2.2.7.3 Co-operative Society example - Signalise

The Co-operatives UK Multi-stakeholder Co-operative Model Rules provides for a co-operative society to opt to weight voting according to member category, ordinarily this will be in favour of user members if the membership has a non-user class(es). This model allows co-operatives to be owned and controlled by a variety of members who have different relationships with the co-operative but who share a common interest in supporting a particular geographical community or community of interest, or the objects of the co-operative. These may include, employees, and consumers members, alongside supporter and investor members (that may be referred to as non-user members). 

This set of model rules has been used by the co-operative Signalise, which provides interpreting services to the Deaf community. It is owned and operated by the experts in sign language services: communication professionals and Deaf people - these can be user-members of the co-op. In order to grow the business, it also invites investment from other supporters (classed as non-user members) but wanted to ensure that the users have more control than non-users in some areas to ensure that the business needs service their specific needs.  

Therefore, as well as giving each member one vote, Signalise decided to ensure the following within their Rules: 

(a) in no circumstances may a non-user investor member vote on any motion to convert the co-operative into a company, transfer its engagements to a company, or amalgamate with a company 

(b) for any non-special resolution the votes of non-user investor members shall not number more than 10% of the votes (equally divided between them)