Co-operatives Debate The Way Forward

The Co-operative Debate took place this morning, with Co-operatives UK members debating their ideas of how the movement should go on into the future, and the focus of Co-operatives UK's work this year.

The first debate covered member engagement in a digital age, with Dave Boyle of Supporter's Direct warning that the movement was falling behind other businesses because of our reliance on traditional members meetings and the semantics of membership.

The use of digital media became something of a theme for the debate, with the use of websites and digital inclusion also getting a mention in the next debate, arguing that the movement should throw its complete support behind the International Year of Co-operation 2012 to become a true force for practical change in the world.

The final debate highlighted the good work that co-operatives have been doing up and down the country to help local communities improve their local economies. The proposal included a call for a single unifying voice to help steer the work of the movement as it seeks to build on those successes - a voice of co-operation.

The results of the debate will be announced at the Co-operatives UK AGM on Sunday. Why not tune in and see who won?