Conservative Co-operative Movement member, Simon Randall CBE contributes to Policy Platform published by Localis.

Article in The Times by Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership.

Simon Randall, a member of the Conservative Co-operative Movement, spoke at a Foundation East seminar in Thetford today (24 February 2010) on the role of co-operatives and community land trusts in regenerating our rural communities.

"Co-operative forms of housing offer us a range of possibilities for tackling the housing crisis. The recent “Bringing Democracy Home” report, published by the Commission for Co-operative and Mutual Housing, shows how we can work with and trust communities, incentivizing them and empowering them as part of a wider housing policy that places the needs of local people above those of bureaucrats and planners.

Over lunch in a cafe in an assisted living tower block, I learned about Sustainable Enterprise Strategies (SES) from its director Kevin Marquis. The cafe is run by the people associated with Sunderland Home Care and staffed by people with learning disabilities.

In early February I had the great opportunity and privilege to visit Margaret Elliot of Sunderland Home Care (Care & Share Associates) who has contributed a piece elsewhere on this site.

Employee owned co-operatives to enable public sector workers to become their own boss and deliver better services.

What a silly and petty response Tessa Jowell has given today to Conservative initiatives on cooperatives.

As expected, Tessa Jowell and the Co-operative Party went into into convulsions of rage when George Osbourne launched the Tory policy on public sector co-ops this morning.

Politics is a funny thing...no matter how many times parties are modernized or ‘reformed’ certain labels or attitudes seem to stick.