realised) – it requires direction, policies and an end goal. There are around 13 million cooperative members within the UK, all of varying degree, but the ambition should be to involve almost every person across the country in one way or another. A good start to making this a reality would undoubtedly be simplifying the rules around starting a cooperative or mutual and providing the advice to allow people to do so. But there is a need to go a great deal further.
' There are around 13 million cooperative members within the UK '
Economic cooperation
The first way to achieve this is to focus on the challenges cooperatives may face – such as access to capital, competing in the procurement process and any taxes they pay which may be comparable to those liable by privately-owned businesses focussed purely on profiteering. Labour ' s plan for a British Investment Bank, with a significant funding stream, could allow resources to be diverted directly to socially responsible cooperatives and mutuals. Prioritisation for cooperatives and mutuals in procuring goods and services from central and local government would be another. Providing tax breaks, perhaps through reduced Employer ' s National Insurance, might be a way to encourage an increase in their numbers.
However, this is not enough to win the hearts and minds of people across the country. People need to see more than just the possible wider economic merits – it’ s about making cooperatives and mutuals work for individuals and communities. Co-operatives UK estimates that 23 per cent of workers are not engaged at their workplace, costing the economy £ 36 billion each year. At their workplace, people should start to genuinely reap the rewards of their production. While the John Lewis model is to be applauded, their approach to all intents and purposes just provides workers with an annual bonus. A model of radical cooperation would go much further and would directly link individual output to the organisation ' s success, through share provision at every employment level.
Societal cooperation
When going about their everyday business, people should feel that cooperatives offer high quality goods and services at decent value for money. There are many instances of this – whether it be supermarkets, legal services or credit unions, but again, they can go much further. For example, the tenants of a housing block could form an energy cooperative, and seek to purchase power at a reduced rate from energy companies through collective bargaining. A group of parents from local schools could consider running a childcare mutual which could be structured to meet their flexible needs, while delivering responsive, high-quality childcare at a low cost.
' Housing block tenants could form an energy cooperative and use collective bargaining to secure cheaper power '
Housing cooperatives can also play a key role in delivering the bricks and mortar that is so desperately needed in places across the country. Whilst this is not the only approach to building more homes, models across the country have been proven to make a difference in reducing waiting times for housing. Substantial expansion of this sector can ultimately improve the places in which people live, as those allowed a stake in their communities are often inclined to participate more actively in ensuring it remains a place in which they can be proud to live. Rather than providing existing property owners with a ' spare homes subsidy ' to buy yet another property, the Tory-led government should consider diverting this funding to those keen to start up community housing cooperatives. revolutionise. it 14