Last week, the Scottish Parliament debated the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill – with one MSP urging the creation of a “Mondragón of the North”.
The bill proposes that each local authority in Scotland should work with public bodies to formulate, publish and implement community wealth building action plans. Its aim is to facilitate and support “the generation, circulation and retention of wealth in local and regional economies”, encompassing enhanced procurement for local organisations as well as the retention and reinvestment of wealth locally.
The bill highlights local ownership as one of its core pillars, naming co-ops and democratic business models as levers for change.
The Co-operative Party has come out in support of former Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard MSP, who used his speech to float the possibility of Scotland becoming a “Mondragón of the North”.
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Richard McCready, the Party’s political officer for Scotland, backed Leonard’s calls for stronger legal rights such as compulsory purchase reforms, worker right to buys and community control of public assets – as well as “robust resourcing” for these policies.
Writing on the Party website, McCready said: “Imagine a Scotland in which public bodies prioritise procurement from worker-owned firms or co-ops. Imagine derelict land passed into community ownership, not sold off to absentee investors. Imagine a system where, when a business is up for sale or facing closure, workers have the first right to buy it, finance it collectively, and chart its future democratically.”
Calling the bill a ‘crucial lever’ for the co-operative economy, but one that needs to go ‘much further’, McCready added: “We need to challenge public bodies to re-think procurement rules, advocating for reserved contracts for co-operatives and democratic enterprises.
“These are more than symbolic gestures – they’re structural changes that can rebalance power, lock wealth into local communities, and foster sustainable, resilient economies.”
The Party will now seek to work with its own MSPs and those of other parties to support amendments to the bill that “make a real difference to Scotland’s economy and society”, he added.
As well as encompassing inclusive ownership, the bill covers local spending, workforces, land, property, and finance – leaving scope for credit unions, community shares and asset transfers to play a role in any future legislation.
With the bill in its second stage, MSPs have until 8 January to submit amendments. These will be published ahead of a meeting on 14 January prior to a Stage 3 vote at Holyrood.
