Governance Code Review

A comprehensive, expert review of your co-operative’s corporate governance to strengthen the foundations that are crucial for success.

We all know good governance sets up any business for success. But it’s especially important for co‑operatives, as they serve the needs of their members and adhere to a set of values and principles – so co‑op governance must encapsulate this too.

Our Co-operative Corporate Governance Code (The Code) is a comprehensive expert tool that supports co-op businesses to align with best practice in their organisations.

Carried out by our experts Zena King and Dane Pollard, our Governance Code Review assesses how your current governance aligns with best practice, using The Code as the benchmark and reporting framework.

Benefits of our Governance Code Review

You’ll benefit from our in‑depth knowledge of the requirements of The Code and our effective approaches to ensuring compliance and transparent reporting.

Our in‑depth analysis of your organisation’s policies and procedures will determine where you are doing well and where you can improve. Armed with this knowledge, you can take action to embed robust governance, the benefits of which are many:

Increased member trust and engagement through transparency and accountability.
Improved financial performance, which can attract vital capital for innovation and longevity.
Enhanced decision‑making that aligns with strategic goals, leading to more effective outcomes.
Effective risk mitigation through identifying and managing risk – and developing contingency plans.
A stronger reputation – good governance enhances a co‑op’s standing as a reliable organisation.
Greater sustainability and resilience from a strong, long‑lasting organisation built on shared values, voices, responsibility and benefit.

Our Governance Code Review, conducted by Dane Pollard, was very well done. I was sceptical. ‘Is this going to be a tick box exercise?’ I thought. But it was helpful and has improved things. Dane produced several policies on director roles and financial process policies, which were all very useful and have been implemented.

– Chris Hill, Board Secretary and Development Director, The Arcade Dewsbury

The review is executed in three phases:

Phase 1: An initial scoping session to identify your current co‑operative governance framework and develop a shared understanding of the goal of the review. There’s also the option of a session with the Board or Governance Committee to introduce The Code and the benefits of reporting against it.

Phase2: A comprehensive review of your core governance policies, processes and documentation. This is followed by an analysis of all the gathered evidence, bench marking it against The Code to check compliance with its principles.

Phase 3: A full report of our findings, outlining where you are excelling, areas where non‑compliance can be explained and the priorities where improvements are recommended due to non‑compliance.

Optional feedback session: this is with your Board or Governance Committee to discuss our findings and the process that has been completed. It provides an opportunity for Directors to scrutinise the contents of the report and have an open conversation with our independent expert.

To discuss booking a Governance Code Review, email [email protected].

Need to review your co‑operative’s governance? Contact us to discuss your requirements.

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