As Wales enters a new political chapter following the Senedd elections of 7 May, there is a growing sense that incremental change is no longer enough, writes the team from Co-op Wales.
Communities are tired of seeing wealth leave local areas, public services diminished, and everyday decisions made far away from the people affected. People voted for Plaid Cymru because they wanted change, just as a minority voted for the false promises of Reform UK Ltd.
The question facing the new Plaid government is not simply how to grow the economy, it’s what type of economy, and who it’s for. There is a compelling argument that Wales now could take a different path; one rooted not in extraction and centralisation, but in democracy, community ownership and shared prosperity.
For too long, economic success has often been measured in narrow terms. Growth (increase in GDP per capita) may rise, yet many communities still experience declining local services, insecure work, and a sense of powerlessness. The benefits too often accumulate for the elite, in Wales or elsewhere, while ordinary citizens get little or nothing.
A co-operative approach offers a fundamentally different model. It produces long-term resilience not short-term extraction. It builds on the knowledge, assets, skills and capabilities that are ignored by the conventional economy.
Wales is uniquely positioned to change this. The legacy of Robert Owen, with his belief that education, dignity, decent living conditions and democratic participation are the foundations of a healthy society are still relevant today.
This is where the debate around co-operation must become broader than business alone. Co-operatives are often discussed narrowly as alternative enterprises. A genuinely co-operative Wales would involve not only co-operative businesses, but co-operative approaches to childcare, housing, energy, social care, culture, food systems, transport and economic planning.
Related: Cwmpas urges co-op sector to engage with new-look Sennedd
Importantly, this cultural change needs to begin early in life, with education. Children should not only learn about co-operation as history or economics, but they should also experience it in practice through participation, shared decision-making and collective activity.
Communities across Wales increasingly want more meaningful influence over their lives. Whether it’s local pubs, cafés, sports clubs, cultural venues, care services, renewable energy, or community spaces, people are recognising that ownership matters.
There is a significant opportunity within the Pride in Place agenda, but it will only succeed if communities are genuinely empowered rather than merely consulted after decisions have already been made. Communities must have the tools: access to finance, technical support, development infrastructure and democratic control to complement their local knowledge and lived experience.
The proposed Community Right to Buy could also become an important development in Welsh policy, if properly implemented and resourced. It can retain assets within communities and prevent further erosion of local social infrastructure.
Wales has the opportunity to shape a distinct national model rooted in Welsh values and democratic priorities. A co-operative approach aligns strongly with the broader spirit of subsidiarity and self-determination underpinning devolution itself.
The future of Wales cannot simply be delivered to communities from above. It must increasingly be built with communities, through democratic participation and shared ownership.
Encouragingly, many of the policy foundations already exist. Community wealth building, procurement reform, support for social enterprise, fair work, community ownership and co-operative development provide important starting points. But delivery will matter.
The co-operative sector itself must be treated not as an afterthought or delivery mechanism, but as a genuine strategic partner in shaping Wales’ future economic direction.
Wales could offer something distinctive: a vision of national renewal rooted in co-operation, fairness, participation and community power.
That would not only honour Wales’ historic traditions, but it would also shape its future too.
