Back our Call for Co-operative Growth
Leading UK co-operatives called on all political parties to commit to co-operative growth ahead of the next general election on July 4. On this page you'll find out more about the campaign and the names of all the co-operatives pledging their support.
We are co-operatives. We are democratic businesses with purpose beyond profit, sharing power and wealth across the economy, from farming to retail and renewable energy to manufacturing. But we need more support from government to thrive.
We called on all political parties to commit to co-operative growth at the next general election - and wrote to the new Prime Minister on 5 July offering support to deliver Labour's manifesto pledge around doubling the co-operative and mutual economy. On this page we set out what we'll collectively deliver if government delivers on our five policy priorities.
The campaign
We're lobbying the next government for action to unleash co-operative potential. Our efforts were strengthened by the backing of co-operatives across the country, big and small. Many of the UK's biggest well known co-operatives joined the campaign. You can still pledge your support.
Our six offers
Rapid development of the UK’s co-operative economy will be instrumental in delivering inclusive, responsible, wellbeing-enhancing growth. These six unique offers have been presented to government, with the backing of the UK's co-operatives :
- Brilliant businesses: more productive, resilient, responsible and ambitious businesses
- A stake and a say: sharing power and wealth through day-to-day business
- Making work pay: more rewarding, empowering, wellbeing-enhancing livelihoods
- Thriving communities everywhere: from inner cities to remote islands
- A just transition: a national effort to reach net zero, powered by mutuality and community
- Fixing broken systems: powerful innovations to fix broken systems like social care, food, data and housing
Business as usual is failing and wrecking the planet in the process. For more than a century, we have pioneered a better way of doing business and serving communities. While we are still something of a ‘best-kept-secret’ in the UK, we are growing in number and already punch above our weight.
Globally co-operatives are a significant force, offering genuine alternatives to corporate myopia, knee-jerk government, trickledown philanthropy and passive consumerism. The UK needs to be part of this.
Five policy priorities
To unleash the UK’s co-operative potential, we have called on the new government to work with us to deliver five policy priorities:
- Unlock options for co-operatives to raise more capital from investors and communities – including legislative reform, tax reform and action by the British Business Bank
- Remove unnecessary barriers to co-operation – including improving co-operative law and regulation and making competition enforcement more supportive of desirable economic co-operation
- Accelerate the proliferation of replicable co-operative solutions in broken systems like social care, food, housing, data and culture – including by supporting secondary co-operative networks and other specialist intermediaries, and by removing barriers in sector-specific policy
- Ensure communities, workers, entrepreneurs and businesses are supported to explore and adopt co-operative options for realising their aspirations – by resourcing local co-operative development and creating new legal rights for workers and communities to bid for businesses and business assets at critical junctures
- Harness co-operative action on climate and the environment - by fully utilising co-operative and community-led solutions in the net zero transition, and ensuring all businesses, including co-operatives, can access the advice and finance they need to decarbonise
Everybody's Business: A Call for Co-operative Growth
Backed by the UK's biggest co-operatives
Our members have thrown their weight behind calls for government to act – and your co‑operative can still join the campaign. Individuals can also register their support.
The Co-op, Central Co-op, Midcounties Co-op, Lincolnshire Co-op, Scotmid, East of England Co-op, Southern Co-op, Chelmsford Star Co-op, Heart of England Co-op, Radstock Co-operative, Suma Wholefoods, Greenwich Leisure Limited, National Merchant Buying Society, The Wine Society, HF Holidays, Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative, Confederation of Co-operative Housing, Unicorn Grocery, Delta T, Carbon Co-op, Dulas, workers.coop, Bow Creek Moorings, Great Central Gazette, Oxford Community Land Trust, Co-operatives and Mutuals Wales, Physio First, Co-operative Futures, Credit Union Solutions, Grampian Growers, The Developer Society, Campaign Co-operative, Co-operative Heritage Trust, Marlow Energy Group, Co-operative Alternatives, Ethical Consumer, Centre for Local Economic Strategies, Sustainable Danbury, Energy4All, Bath Housing Co-operative, West Granton Housing Co-operative, Common Wealth, Community Energy England, The Bell Inn, Credit Union Solutions, Brimscombe & Thrupp Community Compost (BATCOM), Co-operative and Community Finance, Cooperative Network Infrastructure, The Co-operative Party, Youth Multipurpose Agroenterprise Development Centre, Go Free Range, Series Cooperative, South Manchester Credit Union, The New Leaf Co-operative, Greencity Wholefoods, Unlimited Potential, Devon Traders Association, Finsbury Park Housing Association, Leeds Mindfulness Co-operative, Colne Valley Green Party, South East Co-operative Party, Media Co-op, Bridgend Farmhouse, UKCreditUnions, People Support Co-op, Windsor Ascot and Maidenhead Community Land Trust, Southsea Self Help Housing Co-operative, Creative Coop, Roost Co-ops, Greensand Community Energy, Signalise Co-op, Fordhall Community Land Initiative, Ripple Energy, Go Free Range, The Stoke Model, Open Food Network, Co-operate Scotland, Open Digital Cooperative, Halton Credit Union, Egni Co-op, Five Ways Housing Management, Lambeth Community Solar, Save Birmingham, Agile Collective, Southampton Area Cooperative Development Agency, Arla, Sheffield Renewables, Highland Wholefoods Workers Co-operative, Southside Allclean Coop, 1984 Personal Management, London Capital Credit Union, West Solent Solar Co-operative, Co-operative College, Urban Cure CIC, Bristol Community Moorings Co-operative, Centre for Sustainable Action, Sun and Lune, AF Group.
Protecting your data is important to us. Co‑operatives UK will not share your email address or any other personal details with third parties. See our privacy policy.
Unlocking co-operative growth: Opportunities for co-operatives under new Labour government
Co-op Fortnight 2024
Everybody's Business: A Call for Co-op Growth
