James Wright

UK government is consulting on co-operative business support, for the first time since... oh before you were born. Here are some way co-ops can get involved 👇

A photograph of Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK, alongside her quote in reaction to the Autumn Budget which reads: "This is a once in a generation opportunity for our sector."

"It's brilliant that government has used Budget to open the call for evidence on business support for co‑operatives. With the right conditions in place, co‑operatives will deliver inclusive, grassroots growth."
Momentous news
Read all about it 👇
buff.ly/r28ieiJ

1/5 📢 Our response to today’s Budget:

"The Chancellor is right to frame her Budget around delivering growth and improving public services, so we all feel the impact: this must include the community businesses driving change in their neighbourhoods...

Had a great day at @coopparty.party.coop Conference. Enjoyed being on a panel with @jimmcmahon.co.uk talking about local coop development. So much promise and potential right now!

Private care providers in three English regions make £250m in three years More than third of profits analysed went to firms owned by private equity or based in tax havens, research finds

🚨 Public money is being siphoned out the care system in profits, with millions going to private equity and tax haven firms

@theguardian.com's @journo-jess.bsky.social has the story of our investigation into extraction from our care system ⤵️

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

3/ These solutions include co-ops like Social AdVentures and Highland Home Carers, and social enterprise like We are Juno. Read their case studies here: publication.cles.org.uk/ending-extra...

2/ @cooperativesuk.bsky.social helped to research hopeful solutions, while amazing colleagues at @clesthinkdo.bsky.social @thrivingplaces.bsky.social and @neweconomics.bsky.social did great work wading deep into the financial swamp!

Private care providers in three English regions make £250m in three years More than third of profits analysed went to firms owned by private equity or based in tax havens, research finds

1/ We won't have a financially viable state (or a happier society!) until we end the profit extraction taking place in care. In @theguardian.com today, a new report uncovers the extent of this extraction and highlights viable alternatives including #coops

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Westminster Hall debate - What's on - UK Parliament Government support for the co-operative sector

Great to be watching @jimmcmahon.co.uk and fellow MPs discuss what government is doing, and can do, to grow the co-operative sector this afternoon:
whatson.parliament.uk/event/cal53211

100% agree strategic authorities should have a duty to target inclusive growth.

We're empowering people in Islington to kick-start co-ops with the help of @IslingtonBC.

Join a FREE workshop, 20 November, to receive 1:1 support funded by #UKSPF

Support delivered through our Business Support for Co-ops programme visit: buff.ly/HtBfmdZ

#UKSPF #coops

Vital that we connect co-op development to the community energy revolution

One week to book - FREE webinar! 🌱 Discover how co-ops drive climate action with Marianne Brown (Bristol Energy Co-op) & Jonathan Atkinson (People Powered Retrofit).

📆 15 Oct, 10:30–12:00
👉 buff.ly/0w0I8oI

In partnership with the Centre for Democratic Business, funding from The Co-operative Bank.

Ownership is strength. If we want a strong country we need to reclaim control of our infrastructure and services.

We at #Labour Conference with the Salford Mayor and GMCA lead for housing Paul Dennett, and brilliant @cooperativesuk.bsky.social members People Powered Retrofit and Community Energy England taking about retrofit co-ops.

Huge thanks to @andrewpakes.bsky.social for joining the coop and mutual crew at #Labour Conference. How do we mainstream coops and mutuals in policy? "The door is ajar, its up to us need to keep it open." Sound advice.

We're at the upcoming Labour Party Conference and we're especially looking forward to the following events with our partners. See below and see full details in the conference programme... #labourconference #coops #CoopEconomy #memberowned #cooperatives

Building Thriving Neighbourhoods: The Locality Manifesto - Locality Through the new Locality Manifesto, we’re calling for a “community power revolution”. We know that local communities are best placed to transform lives and create a fairer society.

The Pride in Place programme's investment in 330 disadvantaged neighbourhoods could be hugely significant. The answers to the problems we face are in local communities.

To unlock this potential, the government must learn lessons from previous programmes and embed community control and ownership.

4/ Co-operatives UK is grateful to have been part the policy process, and is eager to help with delivery

www.uk.coop/start-new-co...

3/ £5bn is significant but not enough on its own. The plan is to use this money as a catalyst, to unlock the latent social and economic capital in communities. This will work, so long as the empowerment is real. That’s where co-ops really come in.

www.uk.coop/news/record-...

Extract from Pride in Place strategy announcing co-op development unit

2/ MHCLG has listened, on the importance of capacity building, on co-operative development, and on the centrality of shifting ownership. They’ve also drawn learning from decades of successes and failures, which is why this shows such promise.

Communities to seize control over high streets and restore pride Local communities will be handed new powers to revitalise their high streets and restore pride in their towns.

1/ Pride in Place programme has massive potential to:
👭Empower communities to change things for the better
🏫Democratise ownership and control of local assets
With a major role for co-ops and mutuals
www.gov.uk/government/n...

And co-ops and mutuals make a outsized contribution to GDP, while paying higher wages, reducing inequality, addressing market failures and increasing resilience and social cohesion!

Radio 4 - Listen Live - BBC Sounds Listen live to BBC Radio 4 on BBC Sounds

📻 All about people coming together to take ownership and control of the businesses and places that matter to them.
Our CEO @rosemarley.bsky.social was excellent on BBC Radio 4 this morning.
Listen back from 7.21am: bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

#Coops #CoopEconomy

Scottish Housing Bill - Contact your MSPs ahead of the final vote Image of castle with a Scottish flag.

🚨 Urgent: The final vote on Scotland’s Housing Bill is 23 Sept.

This is the last chance to secure amendments that strengthen co-operative housing in Scotland.

📩 We're calling on our Scottish members to contact their MSPs using our template email: buff.ly/CARUrpu

#Coops #HousingBill #Scotland

📢 Credit unions: Our new partnership with ABCUL means their members can now join Co-operatives UK at 50% off:
🛠️ Boost governance
📈 Stay aligned with PRA expectations
👥 Strengthen your Board
👉 Visit buff.ly/CwWFmzs

#CreditUnions #Coops #BoardEffectiveness #PRAready

Second CCDS offer from Ecology Building Society now open Ecology Building Society is looking to raise up to £6.5m of additional capital to support the next phase of its ambitious growth plans

This kind of capital raising to fund expansion, is critical to a larger more impactful mutual economy. It needs to be an option for a wider range of coops and mutuals.

share.google/EHkN4F1lWNGY...

Proscribing Palestine Action as 'terrorist' awful. It was criminal damage as direct action protest. Calling it terrorism is overkill and risks making the term meaningless, when it should refer to something really horrible and extreme: harming innocents to create and then leverage terror.

GMCA is very lucky to have strong local credit unions, working together through a consortium, in partnership with a pioneering local retrofit co-op. This degree of co-operative capability doesn't appear over night and needs to be nurtured.

Today is the day. I don't expect detailed allocations of funding for co-op development in the Spending Review. But I am hoping to see statements of policy that some of the funding for business support, the British Business Bank, clean power and housing, will be used in ways that enable co-ops.