At the end of February, the UK’s 2026 Future Co-ops Conference will explore ways the co-op movement can challenge the far-right and reclaim power for communities.
“Across the UK, society is divided,” say the organisers, co-op development agency, Co-operative Futures. “Far-right populism and the mainstreaming of extremist ideologies have provoked anti-migrant violence, damage to social cohesion, and attacks on net zero. Our conference starts from a simple belief: the most effective response to authoritarianism is more democracy, not less.”
The event, Power to the People, is taking place in Birmingham on Friday 27 February and Saturday 28 February, bringing people together “to examine how collective action and co-operation can rebuild trust and deliver real power at a local level..
Short films and social justice poetry from Rawz on Friday evening at The Good Intent, a not-for-profit pub, will be followed by a communal dinner. On Saturday, delegates will move to The Priory Rooms for a programme of conversations and practical workshops.
Attendees will hear from Andrew Fowler from More in Common (Founded in the wake of the murder of UK MP Jo Cox), who will present the latest public opinion research that explores the driving forces behind polarisation in Britain; Jabu Nala-Hartley, who will facilitate a conversation on where the co-operative movement should build power next; and Alain Demontoux, Operations and FCA Compliance Manager at Co-operative & Community Finance.
Workshops will explore practical ways communities can build power, using democratic tools, innovative approaches, and constructive conversations to challenge far-right narratives of division.
Other speakers include Ian Wilson and Deana Bamford from Coalville CAN, Cathy Brown, head of Economic Justice Brum for Barrow Cadbury Trust, and Mara Livermore from Shared Future – as well as members of Birmingham Friends of the Earth who will lead a session on the climate emergency, and many more.
“Future Co-ops 2026: Power to the People will bring together co-operative activists, policy thinkers, campaigners and community business leaders to explore how collective action, co-operation, and democratic participation can rebuild trust, and revitalise communities,” add the organisers. “It will be a space for practical ideas and political imagination rooted firmly in co-operative values.”
To find out more and to book, click here.
