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Co-operative corporate governance code

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Rule book illustration

This practical guide, complete with an extensive range of appendices, is a great tool to help implement good governance. It's applicable to all co-ops, regardless of size or sector. 

What is the code?

The code offers a set of principles that all co-ops can reflect upon and use to encourage and enable good governance practice – operating on a comply or explain basis.

Alongside the code we have a range of appendices, covering roles and responsibilities for various key roles including a co-op secretary, co-op directors and co-op chairs; terms of reference for a range of committees; codes of conduct for directors; model induction checklists; and whistle-blowing. 

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While good governance takes care and effort in any enterprise, however large or small, it has particular importance in a co-operative.
– Nick Money, Chair, Co-operative Governance Expert Reference Panel

Six distinct areas

The code covers six distinct areas, with co-op principles around each and clear provisions to be applied:

  1. Member voice, participation and engagement
  2. Co-operative leadership and purpose
  3. Roles and responsibilities
  4. Board composition, succession and evaluation
  5. Risk, financial management and internal controls
  6. Remuneration of the board and executive leadership
Co-operative corporate governance code

Governance toolkit

Good governance needs a toolkit and not one single tool. Extensive guidance accompanies this code; designed to enable co-ops to adopt policies and processes to assist them to develop their governance practices.

Appendices to the code
From director codes of conduct to induction checklists to role specific guides our appendices cover a lot of ground!

Code for help!

You'd expect us to be experts on the code (after all, we did write it) and can help your co-op implement the principles it sets out
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