyr became mutuals for
different reasons. In Rochdale’s case it followed a
review of future finances and a desire to increase
the involvement of tenants and employees.
It is very different from a traditional housing
association and operates in a radically different
way . Their first corporate strategy as a mutual is a
joint piece of work involving tenants, employees,
the representative body and the board.
“Both Merthyr and Rochdale are very focussed
on their locality, rather than having ambitions to
expand. What they are about is improving their
local community. Merthyr adopted this approach
a few years after RBH, but they are already doing
some very significant things differently in their
locality, and have a very similar approach to RBH
in terms of ownership and governance. What both
do is provide a mechanism to enable the housing
assets and services to work for the benefit of the
local community.
“In this approach, the two groups most affected
by the business (those using the service, and those
delivering it) are part of the collective endeavour.
Instead of being ‘done to’ they are ‘a part of’
and co-own the organisation. In traditional
housing associations priorities are normally set
by management but at RBH and Merthyr tenants
and employees really influence decision-making
and so the organisations have different priorities.
You are not suddenly going to change the nature
of the services overnight but the difference is that
tenants and employees can be fully engaged in
making them successful. Tensions can be worked
out in dialogue between groups.
“It is all about transferring power and you
need an executive team who understand that.
We are always talking to CEOs and different
organisations which might be interested in this
approach. It is important to make the concept as
widely known as possible, and so that people can
see that this model is an effective way of meeting
today’s big challenges.”
DECEMBER 2018 | 39

Saskatoon dispute shows colleague
engagement doesn't always run smooth
In Saskatchewan, a province of western Canada,
the Saskatoon Co-op is currently in dispute with
its workforce over pay.
Workers belonging to United Food and
Commercial Workers (UFCW) have taken to the
picket lines over a two-tiered pay deal, which has
introduced a lower wage scale for new hirings.
A group of members has handed in a petition
calling for the removal of the nine directors who
oversee managers of the grocery, fuel, liquor, farm
supply and hardware retail outlets.
In response, chief executive Grant Wicks has
published an open letter to members which said:
“We have full confidence in our board to make
decisions that are in the best interests of our
members and our co-op.
“We know this because you elected them.
Your local co-op board isn’t meant to represent
any particular group or agenda – it’s meant to
represent our members and our community.
That’s part of what makes Saskatoon Co-op
a different kind of business.”
He said current employees were being offered
raises, while new recruits were being offered
competitive rates.
“What we’re offering is not new,” he wrote.
“UFCW has agreed to adjusted wage scales for new
employees with many of our competitors. This is
not new to the retail industry and is not unique to
our offer. It’s been in place with our competitors
and their UFCW agreements for years.”
And in a press interview, he added that the
co-op pays its workers as much as 30% more than
its competitors, putting “the long-term financial
viability of our organization at stake”.
“If something isn’t done about it, perhaps
we would end up in a situation where we
couldn’t offer goods and services to any of our
members,” he said.
The co-op says the two-tier pay system is a retail
industry standard and it is continuing to negotiate
with the union.
It adds: “Throughout negotiations, we’ve made
offers that allow our local Co-op to compete
against national companies, while still providing
wages for both current and new employees that, in
most cases, lead amongst our national competitors
in Saskatoon.
“We care for our employees and want to get back
to serving Saskatoon and nearby communities
as soon as we can. Because this is an extremely
stressful time for everyone, we’re keeping our
Employee Family Assistance
Program open for all employees,
including those still working and
those on the picket line.”
But UFCW Local 1400 president
Norm Neault said the co-op’s recent
growth and profitability suggest it
should not cut the earning potential
of new workers.
“At the end of the day, if you truly
believe that there’s something that is
worth fighting for, you will stand up
for it,” he told reporters.
The dispute show that a
co-operative model on its own does
not guarantee smooth, widespread
positive colleague engagement – and
cannot prevent disputes breaking
out. So how should the movement
handle them?
Victoria Morris, of sector body
the Saskatchewan Co-operative
Association, says her organisation
would not get involved in such cases,
“as the union and co-op management
have an established process to
negotiate and resolve disputes”.
She adds: “In light of that, likely
the only potential place we would
provide some information would
be if either the members or board
of directors wanted clarification
regarding what actions members
can take if they don’t agree with the
board of directors, or if the board
of directors wanted clarification
on their roles and responsibilities,
or the process to hear and act upon
member concerns.”
In terms of finding a more
“co-oppy” approach to dispute
resolution, she says: “I have seen
some co-operatives – that have
faced tough situations with their
employees and members, for
instance when downsizing or closing
locations – make a substantive effort
to take a values-based approach to
moving forward.”
She says this means boards
of directors and management
actively discussing how to act
more ‘co-oppy’, with both board
and management taking action
to embody the approach “to ensure
that members and employees are
being cared for and provided with
the best possible transition to
wherever their co-operative is
heading next, and both board
and management taking action to
embody this approach.”
40 | DECEMBER 2018

A low-cost ownership oasis in
a desert of unaffordable homes
A look at Dos Pinos Housing Cooperative, a leading example of California’s limited-equity
co-operative model, where costs are 50% lower than the average market-rate apartment
Davis, California, a university town with over
70,000 residents, had only 13 vacant marketrate
apartments to rent as of December 2017.
That’s a vacancy rate of 0.2%, according to an
annual University of California–Davis study
of the housing market. The study puts the average
rent for a three-bedroom unit in 2017 at $2,388.
Davis is in Yolo County, which had a 2017
area median income of $76,900 for a fourperson
household. Using the 30% of-income
affordability standard, a median-income
family of four living in an average market-rate
apartment in Davis is paying $5,592 per year more
than they can afford.
There is, however, one place in Davis where a
median-income family of four is paying much less:
Dos Pinos Housing Cooperative, the only limitedequity
housing co-op in Davis. A limited-equity
co-op (LEHC) is designed to preserve affordability
for low- and moderate-income households.
Members purchase shares in the co-op that
entitle them to live in one of the units and have
a vote in the governance and management
of the building. Units have restricted resale
values and many have income limits for
potential members, who pay monthly fees,
or carrying charges, to cover their share
of the co-op’s expenses.
The monthly carrying charges to live in one
of the 26 three-bedroom apartments in the Dos
Pinos Housing co-op, as of December 2017, were
$1,165. That’s a saving of $14,676 per year over
the average market rent. A household in one of
the 28 two-bedroom apartments had annual
savings of $9,036, while a household in one
of the six one-bedroom apartments had annual
savings of $7,452.
Buying a co-op is more affordable than buying
a house in the city, where the average asking price
of a single-family home is $632,000. The market
is so hot that most sales are paid in cash, and if
not, a down payment of at least 20% ($120,000
minimum) is required. A median-income family
of four in Davis cannot purchase the average
home on the market.
I helped create and finance the Dos Pinos
Co-op and have been studying the cost of living
there since 1985. It wasn’t always the most
affordable place to live in town. In 1985, the
co-op started at a monthly cost above the area’s
average rent because it was newly built. However,
“Because no one has pocketed the increased value of the
building and land (including individual co-op members),
30 years later the co-op’s monthly costs are 50%
lower than the average market rate apartment”
the cost of buying shares in the co-op for a threebedroom
unit at that time was $4,880, which was
much less than buying a house in Davis, which
at the time was around $150,000. Many members
wanted to live in a co-op community, as well.
Because no one has pocketed the increased
value of the building and land (including
individual co-op members), 30 years later the
co-op’s monthly costs are 50% lower than the
average market rate apartment. The co-op has
not imposed income limits on who can live
there, and it has a three-year closed wait list.
For the past two decades, Davis’s hot housing
market has had an extremely low rental vacancy
rate. This lack of supply has pushed up rental rates.
The co-op, on the other hand, has shown that it
has substantially increased affordability. In 2017,
a family of four needed to earn only 59% of the
area median income to afford a three-bedroom
apartment at the co-op – down from 111% in 1985.
Over time, families need less and less income to
afford to live at Dos Pinos. The co-op requires
people moving in to have a monthly household
Key Figures
$76,900
Median income
for four-person
household
Davis residents
are paying
$5,592
more than they
can afford
$1,165
Monthly carrying
charges to live
Pinos Housing
Co-operative
12.5%
on very low
income
&
25%
on low
income
42 | DECEMBER 2018

gross income that is equal to or greater than
2.5 times the monthly assessment. By this
standard, a very-low-income family of four in Yolo
County is eligible to move into the co-op. There is
no other home ownership model in Yolo County
affordable to that same family. Households
moving in recently have been of mixed incomes:
12.5% very low income, 25% low income, and 25%
moderate income.
The co-op has received no subsidy at any
time in its history. It bought the land at market
value and erected the buildings at market value.
Annually the co-op pays more than $30,000 in
local property taxes, just like the market-rate
apartment complex across the road.
No co-op apartment at Dos Pinos has ever been
foreclosed, and in 32 years, only one member has
been evicted. The vacancy rate is always zero
and the vacancy reserve is never used. Since
1986, there has always been a waiting list for
apartments at the co-op.
Dos Pinos holds an additional appeal for
families. Because state law requires owner
occupancy in an LEHC, all households living at
Dos Pinos must be permanent Davis residents.
Therefore, there are no student households at
Dos Pinos. Many families would prefer familyoriented
complexes, but if you are renting, that is
not an option in Davis, outside of the co-op.
Fewer than 50 apartment-type limited-equity
housing co-ops have been developed in California
under the LEHC laws, mostly between 1980 and
1990, when the National Cooperative Bank was
able to partner with programmes of the state of
California that also supported the development
of limited-equity co-op housing. After 1990,
most jurisdictions and nonprofits in California
moved to use their limited resources to develop
affordable rental housing with tax credits as the
key financing tool. The normal limited-equity
housing co-operative is not eligible to use tax
credits so interest petered out.
A unique aspect of an LEHC is that the
appreciated value of the housing is all retained
in the co-op and the community. When a member
leaves, the only economic transaction is what was
initially paid for the unit plus interest earned.
The balance sheet of the co-op is unaffected
economically by any change in membership, and
all the economic gain in value stays in the co-op.
While this might seem like a limit on asset
accumulation for co-op members, remember that
almost all of the 8,000- plus families living in a
market-rental apartment in Davis are not building
assets, in housing equity or outside of it.
Meanwhile, for 2017 a co-op member’s annual
return on share investment could be considered
to be 52%, if you include cost savings compared
to other available housing options in Davis.
A member joining on 1 January, 2017, would have
invested in a refundable share of $33,000. The
savings in monthly costs compared to market rate
would be $14,676, and the 3.25% interest earned
on their share (for 2017) would come to $1,072.
This amounts to $15,748, or 52% of their $33,000
investment. If market rental prices continue to
rise faster than co-op costs, this return could
get even higher.
The co-op as an ownership model also brings
savings in transaction costs. As there is no
change in the building mortgage, only a transfer
of ownership shares, there are no real estate
transaction costs for the member when joining
or leaving. Transaction costs for condo purchases
in Davis are more than $10,000, and higher for
single-family homes.
Given the economic return over time, an LEHC
could also be a good thing for groups such as
teacher associations and unions to bargain for:
A housing co-op for teachers would give educators
far more economic gain per year than could be
gained from salary increases, while demanding
less ongoing input from the school district. An
LEHC could even help recruit teachers and staff.
One affordable co-op in one high-rent city in
30 years does not a movement make. However,
of the home ownership options for the “missing
middle,” the LEHC has tremendous potential.
An LEHC would work well for many types of
organizations that might have land to set aside for
a cooperative community, and funds to help lowerincome
families purchase the co-op share, such
as local, state, and other government agencies;
unions; churches; veterans groups; and other
affinity groups.
Given the massive need, there ought to be many
more limited-equity housing co-operatives like
Dos Pinos creating “wealth generating” housing
for the forgotten.
The Dos Pinos
Housing Cooperative,
the only limited-equity
housing co-op in Davis,
California, does not
impose income limits
on who can live there.
Credit: David Thomson
DECEMBER 2018 | 43

A REAL LIVING WAGE For Real People's Lives
What is the real living wage needed to live in the
UK? According figures announced in November,
it’s a minimum of £9 per hour – or £10.55 per hour
if you live in London – for everyone over 18.
These numbers are up from £8.75 (London:
£10.20) in 2017, driven by higher transport costs,
private rents and council tax feeding through to
the basket of goods and services that underpin the
rates, which are independently calculated based
on what people need to get by.
The real living wage is also significantly higher
than the government’s own ‘national living
wage’ of £7.83 for those aged 25 and over, and the
minimum wage for those aged 21-24 (£7.38) and 18-
21 (just £5.90).
The rates are calculated by the Living Wage
Foundation, an independent collective of
businesses and people who believe that “a
hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay”. The
Foundation “celebrates and recognises the
leadership of responsible employers who choose to
go further and pay a real living wage based on the
cost of living, not just the government minimum”.
“The Living Wage campaign is about tackling
the rising problem of people paid less than they
need to live,” says Living Wage Foundation
director, Tess Lanning. “Responsible businesses
know that the government minimum is not enough
to live on, and [the] new real living wage rates
will provide a boost for hundreds of thousands
of workers throughout the UK.”
She added: “Employers that pay the real
living wage enable their workers to live a life of
dignity, supporting them to pay off debts and
meet the pressures of rising bills. We want to
see local councils, universities, football clubs,
bus companies and the other major public and
private sector employers in every city commit to
become real Living Wage employers. When they
do, thousands of people get a pay rise, but other
local employers also follow their lead. If more of
these institutions step up, we can start to build
true Living Wage places.”
The Foundation provides accreditation to
organisations which pay the real living wage to
all directly employed staff and have a plan to
pay all contractors a real living wage. Over 4,700
employers across the UK are currently accredited,
including a third of the FTSE 100 and big
household names such as IKEA and Everton FC.
Several co-operatives and credit unions have
signed up to the campaign, too, including,
the Co-operative Party, Lister Housing
Co-op. Eighth Day, the Wales Co-operative Centre
and Co-op News, among others.
And it was the Labour and Co-operative Mayor
of Manchester, Andy Burnham, who announced
the new rates in the city on 5 November. The event
was hosted at the National Football Museum,
which was accredited this autumn.
“Life has become too hard for people these days,
it’s too precarious,” said Mr Burnham. “If people
haven’t got enough money to pay the rent, they’re
just a few days away from being on the streets.
That has to change, and the real living wage can
be a part of that change.”
He added that while some may view the real
living wage as a burden on businesses, it was in
44 | DECEMBER 2018

fact about “building good, strong, productive
businesses which keep their staff and get more
from them” because they’re happier to be at work.
“People are going to say how can we afford it?
Well maybe it’s about people at the top of those
organisations not taking their pay increase so
those at the bottom can have theirs. That’s about
building a stronger society and bringing people
back together in these divided times.”
He thanked Greater Manchester police, Salford
University and Salford police for signing up as a
real living wage employers but acknowledged
there was more to be done, both in Greater
Manchester and beyond. One such action would
be to get rid of enforced zero hours contracts.
“I can’t see how, in this day and age, people can
have a foundation beneath them to do their best
work and run a family home when they can’t be
certain what they’re going to earn from one week
to the next. It’s time to face up to these things
and acknowledge that everybody deserves a real
living wage.”
Ms Lanning believes that the real living wage
should be at the heart of new strategies to drive
regional growth, highlighting research, conducted
by the Smith Institute, which indicates that if, in
ten cities, just a quarter of those on low incomes
saw their pay raised to the real living wage, half a
million people get a pay rise of over £1,700 a year
and the cities’ businesses and wider economies
would benefit from an economic boost worth
over half a billion pounds, driven by increased
productivity and spending.
“To be meaningful, growth must at the very
least meet the basic needs of local communities,”
she said. “Local and combined authorities can
use their powers of planning and procurement
to encourage more local employers to commit to
ensure their staff earn a real living wage, and make
access to business support and skills investment
dependent on paying a wage their staff can live
on.”
The issue was raised at the 2017 Co-op Group
AGM, where members approved a motion that
called upon the board to review pay ratios at
the organisation from top to bottom, and to set
a strategy to narrow the differential between the
highest and lowest salaries to “an appropriate
level” to reflect the organisation’s co-op principles
and ethical approach to business – including
progress towards a real living monthly wage for
the lowest paid staff.
“This AGM notes that executive pay has
increased significantly in the UK, while pay at the
bottom for the lowest paid has largely stagnated,”
read the motion. “Co-operatives should be
operating on a different basis that is more ethical
and reflects greater equity within the workforce.
“The Co-operative Group, as a leading co-op in
the UK, should be setting the benchmarks which
other co-operatives could adopt where appropriate.
This ethical approach to pay ratios would be good
business and make co-operative sense, reflecting
our concern to ensure that our staff are fairly
remunerated so as to keep delivering the business
performance our society needs if we are to remain
the public’s convenience retailer of choice.”
In response, the Group agreed to invest an
additional £4m for colleagues working in food
stores and funeral homes in 2018. It increased
hourly pay rates for customer team members by
6.1% in 2018 so pay starts at £8.02 per hour, and
rises to £8.18 per hour plus an extra £0.70 for
colleagues based in London.
p Celebrating the new
rates in Manchester
tq Andy Burnham,
Mayor of Greater
Manchester, who
announced the new rates
at the National Football
Museum in November
DECEMBER 2018 | 45

MEMBER-NOMINATED DIRECTOR:
A role like no other?
The Co-op Group has two member-nominated director seats up for election next year.
We talk to current MND Hazel Blears about the role - and why you should apply ...
The Co-op Group’s board structure is unique.
Alongside the expected executive and
independent non-executive representation, four
seats are reserved for direct election by members
of the organisation.
These member-nominated director (MND) roles
were created in 2015, following the far-reaching
governance reforms introduced in 2014. Just like
the other directors, those elected bring a strong
commercial background and proven skills and
capabilities to the board – but also help bring the
voice of ordinary members to the boardroom.
“The Co-operative Group is different because
we are owned by our members,” said chair Allan
Leighton at the time. “They have a direct say in
running the business, through electing member
representatives to the board and the council; and
through having a say on key issues through the
one member one vote democratic process.”
Current MNDs are Hazel Blears and Margaret
Casely-Hayford CBE, who were re-elected at
the Group’s AGM in May, and Paul Chandler
and Gareth Thomas, whose seats are up for
re-election in 2019.
Here, Hazel Blears below, a trained solicitor
and former MP for Salford and Eccles (2010-2015)
talks about the role of MNDs, and why, if you’re
thinking about applying, you should.
How did you first get involved in co-ops?
Very early on in my career I made a personal
commitment to bring people together to make a
difference. At the same time as I joined the Labour
Party, I started to meet co-operators – interesting,
passionate people who believed in the ideas
of achieving more together. I’ve been a member
of the Co-op Party for 35 years, and throughout
that time, co-operation has been an important
part of my personal, political and business life.
What does a Member-Nominated Director
(MND) at the Co-op Group do?
The four of us are full board directors
and have an equal footing with our independent
non-executive directors. People may think that
MNDs have to fight harder to be heard, but the
other directors recognise that they have a hugely
positive contribution to make. As we are directly
elected by members, we feel we have a key role in
raising member issues and concerns at the board
and work with our fellow directors to make sure
the organisation does well as a business, while
also operating within the values and principles.
It’s a very satisfying role – you feel like you are
driving the business in the right direction. When I
first got involved, the business was not in a good
place. We are now in the position of having a
stronger co-op to help build stronger communities,
and values are integral to the business.
MNDs are taken seriously, particularly as we
are directly elected and have that mandate from
members. They are also unique in corporate life
– not many directors are accountable to members
in such a direct and accountable way. Being elected
in such a way gives you a drive and passion to
make a difference.
What makes a good MND?
There’s no single vision — we come in all
shapes and sizes! There is a challenge in terms
of representation, particularly of younger people
in their 20s and 30s.
46 | DECEMBER 2018

You don’t have to have 30 years experience
to be an MND, so don’t rule yourself out on
that account. We are all very different. You
do need to meet the eligibility criteria to be
an MND – this is all explained as part of the
application process.
I would say, though, that you also need to be
prepared to go the extra mile. You have to work
really, really hard, it’s time-consuming. Being able
to build a good relationship with the Members'
Council is key. You need to love people, love the
co-op message, be willing to drive change and put
in the time to do the job.
Why did you stand as an MND?
I’ve been a co-operator for most of my adult
life, encouraging co-op strategies and most
recently chairing a social investment business.
After I left politics, I had two rules for myself:
make a difference, and do it with people you like!
The Co-op fits that frame perfectly. I want the
Co-op to be the best, most responsible,
successful business it can be. It’s a work in
progress, but there is a lot of energy behind the
changes and I wanted to be a part of that. In
the last four years we’ve come from a situation
that threatened our very existence and have
created a Co-op we can all be proud of again.
What have been your biggest
achievements in the role?
I am really proud to be the board champion
for apprenticeships – we have around 1,000
apprentices in our business at any one time, and
they are all paid full rate from day one. And we
have 64 who are degree-level apprentices – it’s a
pipeline for our future, but they’re not all young,
as people are joining us to start second or even
third careers.
I am also proud of helping to drive change to
do good. When I joined, I wanted to move from
traditional corporate social responsibility to using
our mainstream business to do good. Doing good
is good business, it drives competitive advantage,
and we are now starting to measure that
positive impact.
Another achievement is around crime and
antisocial behaviour – we’re working to tackle
the causes of crime. Having been police minister,
I’m obviously disappointed about police cuts.
But on the back of that we have had to think
smarter and collaborate with others to address
such a big challenge.
What would you say to someone thinking
about applying?
It could be the best thing you’ll ever do, so don't
rule yourself out before you even start. You do
have to understand and be at ease with complex
commercial issues as it’s a £9.5bn business – but
it’s built on values. So look at what you’ve done
in different parts of your life and think about how
that fits into co-op principles, particularly around
social values or community. Be honest with
yourself, but don’t sell yourself short.
The value of our Co-op is that everyone’s
contribution is recognised – we are always
looking for difference, so even if you don’t think
you fit the mould of a ‘typical’ director, have
courage and go for it. The more people that we
can get to think that they want to be part of the
future of the best community organisation,
the better.
WHO IS ON THE
CO-OP GROUP
BOARD?
Chair:
Allan Leighton
Executive Directors:
Steve Murrells
(Chief Executive)
Ian Ellis
(Chief Finance Officer)
Senior Independent
Non-Executive
Director:
Sir Christopher Kelly
Independent Non
-Executive Directors:
Stevie Spring CBE
Lord Victor
Adebowale, MA,
CBE (Cross Bench)
Rahul Powar
Simon Burke
Member-Nominated
Directors:
Hazel Blears
Margaret Casely
-Hayford CBE
Gareth Thomas
Paul Chandler
t Hazel Blears
attending one
of the Co-op's Join
In Live events
For more information
on the role and
details of how to
apply, visit:
www.co-operative.
coop/mndelection
Close of nominations
is midday,
17 December 2018
DECEMBER 2018 | 47

BOOKS
Cooperation in cooperatives: Future solution to socio-economic problems
Muhammad
Sharif Bhaiji,
published
by Karachi
Co-operative
Housing
Societies
Union Ltd
This look at co-operation in Pakistan focuses on
the work of Karachi Co-operative Housing Societies
Union Ltd, (KHCS) which was formed in 1949.
It tells the story of the society and also sheds
interesting light on the country’s co-op movement
as a whole, which the author sees as standing apart
from other Asia Pacific nations. While most countries
in the region “are riding the so-called second wave
of co-operatives, which is efficiency-centred and
market focused”, writes Bhaiji, “in Pakistan ...
we are still struggling with the first wave”.
But organisations like KHCS have done strong
work over the decades, he says, by “adopting a
demonstrable co-operative housing strategy during
the crisis of migration and settlement of migrants in
Pakistan” – which was achieved at a time of scant
government resources.
The co-op sector has had “a lot of ups and downs”
in housing, agriculture, banking and consumer
sectors, says Bhaiji – notably the 1992 financial
corruption scandal which saw co-ops in the Punjab
and Kashmir province collapse, wiping out the
savings invested in them by nearly 700,000 “mostly
poor people”.
But now he sees a revival in the movement and
has produced this book – with sections on co-op
byelaws, education and legislation – as a guide for
the sector so it can take advantage of this revival,
which has seen his own society launch schemes
for low-cost housing projects, new townships,
education projects and scholarships, and youth
training initiatives.
KHCS is the biggest co-op housing union in
the country, comprising 24 societies. Its housing
covers nearly 1,200 acres, and it has developed
9,300 residential plots, 1,070 commercial
roads, 73 amenity plots, 70 miles of metalled
road, 80 miles of sewerage lines and 80 miles
of water mains.
It has followed up this achievement with
educational projects and youth work to teach
the upcoming generations about co-operations,
including “blood camps” for children with
thalassemia, who were in need of transfusions but
could not afford the treatment.
The book also looks at Pakistan’s women’s
co-operative movement, describing female
empowerment as a “momentous issue” in
the country. Projects include a credit union to
drive female financial empowerment, expos
for women’s craft industries and cash awards
for female students.
And it identifies areas of concern for the future
of Pakistan and its co-op movement: low
productivity in agriculture; poor policy-making which
has left industry uncompetitive on an international
scale; and a need for more capital investment.
“Pakistan is a country ... rich in every kind of
natural and technical resources,” writes Bhaiji.
But these cannot be properly exploited because
of a “lack of proper policies, technical assistance,
literacy level, capital and financial investments,
updated machinery and technically trained
human resource”. There are also infrastructure
problems, such as providing adequate energy
for business.
It’s up to the co-op movement to face these
challenges, he says, be establishing “some proper
leadership and planned goals”. If the sector leads
more literacy, female empowerment and economic
development initiatives, he writes, “living standards
utilities and facilities for the general Pakistani
will also increase”.
48 | DECEMBER 2018

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DIARY
FROM FAR LEFT: Inspiring Rural
Communities at the St. Bride Foundation
on 5 Dec; the Co-operative Retail
Conference is in Cheshire in March;
Co-operatives UK announces a series of
events for 2019, including Congress (21-22
June); and Siôn Whellens, who will be
leading a session looking at the theory
and practice of worker co-operation,
3 Dec: The Co-operative College:
Introduction to Coaching
Coaching is a popular approach to
employee development, based on a
relationship between two people: the
coach and the individual. This course
is for anyone who wants to support
colleagues to develop their skills or
confidence in the workplace.
WHERE: Manchester
INFO: s.coop/2aqti
5 Dec: Inspiring Rural Communities
There will be sessions exploring the
various types of funding available,
workshops where you’ll explore the social
impact your project could have on your
community, inspirational case study
presentations from existing community
businesses and a chance to meet with a
range of organisations who can offer you
support and advice on a variety of topics
and services.
WHERE: St Bride Foundation, London
INFO: s.coop/rural
12 Dec: Worker co-ops - How to
get started
Organised by Stir to Action, this session
looks at the theory and practice of worker
co-operation, offers practical insights,
arms you with information and tools
to test your ideas, find collaborators,
and turn plans into realities. Facilitated
by Siôn Whellens of Calverts (the East
London design and print co-op) who also
co-designed and launched the Worker
Cooperative Solidarity Fund.
WHERE: London
INFO: stirtoaction.com/workshops
1-2 Feb 2019: Future Coops 2019
– Can co-operative deserts bloom?
Future Co-ops 2019 will explore how the
co-operative sector can grow, addressing
the issue of co-operative deserts and
how new co-ops can be helped to bloom.
Future Co-ops will be working with Central
England Co-operative’s Think:Digital
innovation team, using their new insights
and participatory problem solving
techniques in a fun and effective way.
WHERE: Birmingham
INFO: futures.coop/future-coops-2019
8-10 Mar: Co-operative Retail Conference
The Co-operative Retail Conference is the
only annual event designed specifically
for co-operative retailers. It attracts the
leaders, managers and directors
of consumer owned retail co-operatives
from right across the UK.
WHERE: De Vere Cranage Estate, Cheshire
INFO: uk.coop/co-operative-retailconference
21-22 Jun: Co-op Congress 2019
Congress is the co-operative sector’s
annual conference. A day when members
and directors, activists and CEOs from
co-ops large and small came together.
WHERE: Manchester
INFO: uk.coop/congress
11-13 Oct: The Co-operative Party
annual conference.
The annual conference of the co-op
movement’s political party.
WHERE: Glasgow
INFO: party.coop
26-28 Nov: Co-operative Education and
Research Conference
Organised by the Co-operative
College,the 2019 conference will be
part of the celebrations of the College’s
centenary year.
WHERE: Rochdale
INFO: co-op.ac.uk/our-centenaryconference
50 | DECEMBER 2018

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