Co-operative Congress 2016

On 17 and 18 June, co-operators gathered for the annual Co-operative Congress at Unity Works in Wakefield. Unity Works was built in 1901 as the home of the...

On 17 and 18 June, co-operators gathered for the annual Co-operative Congress at Unity Works in Wakefield. Unity Works was built in 1901 as the home of the Wakefield Industrial Co-operative Society.

Day one saw the Co-operatives UK and Co-operative Press AGMs along with the presentation of the Co-operative of the Year Awards and the Co-operative News Big Debate.

On day two, broad-ranging sessions at Congress included keynote speakers on the co-operative economy, community projects, the newly-launched National Co-operative Development Strategy, and Dragon’s Den-style pitches.

  • Platform co-ops: How can workers defeat the 'Death Stars'?

    “As ‘Death Star platforms’ such as Airbnb and Uber continue their pursuit of global domination, an alternative is rising in its wake,” wrote Cat Johnson in an introduction to 11 Platform Cooperatives creating a real sharing economy. She was referring to platform co-operatives, which work on the simple co-operative principle of putting power “back in the hands of the people”. In November, ...

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  • Employee ownership continues to increase. Now a National Co-operative Development Strategy has launched to define and support the growth of co-ops.

    Editorial: Strategy will help co-ops develop and thrive

    A National Co-operative Development Strategy has been kick-started this year by a number of co-operative organisations – and the first public meeting with co-operators took place at this month’s Co-operative Congress. With leadership from Co-operatives UK, the strategy is bringing together ideas from co-operative development workers and the wider co-operative sector. It will firstly ...

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  • Dame Pauline Green address Co-op Congress 2016 at Unity Works, Wakefield [photo: Co-operatives UK]

    Congress 2016: Developing a national co-op development strategy

    Earlier this year Co-operatives UK set up a Strategic Reference Panel to oversee the delivery of a National Co-operative Development Strategy. The panel is headed by Dame Pauline Green, former president of the International Co-operative Alliance, and will engage with a number of organisations from across the co-operative sector and beyond to develop a strategy to create a co-operative ...

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  • Co-operatives UK chair, Nick Matthews, speaks at the AGM [photo: Co-operatives UK]

    Co-operatives UK boosts income by 30% to achieve surplus

    Co-operatives UK, the trade body for co-operatives across the country, has increased its income from £2,231,965 to £2,914,953 for the year ended 31 December 2015. With expenditure rising by a similar percentage, Co-operatives UK reached a surplus before tax of £14,391, compared with the previous year’s deficit of £3,616. The umbrella organisation has allocated £489,609 to ...

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  • Ann Pettifor speaking at Congress in Wakefield on 18 June. (Photo: Co-operatives UK]

    Taxi drivers need to take control back of Uber, says economist

    A global economist has called for taxi drivers to unite against Uber and form a workers’ collective. Ann Pettifor, analyst of the global financial system and director of Prime Economics, said that workers should be in control of platforms such as Uber and Airbnb, especially since they own the working capital of the business. “This is an ideal opportunity for us to be arguing for ...

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  • Co-operative Press members vote to change membership structure

    Members of Co-operative Press, publishers of Co-operative News, have voted to change the co-operative’s membership structure. Currently, individuals and organisations can become members after the purchase of a £10 share. But, following a recommendation by the board of directors, members overwhelmingly approved a change on 17th June that requires members to also purchase a ...

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  • The Big Debate: what’s next for women in the co-operative movement?

    While big businesses continue to have poor representation of women at the top, co-operatives are looking at ways to address issues raised by women in the movement. In a special debate at Co-operatives UK’s congress in Wakefield, delegates shared experiences about existing support networks and initiatives in co-ops. The debate was organised by Co-operative News, in collaboration with the ...

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