Co-operatives UK launches free expert toolkit to put community power at heart of £5.8bn Pride in Place programme

Co-operatives UK has launched a new toolkit to help communities take a co-operative approach to the government’s £5.8 billion Pride in Place programme. 

Grant funded by The Co-operative Bank, the free Pride in Place programme toolkit: A co-operative approach for Neighbourhood Boards provides practical guidance to help Boards embed democratic decision-making, community ownership and co-operative ways of working.

The Pride in Place programme is the government’s flagship communities programme, investing up to £5.8 billion over 10 years across 284 UK communities. 

Neighbourhood Boards are at the heart of the programme, giving local people the power to shape priorities and decide how funding is spent. Each Board will work with its wider community to develop a 10-year vision for its area.

Co-operatives UK believes this creates a major opportunity to embed community power and ownership for the long term – with co-operative approaches providing a natural fit for what Neighbourhood Boards are designed to achieve.

The new toolkit gives Boards practical guidance on co-operative governance, incorporation and legal structures to help ensure that decision-making is democratic and led by the community. It also links to resources including template terms of reference, which enable a Neighbourhood Board to adopt co-operative values and principles in the way it operates from the outset.

Rose Marley, CEO at Co-operatives UK, said: “Pride in Place is a huge opportunity to give people genuine power and ownership over the places where they live."

Rose Marley continued: “So we want to make it as easy as possible for Neighbourhood Boards to put co-operative principles into practice. This toolkit gives practical advice on how to start working co-operatively – and explore how co-operative structures can support their ambitions.” 

The Co-operative Bank which has funded the project, proudly provides free everyday banking to co-operatives up and down the country and has invested over £3.5 million in a unique Business Support for Co-ops Programme delivered by Co-operatives UK.   

Andrea Melville, Chief Executive Officer at The Co-operative Bank, said: "If the challenge is ensuring that Pride in Place genuinely reflects the interests of whole communities, then the co-operative model offers a powerful solution."

The toolkit comes as Neighbourhood Boards across the country develop plans for how Pride in Place investment can deliver long-term change. 

As well as supporting Neighbourhood Boards to work co-operatively, Co-operatives UK wants communities and co-operative organisations in Pride in Place areas to get involved locally and champion co-operative solutions, from community ownership of local assets to co-operative businesses that retain wealth and opportunity within neighbourhoods.

Co-operatives UK is also working with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to run a free webinar for Neighbourhood Boards. Along with community owned co-operatives, the Boards will hear from Co-operatives UK experts to introduce the toolkit and exploring how co-operative approaches can be applied to their governance and ways of working.