Co-op News November 2021

Co-op Conference Season
CONNECTING, CHAMPIONING AND
CHALLENGING THE GLOBAL CO-OP
MOVEMENT SINCE 1871
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EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Rebecca Harvey I rebecca@thenews.coop
INTERNATIONAL EDITOR
Anca Voinea I anca@thenews.coop
DIGITAL EDITOR
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Alice Toomer-McAlpine
alice@thenews.coop
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Andy Bellis I andy@thenews.coop
DIRECTORS
Elaine Dean (chair); David Paterson
(vice-chair); Sofygil Crew; Victoria
Green; Tim Hartley; Phil Hartwell;
Gillian Lonergan; Beverley Perkins;
Shaz Rahman; Lesley Reznicek
Secretary: Richard Bickle
Established in 1871, Co-operative
News is published by Co-operative
Press Ltd, a registered society under
the Co-operative and Community
Benefit Society Act 2014. It is printed
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Membership of Co-operative Press is
open to individual readers as well as
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and unincorporated organisations.
September and October are always busy months in terms of conferences
- but this season has seemed particularly packed as organisations
planned elaborate online sessions, and others tentatively brought back
in-person elements.
This issue we have covered eight of them, ranging from politics, energy and
housing to research and credit union events - and we have also included
a full preview of the 33rd World Cooperative Congress, taking place as a
hybrid event in Seoul, Republic of Korea, and on line in just over a month.
This Congress has been a long time coming. Originally scheduled for last
year to celebrate the 125th anniversary of its organiser, the International
Cooperative Alliance (ICA), and the 25th anniversary of the Statement of
Co-operative Identity, it was delayed by Covid-19 and is now taking place
on 1-3 December - with registration for both in-person and online tickets
closing later in November.
Ahead of this event, we spoke with ICA president, Ariel Guarco, whose
co-operative journey began in Argentina at a very young age. In our interview,
he talks about "Co-operative Identity with a capital I" (p22-23).
"Co-operative Identity is not static and has not emerged overnight," he says.
Sticking on the Congress theme, as Co-op News continues in its 150th year,
we look back at how we covered the first Congress in 1895, and what that
tells us about how people felt about the event.
"The first Congress is fascinating because even in the verbatim report you
get a feel for the excitement," says Gillian Lonergan, retired co-operative
librarian and Co-op Press director.
Her message for potential delegates? "Make sure that you keep that
enthusiasm and open-minded sense of 'what can I come back with from
this?' and 'what can I bring to my own country from this?"'
The Co-operative News mission
statement is to connect, champion
and challenge the global co-operative
movement, through fair and objective
journalism and open and honest
comment and debate. Co-op News
is, on occasion, supported by co-ops,
but final editorial control remains with
Co-operative News unless specifically
labelled 'advertorial'. The information
and views set out in opinion articles
and letters do not necessarily reflect
the opinion of Co-operative News.
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NOVEMBER 2021 I 3

THIS ISSUE
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
Community energy group bids for offshore
wind (p6); ICA president Ariel Guarco
speaks about co-operative identity ahead of
the World Cooperative Congress (p22-23);
Part one of our co-op Christmas gift guide
(p44-45); How is co-op housing putting
sustainability in its agenda? (p36-37);
Labour and Co-op MP Preet Kaur Gill at the
2021 Labour Party Conference (p26-27)
COVER: ICA president Ariel Guarco
discusses heritage, the global
movement and co-operative identity
ahead of the World Cooperative
Congress in December
Read more: p22-23 and p38-39
22-23 MEET ... ARIEL GUARCO
Q&A with the president of the
International Cooperative Alliance
26-41 CONFERENCE SPECIAL
26-27 LABOUR CONFERENCE
Co-op contributions at the party's
annual conference in Brighton
28-29 CO-OP PARTY CONFERENCE
'We are the doers and the makers' -a
celebration of the community power
30 CFCFE CONFERENCE
Governance and regulation for credit
unions in Europe
31 COMMUNITY ENERGY CONFERENCE
Life after subsidies: Partnership options
for community energy
32 GLOBAL INNOVATION COOP SUMMIT
Exploring trends in tech and social
innovation
33-35 COOP IMPACT
Expanding the conversation on
co­operative identity
36-37 CO-OPERATIVE HOUSING Putting
sustainability and climate change at the
core of the agenda
38-39 WORLD CO-OP CONGRESS
A preview of the 33rd World Cooperative
Congress taking place in December
40-41 EMES CONFERENCE
Latest research on the social economy
42-43 'DO MORE, FASTER, TOGETHER'
Co-operatives UK Report on the role of
co-op action post-COP26
44-45 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE
Part one of our seasonal co-op gift guide
46-47 CO-OP NEWS AT 150
How the publication reported on World
Co-operative Congresses
REGULARS
5-13 UK updates
15-21 Global updates
24 Letters
25 Obituaries
48-49 Reviews
50 Events
4 I NOVEMBER 2021

NEWS
ENVIRONMENT
Government's net zero
strategy offers 'no
practical support' for
community energy
The government released its net zero
strategy in October, setting out its policies
and proposals for decarbonising all sectors
of the UK economy in a bid to meet its net
zero target by 2050.
It says the strategy "will secure 440,000
well-paid jobs and unlock £90bn in
investment in 2030", with measures
designed to drive the transition to new
technologies such as electric vehicles, heat
pumps, carbon capture, hydrogen, and
sustainable aviation fuel alongside plans
to restore approximately 280,000 hectares
of peat in England by 2050 and create at
least 30,000 hectares of woodland per year
across the UK by the end of this Parliament.
But Community Energy England
the sector body for community energy
businesses - said it contains "no practical
support measures to harness the potential
of community energy".
This is despite a recommendation in
April by MPs on the Environmental Audit
Committee, which highlighted the benefits
of community energy in terms of creating
jobs, boosting local economies, tackling
fuel poverty and engaging citizens in
community energy.
"We heard that the same benefits will
not be achieved if energy decarbonisation
is only achieved via commercial, largescale
renewable projects," the committee
warned. "Due to the urgency of the climate
crisis and the vital roles communities
will have to play in reaching net zero, it is
essential that a timely solution to support
the long-term growth of community energy
across the UK is found."
CEE added: "The Climate Change
Committee's Sixth Carbon Budget said
unequivocally, 'if the people of the UK are
not engaged in this challenge - the UK will
not deliver Net Zero by 2050 ... people need
to be brought into the decision-making
process and derive a sense of ownership of
the Net Zero project.'
"Community energy is a key way of
engaging people to 'own' the Net Zero
project and is essential to achieving it."
The government strategy declares an
intention "to work in partnership with
people and communities across the country.
To do so, we will empower local leaders to
kickstart their own net zero initiatives". But
CEE says: "'Local leaders' seems mostly to
mean local government leaders and much
of the funding signposted seems to be for
local government. This disregards the
local leaders of the 424 community energy
groups across the UK who have done far
more by way of integrating activity on the
ground, kickstarting their own net zero
initiatives and delivering wider community
benefits from them, than the vast majority
of council leaders over the last 10 years.
"Failing to support community energy is
planning to fail to meet net zero."
However, community energy does not
go unmentioned, and the strategy includes
a case study from Cuckmere Community
Solar and Riding Sunbeams, who are
working with Network Rail to develop solar
powered rail. But while it acknowledges
the potential of community energy "it
omits to say that realising that potential
is dependent, at least in part, on some
support from government for the sector",
says CEE.
CEE adds: "The Net Zero Strategy boasts
of the Rural Community Energy Fund but
omits to mention that it ends in April 2022
and that the Urban Community Energy
Fund was prematurely withdrawn in 2016
with £Sm unspent. No successor to these
schemes is promised. It also mentions
the support for knowledge sharing given
to Community Energy England (a few
thousand pounds, with match-funding
requirements) and that this 'can help
communities develop their own schemes'.
Sadly this is unlikely when the sector
struggles to make an investment case for
all but very exceptional projects."
The strategy also mentions the widening
of the Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme
to include Community Energy from
2022, but CEE argues that this "fails to
mention that this only applies to 30o/o of
the available funding which would be a
maximum of around £2.3m a year".
CEE adds: "We are informed that support
for community energy may be forthcoming
early next year, depending on the
departmental budget that BEIS receives in
the Comprehensive Spending Review. This
will very much depend on BEIS ministers
being convinced that it is important
and good value for money over the next
four months. "
It calls on members to write to their MP
"expressing your extreme disappointment
that the government did not follow
the advice of the Environmental Audit
Committee to 'emphasise the importance
of community energy in the Net Zero
Strategy' and put in place 'practical
support measures to harness the potential
of community energy'."
► Community bid for offshore wind: p6
► Community energy conference: p31
► Housing co-ops look at retrofit: p36-37
► Co-op movement calls for action: p42-43
NOVEMBER 2021 I 5

RETAIL
East of England reports six-month sales growth and £3.4m profit
East of England Co-op has reported sales
growth in its first-half results, reaching
£196.Sm in sales and an underlying
trading profit of £3.4m.
Sales were £0.6m ahead of the same
period last year - when shoppers rushed
to stores for the first lockdown - although
food sales alone were lower. Sales were
£3.2m ahead of the 2019/20 financial year.
Doug Field, joint chief executive, said:
"This year, like those previous, has been
impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Food
store sales are £6.6m (3.6o/o) lower than
in 2020/21, where government lockdowns
and restrictions led to more people
shopping locally. This decline in food
store sales has however been more than
offset by an increase in sales from our
petrol filling stations, funeral and travel
businesses.
"Pleasingly, over a two-year period, our
food business has seen its takings rise by
almost 9o/o (over £13m).
"Profits are down compared to 2020/21
but this was to be expected. Our 2021/22
underlying trading profit of £3.4m was
ahead of our expectations."
Mr Field said demand is still down at
the co-op's travel arm but food stores,
funerals, property and filling stations all
generated profits. "We've continued to
invest in our business to help fulfil the
long-term potential of our co-operative,
investing £5.Sm in the first half of the
financial year," he added.
Investments include more than £1m on
finishing the development of the society's
former Colchester department store, now
called Foundation House. Preparatory
work was carried out on a future
development at the former Boss Hall Dairy
site in Ipswich. The society also completed
re branding of its filling stations.
Investment in tech includes £1.lm on
self-checkouts, alongside £0.Sm spent
on business intelligence. "To help us
best utilise that data and technology, to
improve productivity, efficiency and our
effectiveness, we're building our in-house
capabilities through the provision of Data
Analyst Apprenticeships," said Mr Field.
He warned: "Looking ahead, we
cannot ignore the supply chain issues
which are impacting all areas of our
business, through lack of stock for our
food stores, rising costs of materials for
our construction projects and reduced
availability of technology components.
"We'll continue to make a difference
with the profit we generate, using it to
improve the daily lives of our colleagues,
members, customers and communities.
There are challenges ahead but we're
working hard to maximise the long-term
potential of our business."
ENERGY
Charity partnership helps drive take-up of community solar
Yorkshire-based community solar group
Energise Barnsley is working with charity
Age UK to increase the take up of solar and
battery technology.
Director Andy Heald says the
organisation has already run fruitful
schemes with the local authority and with
Northern Power Grid to deploy battery
storage to homes, in order to reduce stress
on the grid.
"Homes with solar panels were only
using 20 or 30o/o of the energy generated,
the rest was going to the grid," he said.
"We wanted to see if we could save more
energy to the battery".
This fed into the organisation's newest
project with Age UK, which secured
funding from Ofgem to install 75 batteries
in older social housing. The batteries
mean tenants can use 85o/o of the solar
generated on their rooftops - saving them
money, relieving pressure on the grid and
driving the take up of new energy tariffs.
Working with Age UK brings the
benefit of a partnership with a trusted
intermediary to educate tenants in the use
and benefits of new smart energy systems
when couple to solar and battery storage.
"A home smart device rewards you
for not using power when everyone else
is, and a battery brings that flexibility -
you can use more solar and charge your
battery up at off-peak times when it's
cheaper. We want houses to not use power
when others are."
Projects like this mean social tenants
are not left out of the energy transition,
says Mr Heald.
Energise Barnsley has previously
partnered with Community First Credit
Union, donating £20,000 so the lender
can deliver budgeting advice and debt
servicing. Other funds from the solar
revenue have gone to healthy cooking
classes for people with low income and
a 'solar for skips' scheme in Goldthorpe
village - which brings a skip to a street so
residents can clear out their rubbish and
smarten their gardens.
The organisation is now working
with Barnsley Council to install solar on
another 1,000 homes.
It also looking to refinance its assets
with a second community bond offer,
with expected returns of 4o/o helped by an
income stream that it linked to inflation.
Find the bond offer at bit.ly/2Z9cCxB
NOVEMBER 2021 I 7

Co-op Impact 2021:
'It is time to re-examine our values
and recommit to our principles'
By Anca Voinea
Hundreds of delegates from the USA
and around the world joined NCBA
CLUSA's Co-op Impact Conference,
which looked to expand the
conversation on co-operative identity.
Running from 4-8 October, the
conference explored shared values
and principles of the co-operative
community while connecting domestic
and international co-operative ideas
and innovations.
The opening session featured
Karl Fickenscher, acting assistant
administrator of the Bureau for
Development, Democracy and
Innovation (DDI) at the US Agency for
International Development (USAID).
Mr Fickenscher highlighted the
impact USAID co-operative projects
were having in Uganda, Mexico
and Guatemala.
"Co-ops and credit unions are
ideal partners for the agency, not
only because their businesses would
represent their communities, but also
because they exist solely to benefit
those communities," he said.
One of the organisations working
with USAID is the Overseas Cooperative
Development Council (OCDC). Executive
director Paul Hazen said the ability to
reach size and scale is part of the cooperative
advantage.
He referred to a recent OCDC study,
which measured the difference coops
have made for members in Kenya,
Poland, the Philippines and Peru.
"We now have data that shows that
co-operative members are better off
financially than non co-op members.
This is true in all four countries and
across all sectors," he said.
The president of the International
Cooperative Alliance, Ariel Guarco,
addressed the conference via a video
message, highlighting the potential
of co-ops to rebuild a fairer and more
.A. Doug O'Brien, president and CEO of NCBA CLUSA addressing the conference
sustainable world post Covid-19. He
invited delegates to the ICA's World
Cooperative Congress in December
2021 to continue the conversation
around the co-operative identity.
Doug O'Brien, president and CEO
of NCBA CLUSA, echoed the other
speakers, pointing out the importance
of the co-operative identity and arguing
that "without a deeper understanding
of the co-operative identity, neither
those inside nor outside the cooperative
community will capture the
potential of co-operative enterprise".
Mr O'Brien argued that to deepen the
co-operative identity, the movement
must first understand what the
identity means in today's context.
"Co-operatives should be the natural
leader, when people are looking to
build more inclusive businesses and
communities," he said.
"And NCBA CLUSA has accepted this
invitation to embrace our co-operative
identity so that we can make a greater
impact. In today's context, for this to
occur, co-operatives must understand
our co-operative identity, share our
co-operative identity and act on our
co-operative identity."
He called on co-ops to expand
education efforts and engage
with policymakers and warned
that while there were pockets of
educational excellence throughout the
co-operative community, more needed
to be done.
"Sharing the message of the cooperative
difference is effective only
when we act on our co-operative
identity as co-operators. We must
live up to our shared values and
principles, if we expect to deepen the
impact of our co-operatives in our
communities," he said.
NCBA CLUSA has recently launched
an initiative to identify and scale local,
regional and national opportunities
for co-operatives to work together
across sectors, acting on the 6th
Co-operative Principle - co-operation
among co-operatives.
"It is time for co-ops to ask
themselves, is there more we can do
to help create a truly inclusive and
equitable economy, how can we work
together to gauge success and failure,
and hold each other accountable?"
said Mr O'Brien.
"It is time to re-examine our values
and recommit to our principles. It's
time for co-operators everywhere to
embrace our identity so that together
we can make a greater impact."
► See p34-35 for more from Impact
NOVEMBER 2021 I 33

equality, co-operative development across the
world, strengthening communities, and facing
crises with strength.
The final day, Friday 3 December, will largely
focus on living the co-operative identity. UN
special rapporteur for extreme poverty and
human rights Olivier De Schutter will join an
opening plenary and round-table discussion on
how the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development
Goals( SDGs) are being turned into effective local
actions by co-ops around the world. ICA sectoral
leaders will also present their ideas for meeting
the SDGs, giving attendees an opportunity to feed
back and contribute their own views.
Congress will then split into five parallel
sessions to reflect on how the movement is living
its co-operative identity through rewarding jobs,
accessible health and social services, enhanced
food security, affordable housing and energy as
well as within the social and solidarity economy.
Mr Guarco will close the Congress with final
remarks and a look ahead to the next steps.
In a message earlier this year, ICA director
general Bruno Roelants pointed towards next
year's ICA General Assembly as a place of
action to take learnings from the 2021 World
Cooperative Congress. "Your voices will continue
to be heard, and, as always, your opinions will
matter," he said. "Not just at this historic event,
but also after its closure in December through
continued debates and conversations within our
co-operative movement ... ultimately culminating
in our next General Assembly in June 2022, where
the outcome of the debates will come to fruition."
One of the key aims of the Congress is to
showcase and find ways to harness the power
of co-operation in responding to the multiple
crises of this century, including climate change,
sustainable development, conflicts and violence,
migration, inequality and
the future of work.
"We have evidence going
back hundreds of years that
shows us that co-operation
is not only for emergencies,"
said Mr Guarco. "Cooperation
is a proven way to
build a fairer, more balanced
and a fundamentally less
fragile economy in the face
of global challenges. I look
forward to engaging in many
discussions in Seoul and
showing the world that the
co-operative way can lead
us to a stronger
future."
Covid-19 has delayed the event but also offers
an opportunity to celebrate the many responses
co-ops have made to the crisis, and to look ahead
to their role in the rebuilding process.
Mr Guarco said: "The pandemic has claimed
so many lives - and has also accentuated the
existing inequalities in the world. Today, more
than ever, the world needs an economic model
with community leadership at its heart, focused
on the common good. In short, the world needs to
''
embrace the co-operative way of doing business
and together, we can help to make the needed
To emerge better from this pandemic, I
passionately believe that the world must
learn to co-operate better with each other"
shift. To emerge better from this pandemic, I
passionately believe that the world must learn to
co-operate better with each other."
Organisers of the World Cooperative Congress
have assured attendees that all the necessary
precautions are being made to ensure their safety.
For further information and to register, visit
icaworldcoopcongress.coop.
The registration deadline for those planning to
attend the Congress in person is 11 November;
for those attending online, the deadline for
registration is 22 November.

2021
Christntas
giftguide
Top gifts under
As the festive season approaches, we've selected some top gift picks from
co-ops and ethical shops. We know budgets might be stretched more than
usual this year, so we've compiled a list of gifts under £10 and £5 so you
can still give ethically without breaking the bank ...
TheWil\iam Morris
COLOURING BOOK
Suffra-greats! top trumps style card game.
£9.99 ethicalshop.org
Top gifts under
William Morris colouring book. £9.99
newsfromnowhere.co.uk
► Scented Tea Lights
in Jasmine, Rose or
Orange. £8.99 ethica/
shop.org
◄ Kids' conversation
cards from Craft Coop
CIC. £8.99
craftcoopshop.co.uk
Bird cake kit made from recycled
yoghurt pots. £9.95 ethica/shop.org
◄ Barrett's Ridge Beer Bread mix.
£4.99 ethica/shop.org
► Divine fairtrade milk chocolate
giant coin. £2.20
divinechoco/ate.com
► Recycled newspaper
pencils. £4.95 paperhigh.com
44 I NOVEMBER 2021

And here are some more ethical treats if you still want to splash out for your
nearest and dearest, whether they are ...
Foodis ...
Check out non-profit Zaytoun for
Palestinian ingredients, giftboxes and
cookbooks, as well as Spice Kitchen, a
UK family run business, for cookware,
cookbooks and silk sari-wrapped spice
tin gift sets.
zaytoun.uk
spicekitchenuk.com
Crafty ons ...
Derbyshire-based Crafty You Crafty
Me sell eco-consciously created
mosaic, needle felting and sewing
kits, including Christmas decoration
kits.
Stitch and Story, based in London,
are on a mission to help more people
create personalised, meaningful and
ethical items through their crochet
and knitting kits, such as beginnerlevel
slipper knitting kits.
craftyyoucraftyme.com
stitchandstory.com
Yogis ..
The Collective Yoga Cooperative offers
virtual yoga classes from their base in
Illinois. You can purchase gift cards
from the co-op which can be redeemed
against their live classes and access to
an on-demand library.
thecollectiveyogacoop.com
Cosy ons ...
And for those who'd rather leave the
making to the pros, you can find a
range of woolly hot water bottle covers,
teacosies, socks and jumpers from
fair-trade knitwear company and 'slow
fashion' proponents, Pachamama, as well
as blankets, cushions, rugs and more
from Cumbrian co-op The Wool Clip.
pachamamaknitwear.com
woo/clip.com
NOVEMBER 2021 [ 45

The Covid-19 crisis had led to the postponement of many co-operative
events. However, a number of co-operatives and apex bodies are holding
on line webinars and meetings.
We listed some of these below. If you would like to add any postponements
- or let us know of any virtual events taking place instead, please email
events@thenews.coop
Ella Baker School of Organising Training
and Events
23 October - 11 November
(Online and at COP26 in Glasgow)
Free workshops and events, including
online sessions on Self Care, Collective
Care and Activism, Transformative
Conversations and Black Lives Still Matter,
plus in-person events at COP26.
c-:> bit.ly/3BZBoOE
Preston Meets Mondragon 2
3 November 2021 (In-person)
Symposium at the Centre for Citizenship
and Communities at the University of
Central Lancashire on potential to adapt the
Mondragon Model to Preston.
c-:> bit.ly/2XuzSVM
COOP26: A Client-Centred Green
Transition driven by Co-operative Banks
9 November 2021 (Online)
The European Association of Co-operative
Banks (EACB) marks its contribution to
COP26. The EACB, in collaboration with
SMEunited, the association of crafts and
SMEs in Europe, will highlight the role of
co-op banks in the green transition.
C-:> bit.ly/3/WBjpt
Can co-ops keep the lights on?
10 November (Online)
Free event from Co-operatives West
Midlands on co-op solutions to climate
change, to coincide with COP26. Speakers
include: Nadia Smith (South East London
Community Energy); Mike Pickering
(Midcounties Co-op; Laurie Duncan
(Community Energy Birmingham).
c-:> bit.ly/3pqfKzH
#TheNewCommonSense: Forging the
Cooperative Digital Economy
12-18 November (Online and in-person)
More than 80 co-operative pioneers,
workers, trade unionists, policymakers,
researchers and activists gather from over
20 countries, to assess how platform co-ops
have responded to the pandemic, analyse
policy, and zoom in on experiments with
data co-ops, token systems, and crypto
networks. Online and in Berlin, Germany.
C-:> bit.ly/3ATV2KI
Locality Convention
12-18 November (Online and in-person)
Week of discussions, talks and workshops
for local community organisations, online
and in-person at the Eastside Rooms in
Birmingham.
c-:> bit.ly/3m6Ql6N
Practitioners Forum
18 November (Online and in-person)
Five specialist forums on communications,
finance, governance, HR and membership
as well as online sessions broadcast live
for delegates who choose to attend online
rather than in-person in Manchester.
Issues include how to communicate the
co-op unique selling point, how to adapt to
consumer trends and SDG reporting.
c-:> bit.ly/3aWHJOY
ICA Cooperative Research Conference and
3rd International Forum on Cooperative Law
28-30 November 2021
The ICA is organising two preparatory
research-based events within the framework
of the World Cooperative Congress - the ICA
Cooperative Research Conference and the
3rd International Forum on Cooperative
Law. Both events will be organised
physically in the Grand Walkerhill Hotel as
well as virtually through the Congress online
platform. A total of 180 research papers from
43 countries will be presented at the events,
which will feature 18 special panel sessions,
all dedicated to the Co-operative Identity.
c-:> bit.ly/3nbo/DC
World Cooperative Congress
1-3 December 2021
(Online and in-person)
The 33rd World Cooperative Congress
will enable the co-operative movement to
explore its identity to build a more secure
future. Using the current global crisis as a
framework, discussions will aim to deepen
the co-operative identity by examining
its values, strengthening its actions,
committing to its principles and living its
achievements. This hybrid event will be
held in person in Seoul, the Republic of
Korea and online.
C-:> icawor/dcoopcongress.coop
New Economy Programme
(Various dates, online only)
Stir to Action workshops on topics such
as sociocracy, setting up a community
food co-op and community engagement.
Webinars cost between £20-£60.
C-:> stirtoaction.com/workshops
50 I NOVEMBER 2021