How was the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives for you and your organisation?
2025 was a landmark year. The International Year of Co-operatives gave our movement a global platform and we took advantage. We saw a renewed sense of unity and ambition across the UK, backed by real momentum on the policy front.
Here at Co-operatives UK, this year in particular has seen foundations put in place for long-term growth. We helped secure the most significant government consultation on co-operative development in decades, saw the Law Commission’s review of co-operative law move into its crucial phase, and strengthened the sector’s voice through the Mutuals and Co-operative Business Council.
Related: UK regulators promise reforms to help grow financial mutuals sector
Alongside this, our members continued to inspire us. More than 150 new co-operatives have been launched. Community shares reached record levels. Young people stepped into leadership roles… It was a year of progress, pride and preparation – a year that showed just how ready this movement is to grow.
What are your hopes for 2026?
My hope for 2026 is really simple – that the foundations we laid this year begin to translate into real, tangible change.
With the government’s ambition to double the size of the co-operative and mutual economy, a national consultation under way and the Law Commission reviewing the very framework that underpins our model, we are entering one of the most promising moments in a generation. If 2025 was the year we raised our profile, then 2026 is the year we will capitalise on that to truly create a fairer society for all.
We want to see clearer routes for new co-operatives to start and scale. We want to see communities taking ownership of the places and services that matter to them. We want to empower more young people to step into leadership and democracy. And we want to see government and the sector working side by side, turning policy opportunities into real outcomes.
We have the momentum. We have the evidence. And we have a movement united behind a shared ambition for fairness, resilience and shared prosperity. 2026 can be the year we begin to unlock the next era of co-operative growth.
