Identity pitch: A national co-operative development body

Proposed by co-operative development bodies We’ve had a single representative body for the movement, Co-operatives UK, since the merger of ICOM and the Co-op Union in December 2001....

Proposed by co-operative development bodies

We’ve had a single representative body for the movement, Co-operatives UK, since the merger of ICOM and the Co-op Union in December 2001. However, despite the injection of funds and initiatives into the co-operative development movement over the last 4 years by the Group, via the Co-op Enterprise Hub, the development organisations remain small and diverse.

There have been opportunities to bid for larger bits of work on the edges of our movement, such as the public sector ‘mutuals’, but the contracts have mostly gone outside our movement and the co-operative element has then been diluted. This dilution has sometimes been to minute proportions!

A small group of co-operative development bodies have come together to form a national co-operative development consortium to build capacity and organisation to take on larger pieces of work. Our intention is not to compete with members, but to help them co-operate even more. It will be a challenge getting a geographically diverse organization to function well, but we are determined to make it work.

We are asking everyone in the movement to support us, and in particular for co-operative development bodies to join us, to build a professional sustainable body.

We can’t do it in isolation – we need the support of the whole movement to back us, and when the opportunity arises, to recommend us.
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