Cooperatives UK
Encyclopedia
Co-operatives UK is "the central membership organisation for co-operative
enterprise throughout the UK
", a co-operative federation
founded in 1870 as the Co-operative Central Board, before changing its name to the Co-operative Union and finally becoming Co-operatives UK following its merger with the Industrial Common Ownership Movement (ICOM) in 2002. Historically associated with the consumer co-operatives
, the merger broadened its scope to include worker co-operatives
and it now exists to support and promote the values of the co-operative movement throughout the UK.
During its history, it has been responsible for the organisation of the Co-operative Congress
es, the establishment of both Co-operative Commission
s and the creation of the Co-operative College
and the Co-operative Party
. Its head office is Holyoake House, a Grade II listed building in Manchester
built in 1911 in memory of the co-operative activist George Jacob Holyoake
, and its membership includes organisations as diverse as the Woodcraft Folk
, the Co-operative Group
and the Oxted School
Young Co-operative. It is controlled by a board elected by its membership, is a member of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA)
, the trustee
of the Co-operative College, and retains a nominated seat on the National Executive Committee of the Co-operative Party.
became the first female chief executive of the Co-operative Union on New Year's Day
2000. Practically her first action in the position was to write a letter - co-signed by Lord Graham of Edmonton, Graham Melmoth, and Len Fyfe - to then Prime Minister Tony Blair
for his help in creating a second Co-operative Commission, to help revitalise the Movement for the next century. Green served on the Commission - chaired by John Monks
- and then took the job of co-ordinating the Union's response to the final report. The Union began a "deliberate attempt to secure and celebrate [the] co-operative advantage", forming closer ties with other organisations across the Movement in an attempt to create the "first ever 'all movement' Co-ordination Movement".
The fruit of these closer ties was an increased visibility and role for the Union in the Co-operative Movement. The Union began providing administration services for the United Kingdom Co-operative Council (UKCC) and the Industrial Common Ownership Movement (ICOM) in 2000, which ultimately led to the UKCC deciding to wind up and allow the Union to take over its functions, and ICOM merging with the Union to bring together the retail and worker co-operative sectors for the first time since they split in 1880. The two groups members voted their agreement to the merger in the Autumn of 2001, and ICOM brought its staff and membership to the Manchester offices of the Union when the merger was formalised in December 2001.
The organisation went through a two year transitional period before its members voted in December 2002 to rename it Co-operatives UK. The new identity was launched in January 2003, with Green calling the change "our way of showing that the Co-operative Movement now has a single strategic voice in the UK" and using the opportunity to push the revitalised organisation into developing new services and vigorously promoting the values of the Co-operative Movement. A "New Ventures" panel was established to promote new co-operative ideas, a Corporate Governance
Code of Best Practice was published to help promote good practice and the Union began encouraging its members to report on Key Social and Co-operative Performance Indicators to demonstrate their commitment to co-operative ethical principles. All three initiatives were recommended by the Co-operative Commission to assure the future of the Co-operative Movement.
Green announced that she intended to retire as chief executive of the organisation in 2009, saying: "I will be 60 at [that time] and I have always intended to retire when I reached that milestone. The Board [of Co-operatives UK] and I agreed that it made sense for me to finish after Co-operative Congress
2009, which is, to all intents and purposes, the end of our co-operative year." In July 2009, it was announced that Ed Mayo would become Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, resigning as Chief Executive of Consumer Focus
to take up the post. He took up the position officially the following November.
Co-operatives UK continues to work on behalf of the Co-operative Movement as a whole, opposing recommendations from the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB)
that would have seen co-operative members' share capital classed as debt and "destroyed" the co-operative advantage, responding to a Government consultation to amend the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 and encouraging their members to do likewise and gathering information on the scope and scale of the UK Movement, maintaining a searchable directory of UK co-operatives on its website.
The event was made possible by eight "founding sponsors": The Co-operative Group
, The Midcounties Co-operative, Midlands Co-operative Society
, Anglia Regional Co-operative Society
, The Southern Co-operative, Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society
, Lincolnshire Co-operative and Channel Islands Co-operative Society
. Co-operatives UK are currently analysing the impact of the Co-operative Fortnight.
It was recently confirmed that Co-operatives Fortnight would continue in 2011, between 25 June and 9 July. This year's theme will be "Yours to Share".
and the Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS), the Co-operative Movement began to lift itself out of the decade of society failures between 1834 and 1844. The success brought pride but also anxiety for the movement's leaders as they began to fear that societies might forget their co-operative ideals in the face of material success. The solution, it was decided at the first of the modern Co-operative Congress
es, was the creation of a national organisation that could hold the movement together and emphasise the important role that co-operatives could play in society at large.
The Co-operative Central Board was established in 1869, before changing its name to the Co-operative Union, and spent the first 40 years of its existence operating out of a variety of rented premises in the Long Millgate district of Manchester
. Its purpose was described "propagandist and defensive action" and it listed the objectives of establishing and organising co-operative societies and provided advice and instruction on the co-operative principles
. These educational activities were formalised first in 1882 with the creation of the education committee and then in 1919 when the Co-operative College
was created.
The initial intention of the Union was that it would support and promote the interests of worker co-operatives but, given the number and financial strength of the consumer co-operatives, these soon began to dominate the organisation. Ultimately, this led to the splitting of the worker and consumer sectors of the UK Movement, prompted by the CWS' rejection of the idea of profit-sharing with its employees in 1880. From that point the Co-operative Union became an organisation that predominantly dealt with co-operative retail societies.
In 1906 the co-operative activist George Jacob Holyoake
died and the Co-operative Movement decided that to commemorate him by building a permanent headquarters for the Co-operative Union. The building was designed by architect F. E. L. Harris, who had also designed the nearby CWS building in the year of Holyoake's death. It was erected in 1911 on Hanover Street (also home to the Co-operative Bank
) and named Holyoake House. A plaque was erected outside the building dedicating the building to Holyoake's memory, reading:
Holyoake House is also home to the Co-operative College (although between 1940 and 2001, the College moved to Stanford Hall
, near Loughborough
), the Association of British Credit Unions Limited (ABCUL) and The Co-operative News. The building was extended in the 1930s, and the Training Centre on the top floor was destroyed by an incendiary bomb
in the Manchester Blitz
of 1940. A collection of Holyoake's letters, papers and other writings are held in store in the National Co-operative Archive, also housed in the building, whilst the building itself received Grade II listed building status on 20 June 1988.
es, the Co-operative Union had a wider responsibility for promoting co-operation throughout the UK and worldwide. During the First World War
, the Movement began to feel hostility from the Government: requests to set up a system of rationing to prevent private traders from hoarding goods and selling them at inflated prices were initially ignored and then, when sugar rationing was finally introduced, the Union was refused a seat on the commission set up to control it although co-operatives were the largest wholesalers and retailers of sugar in the UK. A motion was put forward to the 1917 Congress to abandon the principle of political neutrality and when it was passed The National Co-operative Representation Committee was formed. Its purpose was to represent the views of the Co-operative Movement in Parliament and it was soon renamed the Co-operative Party
, funded by individual societies within the Movement.
The Union was also responsible for the establishment of the Independent Co-operative Commission
(sometimes called the Gaitskell Commission after its chair Hugh Gaitskell
). During a period of dramatic change in the retail landscape the Union's Central Executive held discussions with the CWS, the Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society (SCWS) and the Co-operative Production Federation before introducing a motion to the 1955 Congress empowering them to establish an inquiry commission "charged with the responsibility of surveying the whole field of co-operative production and marketing, both wholesale and retail". It submitted its findings to the Union for presentation at the 1958 Congress. The Union met the costs of the commission and made its own submission of evidence. The report made 51 recommendations on a variety of issues but failed to have significant impact on the movement, the Co-operative Union concluding in its 1967 Regional Plan that "If the serious warnings of the Independent Commission had been heeded, the Movement would be in far better shape to withstand the impact of new problems which have developed".
. The membership is made up predominantly of other co-operative enterprises - making Co-operatives UK a co-operative federation
- but also includes other co-operative federations, such as the ABCUL, the Plunkett Foundation and Supporters Direct
. It also has Co-operative Development Body (CDB) members, and associated and affiliated groups who are not themselves co-operatives but are supportive of the Co-operative Movement and its principles, such as the Woodcraft Folk
or the Building Societies Association
. A number of individuals who were members of ICOM before its merger continue to subscribe but are not recognised by the Rules. The membership is diverse, reaching from the world's largest consumer co-operative
to Oxted School Young Co-operative, a co-operative set up by pupils to sell Fairtrade goods at the school. Its board has 18 members, with places divided through the membership as follows:
The current Chair
is Ben Reid of Midcounties Co-operative.
As well as its federal members, Co-operatives UK maintains links with other co-operative organisations: it is a member of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA)
and the trustee
of the Co-operative College, and retains a nominated seat on the National Executive Committee of the Co-operative Party.
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
enterprise throughout the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
", a co-operative federation
Cooperative federation
A co-operative federation or secondary co-operative is a co-operative in which all members are, in turn, co-operatives.Historically, co-operative federations have predominantly come in the form of co-operative wholesale societies and co-operative unions...
founded in 1870 as the Co-operative Central Board, before changing its name to the Co-operative Union and finally becoming Co-operatives UK following its merger with the Industrial Common Ownership Movement (ICOM) in 2002. Historically associated with the consumer co-operatives
Consumers' cooperative
Consumer cooperatives are enterprises owned by consumers and managed democratically which aim at fulfilling the needs and aspirations of their members. They operate within the market system, independently of the state, as a form of mutual aid, oriented toward service rather than pecuniary profit...
, the merger broadened its scope to include worker co-operatives
Worker cooperative
A worker cooperative is a cooperative owned and democratically managed by its worker-owners. This control may be exercised in a number of ways. A cooperative enterprise may mean a firm where every worker-owner participates in decision making in a democratic fashion, or it may refer to one in which...
and it now exists to support and promote the values of the co-operative movement throughout the UK.
During its history, it has been responsible for the organisation of the Co-operative Congress
Co-operative Congress
The Co-operative Congress is the national conference of the UK Co-operative Movement. The first of the modern congresses took place in 1869 following a series of meetings called the "Owenite Congress" in the 1830s...
es, the establishment of both Co-operative Commission
Co-operative Commission
The Co-operative Commission was an independent commission set up by Tony Blair at the request of leaders of the British co-operative movement. Its aim was to review the strategy and structures of the sector, with an aim to suggesting ways to develop and modernise the movement, and its members...
s and the creation of the Co-operative College
Co-operative College
The Co-operative College is a University in the United Kingdom which provides "inspirational learning and resources based on co-operative values and principles for individuals and organisations to support the development of sustainable co-operative, mutual and social enterprises throughout the world"...
and the Co-operative Party
Co-operative Party
The Co-operative Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom committed to supporting and representing co-operative principles. The party does not put up separate candidates for any UK election itself. Instead, Co-operative candidates stand jointly with the Labour Party as "Labour...
. Its head office is Holyoake House, a Grade II listed building in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
built in 1911 in memory of the co-operative activist George Jacob Holyoake
George Holyoake
George Jacob Holyoake , English secularist and co-operator, was born in Birmingham, England. He coined the term "secularism" in 1851 and the term "jingoism" in 1878.-Owenism:...
, and its membership includes organisations as diverse as the Woodcraft Folk
The Woodcraft Folk
The Woodcraft Folk is a UK-based educational movement for children and young people, and registered charity no. 1073665. The constitutional object of this youth organisation is "to educate and empower young people to be able to participate actively in society, improving their lives and others'...
, the Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...
and the Oxted School
Oxted School
Oxted School is a mixed comprehensive secondary school in the English town of Oxted, Surrey. It was opened in 1929 as the first mixed grammar school in Surrey and now has over 2000 pupils aged 11–18)...
Young Co-operative. It is controlled by a board elected by its membership, is a member of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA)
International Co-operative Alliance
The International Co-operative Alliance is a non-governmental co-operative federation or, more precisely, a co-operative union representing co-operatives and the co-operative movement worldwide. It was founded in 1895. The ICA maintains the internationally recognised definition of a co-operative...
, the trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
of the Co-operative College, and retains a nominated seat on the National Executive Committee of the Co-operative Party.
Modern organisation
The modern organisation began to take shape when Dame Pauline GreenPauline Green
Dame Pauline Green DBE is a former Labour and Co-operative Member of the European Parliament and former Leader of the Parliamentary Group of the Party of European Socialists...
became the first female chief executive of the Co-operative Union on New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
2000. Practically her first action in the position was to write a letter - co-signed by Lord Graham of Edmonton, Graham Melmoth, and Len Fyfe - to then Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
for his help in creating a second Co-operative Commission, to help revitalise the Movement for the next century. Green served on the Commission - chaired by John Monks
John Monks
John Stephen Monks, Baron Monks is a member of the House of Lords and was the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress in the UK from 1993 until 2003, when he became the General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation .-Early life:He attended Ducie Technical High School John...
- and then took the job of co-ordinating the Union's response to the final report. The Union began a "deliberate attempt to secure and celebrate [the] co-operative advantage", forming closer ties with other organisations across the Movement in an attempt to create the "first ever 'all movement' Co-ordination Movement".
The organisation went through a two year transitional period before its members voted in December 2002 to rename it Co-operatives UK. The new identity was launched in January 2003, with Green calling the change "our way of showing that the Co-operative Movement now has a single strategic voice in the UK" and using the opportunity to push the revitalised organisation into developing new services and vigorously promoting the values of the Co-operative Movement. A "New Ventures" panel was established to promote new co-operative ideas, a Corporate Governance
Corporate governance
Corporate governance is a number of processes, customs, policies, laws, and institutions which have impact on the way a company is controlled...
Code of Best Practice was published to help promote good practice and the Union began encouraging its members to report on Key Social and Co-operative Performance Indicators to demonstrate their commitment to co-operative ethical principles. All three initiatives were recommended by the Co-operative Commission to assure the future of the Co-operative Movement.
Green announced that she intended to retire as chief executive of the organisation in 2009, saying: "I will be 60 at [that time] and I have always intended to retire when I reached that milestone. The Board [of Co-operatives UK] and I agreed that it made sense for me to finish after Co-operative Congress
Co-operative Congress
The Co-operative Congress is the national conference of the UK Co-operative Movement. The first of the modern congresses took place in 1869 following a series of meetings called the "Owenite Congress" in the 1830s...
2009, which is, to all intents and purposes, the end of our co-operative year." In July 2009, it was announced that Ed Mayo would become Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, resigning as Chief Executive of Consumer Focus
Consumer Focus
Consumer Focus is a statutory consumer organisation in England, Wales, Scotland, and, for postal services, Northern Ireland, formed in 2008 by the merging Postwatch, Energywatch and the Welsh, Scottish and National Consumer Councils...
to take up the post. He took up the position officially the following November.
Co-operatives UK continues to work on behalf of the Co-operative Movement as a whole, opposing recommendations from the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB)
International Accounting Standards Board
The International Accounting Standards Board is an independent, privately funded accounting standard-setter based in London, England.The IASB was founded on April 1, 2001 as the successor to the International Accounting Standards Committee...
that would have seen co-operative members' share capital classed as debt and "destroyed" the co-operative advantage, responding to a Government consultation to amend the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 and encouraging their members to do likewise and gathering information on the scope and scale of the UK Movement, maintaining a searchable directory of UK co-operatives on its website.
Co-operatives Fortnight
In 2010, Co-operatives UK co-ordinated the UK's first ever Co-operatives Fortnight, running from 19 June to 3 July. The fortnight was marketed as an opportunity to promote the co-operative alternative - under the slogan "There is an alternative" - to tradition business models, and included over 150 events in every region and devolved nation in the UK, over 3,000 stores promoting the Fortnight nation-wide and over 4,000 people watching the Co-operatives Fortnight film. During the Fortnight, 13 co-operative schools were also established and two parliamentary motions were passed in Westminster and Edinburgh.The event was made possible by eight "founding sponsors": The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...
, The Midcounties Co-operative, Midlands Co-operative Society
Midlands Co-operative Society
The Midlands Co-operative Society Limited is a regional consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It is a registered Industrial and Provident Society, a member of the Co-operative Union Ltd., the Co-operative Retail Trading Group, the Co-operative Travel Trading Group and a corporate member of...
, Anglia Regional Co-operative Society
Anglia Regional Co-operative Society
Anglia Regional Co-operative Society Limited is the fifth largest consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It was formed by the merger of the Greater Peterborough Regional and Anglia Co-operative Societies in 1987. The Society has a wide-ranging and extensive portfolio with over 100 stores,...
, The Southern Co-operative, Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society
Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society
Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society Limited is a consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It is a registered Industrial and Provident Society, a member of the Co-operative Union Ltd., the Co-operative Retail Trading Group, the Co-operative Travel Trading Group and a corporate member of...
, Lincolnshire Co-operative and Channel Islands Co-operative Society
Channel Islands Co-operative Society
The Channel Islands' Co-operative Society Limited is a consumer co-operative. It is a registered Industrial and Provident Society, a member of the Co-operative Union Ltd. in the United Kingdom, the Co-operative Retail Trading Group, the Co-operative Travel Trading Group and a corporate member of...
. Co-operatives UK are currently analysing the impact of the Co-operative Fortnight.
It was recently confirmed that Co-operatives Fortnight would continue in 2011, between 25 June and 9 July. This year's theme will be "Yours to Share".
Foundation
During the resurgence in co-operation following the successes of the Rochdale PioneersRochdale Pioneers
The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, founded in 1844, was an early consumer co-operative, and the first to pay a patronage dividend, forming the basis for the modern co-operative movement....
and the Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS), the Co-operative Movement began to lift itself out of the decade of society failures between 1834 and 1844. The success brought pride but also anxiety for the movement's leaders as they began to fear that societies might forget their co-operative ideals in the face of material success. The solution, it was decided at the first of the modern Co-operative Congress
Co-operative Congress
The Co-operative Congress is the national conference of the UK Co-operative Movement. The first of the modern congresses took place in 1869 following a series of meetings called the "Owenite Congress" in the 1830s...
es, was the creation of a national organisation that could hold the movement together and emphasise the important role that co-operatives could play in society at large.
The Co-operative Central Board was established in 1869, before changing its name to the Co-operative Union, and spent the first 40 years of its existence operating out of a variety of rented premises in the Long Millgate district of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. Its purpose was described "propagandist and defensive action" and it listed the objectives of establishing and organising co-operative societies and provided advice and instruction on the co-operative principles
Rochdale Principles
The Rochdale Principles are a set of ideals for the operation of cooperatives. They were first set out by the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers in Rochdale, England, in 1844, and have formed the basis for the principles on which co-operatives around the world operate to this day. The...
. These educational activities were formalised first in 1882 with the creation of the education committee and then in 1919 when the Co-operative College
Co-operative College
The Co-operative College is a University in the United Kingdom which provides "inspirational learning and resources based on co-operative values and principles for individuals and organisations to support the development of sustainable co-operative, mutual and social enterprises throughout the world"...
was created.
The initial intention of the Union was that it would support and promote the interests of worker co-operatives but, given the number and financial strength of the consumer co-operatives, these soon began to dominate the organisation. Ultimately, this led to the splitting of the worker and consumer sectors of the UK Movement, prompted by the CWS' rejection of the idea of profit-sharing with its employees in 1880. From that point the Co-operative Union became an organisation that predominantly dealt with co-operative retail societies.
Holyoake House
George Holyoake
George Jacob Holyoake , English secularist and co-operator, was born in Birmingham, England. He coined the term "secularism" in 1851 and the term "jingoism" in 1878.-Owenism:...
died and the Co-operative Movement decided that to commemorate him by building a permanent headquarters for the Co-operative Union. The building was designed by architect F. E. L. Harris, who had also designed the nearby CWS building in the year of Holyoake's death. It was erected in 1911 on Hanover Street (also home to the Co-operative Bank
Co-operative Bank
The Co-operative Bank plc is a commercial bank in the United Kingdom and Guernsey, with its headquarters in Manchester.The bank markets itself as an ethical bank, and refuses to invest in companies involved in the arms trade, global climate change, genetic engineering, animal testing and use of...
) and named Holyoake House. A plaque was erected outside the building dedicating the building to Holyoake's memory, reading:
Holyoake House is also home to the Co-operative College (although between 1940 and 2001, the College moved to Stanford Hall
Stanford Hall (Loughborough)
Stanford Hall is an English country house in Nottinghamshire, England, in Stanford on Soar just north of Loughborough.-History:Stanford Hall was built between 1771 and 1774 by William Anderson of Loughborough for Charles Vere Dashwood. In 1876 it was purchased by Richard Ratcliffe, a brewer from...
, near Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
), the Association of British Credit Unions Limited (ABCUL) and The Co-operative News. The building was extended in the 1930s, and the Training Centre on the top floor was destroyed by an incendiary bomb
Incendiary device
Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices or incendiary bombs are bombs designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using materials such as napalm, thermite, chlorine trifluoride, or white phosphorus....
in the Manchester Blitz
Manchester Blitz
The Manchester Blitz was the heavy bombing of the city of Manchester and its surrounding areas in North West England during the Second World War by the Nazi German Luftwaffe...
of 1940. A collection of Holyoake's letters, papers and other writings are held in store in the National Co-operative Archive, also housed in the building, whilst the building itself received Grade II listed building status on 20 June 1988.
Promoting the Movement
As well as its responsibility for organising the annual Co-operative CongressCo-operative Congress
The Co-operative Congress is the national conference of the UK Co-operative Movement. The first of the modern congresses took place in 1869 following a series of meetings called the "Owenite Congress" in the 1830s...
es, the Co-operative Union had a wider responsibility for promoting co-operation throughout the UK and worldwide. During the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the Movement began to feel hostility from the Government: requests to set up a system of rationing to prevent private traders from hoarding goods and selling them at inflated prices were initially ignored and then, when sugar rationing was finally introduced, the Union was refused a seat on the commission set up to control it although co-operatives were the largest wholesalers and retailers of sugar in the UK. A motion was put forward to the 1917 Congress to abandon the principle of political neutrality and when it was passed The National Co-operative Representation Committee was formed. Its purpose was to represent the views of the Co-operative Movement in Parliament and it was soon renamed the Co-operative Party
Co-operative Party
The Co-operative Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom committed to supporting and representing co-operative principles. The party does not put up separate candidates for any UK election itself. Instead, Co-operative candidates stand jointly with the Labour Party as "Labour...
, funded by individual societies within the Movement.
The Union was also responsible for the establishment of the Independent Co-operative Commission
Co-operative Commission
The Co-operative Commission was an independent commission set up by Tony Blair at the request of leaders of the British co-operative movement. Its aim was to review the strategy and structures of the sector, with an aim to suggesting ways to develop and modernise the movement, and its members...
(sometimes called the Gaitskell Commission after its chair Hugh Gaitskell
Hugh Gaitskell
Hugh Todd Naylor Gaitskell CBE was a British Labour politician, who held Cabinet office in Clement Attlee's governments, and was the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1955, until his death in 1963.-Early life:He was born in Kensington, London, the third and youngest...
). During a period of dramatic change in the retail landscape the Union's Central Executive held discussions with the CWS, the Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society (SCWS) and the Co-operative Production Federation before introducing a motion to the 1955 Congress empowering them to establish an inquiry commission "charged with the responsibility of surveying the whole field of co-operative production and marketing, both wholesale and retail". It submitted its findings to the Union for presentation at the 1958 Congress. The Union met the costs of the commission and made its own submission of evidence. The report made 51 recommendations on a variety of issues but failed to have significant impact on the movement, the Co-operative Union concluding in its 1967 Regional Plan that "If the serious warnings of the Independent Commission had been heeded, the Movement would be in far better shape to withstand the impact of new problems which have developed".
Changing environment
Through the end of the 1960s and the start of the 1970s the working environment of the Union began to change: Britain joined the European Economic Community (EEC) and so closer ties with the ICA were necessary. The retail industry was changing and the Union published its Regional Plan advocating reduction of the number of retail societies (to a "manageable" figure of 50) through mergers. The CWS began taking over some services the Union had traditionally offered, such as its trade Advisory Service, so that the Union had to re-examine and refocus the services it offered its members. On 10 August 1974 it also suffered a serious setback when its newly appointed General Secretary Clarence Hilditch died in office.Governance
Co-operatives UK is a co-operative enterprise, and hence controlled by its 470+ members through an elected board of directorsBoard of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
. The membership is made up predominantly of other co-operative enterprises - making Co-operatives UK a co-operative federation
Cooperative federation
A co-operative federation or secondary co-operative is a co-operative in which all members are, in turn, co-operatives.Historically, co-operative federations have predominantly come in the form of co-operative wholesale societies and co-operative unions...
- but also includes other co-operative federations, such as the ABCUL, the Plunkett Foundation and Supporters Direct
Supporters Direct
Supporters Direct are an umbrella organisation set up originally by the United Kingdom government to provide support and assistance for its member trusts to secure a greater level of accountability and deliver democratic representation within football clubs and within football's governing structures...
. It also has Co-operative Development Body (CDB) members, and associated and affiliated groups who are not themselves co-operatives but are supportive of the Co-operative Movement and its principles, such as the Woodcraft Folk
The Woodcraft Folk
The Woodcraft Folk is a UK-based educational movement for children and young people, and registered charity no. 1073665. The constitutional object of this youth organisation is "to educate and empower young people to be able to participate actively in society, improving their lives and others'...
or the Building Societies Association
Building Societies Association
The Building Societies Association is the trade organisation of the building societies in the United Kingdom. In 2011 the 48 building societies in the UK had total assets of over £317 billion. 15 million adults have building society saving accounts and over 2.9 million adults are currently buying...
. A number of individuals who were members of ICOM before its merger continue to subscribe but are not recognised by the Rules. The membership is diverse, reaching from the world's largest consumer co-operative
The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...
to Oxted School Young Co-operative, a co-operative set up by pupils to sell Fairtrade goods at the school. Its board has 18 members, with places divided through the membership as follows:
- 9 seats for the Co-operative Group
- 1 seat for Midlands Co-operative SocietyMidlands Co-operative SocietyThe Midlands Co-operative Society Limited is a regional consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It is a registered Industrial and Provident Society, a member of the Co-operative Union Ltd., the Co-operative Retail Trading Group, the Co-operative Travel Trading Group and a corporate member of...
- 4 seats elected by Consumer Co-operative societies (one from each of four geographic regions: Scotland, the North, the Midlands and the South)
- 2 seats elected by Worker Co-operatives and Employee Owned Businesses
- 1 seat elected by the Co-operative Development Bodies
- 1 seat elected by the remaining membership
The current Chair
Chair (official)
The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...
is Ben Reid of Midcounties Co-operative.
As well as its federal members, Co-operatives UK maintains links with other co-operative organisations: it is a member of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA)
International Co-operative Alliance
The International Co-operative Alliance is a non-governmental co-operative federation or, more precisely, a co-operative union representing co-operatives and the co-operative movement worldwide. It was founded in 1895. The ICA maintains the internationally recognised definition of a co-operative...
and the trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
of the Co-operative College, and retains a nominated seat on the National Executive Committee of the Co-operative Party.
General Secretaries and Chief Executives
General Secretaries of the Co-operative Union
- Edward Vansittart NealeEdward Vansittart NealeEdward Vansittart Neale B.A. M.A. , was an English barrister, co-operator and Christian socialist.Neale was born in Bath, the son of Rev. Edward Vansittart of Taplow in Buckinghamshire. In 1828, after receiving early education at home, he entered Oriel College Oxford where he was tutored by J. H....
1873-1891 - JC Gray 1891-1911
- Alfred Whitehead 1911-1929
- Robert PalmerRobert Palmer, 1st Baron RusholmeRobert Alexander Palmer, 1st Baron Rusholme was a senior official of the British co-operative movement and a Labour Co-operative member of the House of Lords.-Career:...
1929-1947
- Robert Southern 1950-1972
- Clarence Hilditch 1972-1974
- Lloyd Wilkinson 1974-2000
- Pauline GreenPauline GreenDame Pauline Green DBE is a former Labour and Co-operative Member of the European Parliament and former Leader of the Parliamentary Group of the Party of European Socialists...
2000-2002, becoming Chief Executive of Co-operatives UK
Chief Executives of Co-operatives UK
- Pauline GreenPauline GreenDame Pauline Green DBE is a former Labour and Co-operative Member of the European Parliament and former Leader of the Parliamentary Group of the Party of European Socialists...
2002-2009 - Ed MayoEd MayoEd Mayo is Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, the UK trade association for co-operatives. He is the former Chief Executive of the British National Consumer Council and CEO of the NCC's successor, Consumer Focus.-Education:...
2009–present