Phone Co-op gets shot at Group contract

Northern Region delegate Bill Whittaker urged the Group to show its faith in co-operative enterprise by signing up with the Phone Co-op who, he said, were already providing services for Midcounties and Chelmsford Star societies and had previously worked with the former Leeds Co-op.

Said Mr Whittaker: “I’ve been with the Phone Co-op for the past four years, dealing with people who believe in co-operative values and they offer an excellent service. If you phone them up, they are interested in providing you with the best service possible and they are not interested in trying to sell you things you don’t really need.”

In reply, platform spokesman Patrick Grange said the Trading Group had issued a tender document to a number of providers, including the Phone Co-op, but said that, ultimately, any decision would have to be made on commercial grounds.