Law Commission consultation
The Law Commission has opened its landmark consultation on co-operative and community benefit society law. Find out how your co-operative can feed into the consultation.
Law Commission consultation is now open
The Law Commission has opened its landmark consultation on co-operative and community benefit society law. The consultation is a wide-ranging document and, at 219 pages, is a substantial undertaking for everyone involved.
Between now and the end of the consultation period on 10 December, Co-operatives UK will work with members to ensure their views are fully considered by the Law Commission.
The consultation covers fundamental issues that could be critical to the creation of modern and enabling law, such as capital raising, common capital, and the legal definition of a co-operative. It also addresses smaller issues where the law currently adds unnecessary costs and burdens, such as audit requirements and registrar processes.
Many of the Law Commission’s proposals reflect the needs and aspirations of the sector and will have a positive impact. Other proposals could be very beneficial, subject to refinement or clarification. However, some proposals appear misaligned with what members and experts have told us is needed.
How to participate
The Law Commission consultation documents can be found on the Law Commission website. The deadline for responses is 10 December 2024.
We will submit a response on behalf of the co-operative sector in December and encourage all members to input to this work. Societies are also encouraged to submit their own responses and will be publishing guidance to help members align their responses, where possible.
You can input in the following ways:
- Read our initial thoughts on key consultation questions, informed by work we have done with members to date
- Respond to our member consultation on legal definitions
- Book a call with our policy team – email [email protected]
- Join us at Practitioners Forum on Wednesday 20 November to take part in the Governance session dedicated to an in-person session with the Law Commission
Non-legislative issues
While the Law Commission can only make direct recommendations for legislative change, this review can also be used to highlight problems societies encounter caused by policies and processes in public and private organisations. This includes HMRC, Government Digital Service, high street banks and credit reference agencies.
We ask societies to tell us about the problems they encounter via our online form System reboot: Let co-operatives in.
Law Commission consultation: Our initial thoughts
