Rethinking Ownership: Putting Purpose at the Center — Harvard ALI Social Impact Review Traditional corporate ownership structures exacerbate societal inequities. Jenny Everett, Mark Hand and Natalie Reitman-White explore a new ownership model empowering businesses to align with their missions, benefit communities, and ensure long-term sustainability.

𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥-𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘴 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴.

🫶 Co-op Congress returns to Birmingham on 12–13 June!

The moment the UK co-operative movement comes together to set direction, spark ideas and turn ambition into action.

Join us for bold ideas, inspiring speakers and real conversations: www.uk.coop/congress

Sponsored by The Co-operative Bank 👏

John Lewis boss’s pay rises to £1.2m as retailer cuts 3,300 jobs Jason Tarry sees salary increase by 21% in year to January, while fewer people are employed at John Lewis and Waitrose stores

🤬 FFS! This is shameful and damages the case for employee ownership... www.theguardian.com/business/202...

For New Global Forest Pledges to Succeed, They Must Center Forest Communities Recognizing Indigenous and community land rights is vital to protecting forests and achieving climate goals under the upcoming COP30 commitments.

𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘰-𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦-𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥’𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 26% 𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦.

Good governance doesn't happen by accident - and the Secretary plays a central role in making it work.

Resource - A Guide to Co-operative Finance Turn data into decisions, explore our finance toolkit and online training. Understand your accounts, make sense of numbers and act with confidence with your finances. Co-operatives UK

Feeling stuck on VAT, corporation tax, or what your accounts are actually telling you?

Our Finance Toolkit is a practical set of resources to help co-operatives understand accounting and financial reporting, plus guidance on those knotty topics.

🔗 Explore our toolkit here: buff.ly/akZ4SBp

Board Blog: My Experience as a Trustee - Equality Trust This blog post is from long-time Trustee Gerry Boyle, who is hugely appreciated for the six years he has given to helping the Equality Trust operate. I have just stood down as a Trustee of the Equality Trust, having served two terms of three years each, the maximum allowed under our constitution. It has certainly […]

Our (much appreciated!) trustee Gerry Boyle spent 6 years helping guide the Equality Trust through Covid-19, four Prime Ministers, and a lot of change. What did he learn?
equalitytrust.org.uk/news/blog/board-blog-my-...

CLES has a fresh new identity 🌱

From today, we are the Centre for Local Economies - an independent think tank and charity that puts economics in its place 🏘️

🔗 www.cles.org.uk

Worker co-ops rising in the USA Worker co-ops and democratic workplaces in the USA have grown 34% since 2020 while more than doubling their workforce

Worker cooperatives are growing. As democratic workplaces, they offer an alternative form of organization where each worker has one vote.

If you are pro-democracy, remember to support democracy in our economy. Combat the concentration of wealth and power by supporting democratic businesses.

Only 2️⃣ weeks to go. 14 days to get the biggest anti-racist protest this country has ever seen.

We’ve got to show that unity is stronger than division.

12 noon. Meet at Park Lane.

🗓️Get it in your diary: fb.me/e/8pHOMNxTI

Canada needs a federal community wealth building agenda Instead of another subsidy for a pasta factory, our Liberal-NDP supply and confidence government should announce its intention to support a wave of local democratization projects, including the expans...

𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘴, 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨.

Community ownership over housing, business, and banking is the pathway towards a society where everyone can earn a thriving wage and live with dignity.

The Library of Birmingham overlaid with a purple wash and text reading 'eoaLive!, Wednesday 10 June 2026, Library of Birmingham, #OwningIt, Headline Sponsor: Howden'

Tickets are live for the first-ever eoaLive! event featuring the UK Employee Ownership Awards.

Taking place at the Library of Birmingham on 10 June, eoaLive! is all about #OwningIt

Gain expert insight into the future of EO. Sponsored by Howden.

➡️ employeeownership.co.uk/Site/content...

What is a Community Energy Share Offer? – A Guide - SELCE We’re a co-op helping communities in South East London to bring solar energy to their homes, their schools, and their community centres. We also give out free advice on energy bills, to households in…

"Community ownership is an incredibly stable way to run businesses. @cooperativesuk.bsky.social ran a survey and they believe that 92% of all businesses that have used community shares are still trading."

Membership Valuable resources and advice Discover what resources our members value the most. Explore our most popular tools, all in one place. Co-operatives UK

Want to see the resources our members value the most?

We've brought together our most trusted advice, toolkits and support services in one place, so you can quickly find what will make the biggest difference to your co-operative or community-owned business.

"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." –Justice Louis Brandeis

Words spoken many years ago that are just as relevant today.

We must continue the fight to get big money out of politics.

The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben picture beside text reading 'Final Submission for DBT's Call for Evidence'

We have submitted to Government's call for evidence on business support for mutuals.

This is a once in a parliament opportunity to make the collective voice of EO heard.

Discover more and read the final submission in full

➡️ employeeownership.co.uk/Site/content...

You can still get tickets for: Future Co-ops 2026: Power to the People.

📍Birmingham, 27–28 February 2026.

It's a two-day conference exploring how collective action & co-operation can rebuild trust & deliver real power to communities.

Tickets: buff.ly/7ydLFMt
@coopfutures.bsky.social

A graph showing the Gini co-efficient for Great Britain (1961 - 2020) showing inequality before and after housing costs and showing a huge rise in inequality in the 1980s which has never been reversed since. It is now entrenched.

📢 INEQUALITY GRAPHIC OF THE WEEK (No.3) 🔽

The surge in inequality in the 1980s ripped the UK apart. No govt since has reversed it (or even tried). It is entrenched.

Source: Prof. Danny Dorling
Shattered Nation: Inequality and the Geography of a Failing State
www.dannydorling.org/books/shatte...

Rooted in resistance: The legacy and power of Black cooperatives | Black Future Co-Op Fund For generations, Black communities have turned to cooperative economics as a means of survival, resistance, and self-determination. We take this moment to reflect on the history of cooperatives, and t...

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭, 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

#BlackHistoryMonth

A green square graphic with purple confetti running down the right hand side and the logo for the UK Employee Ownership Awards in the bottom left corner. The text reads: 'Celebrating your people powered success #OwningIt'

Nominations have officially opened for the UK Employee Ownership Awards 2026!

You’ve got until 8 April to get your submissions in.

Share success, showcase how you’re Owning It, and help us propel EO into the mainstream.

employeeownership.co.uk/Site/content...

#UKeoAwards #OwningIt

'Devolution will ultimately succeed or fail based on whether people see real improvements in their lives, including their health.' Katherine Merrifield, Assistant Director at the Health Foundation Tom Lloyd Goodwin, Deputy Chief Executive at the Centre for Local Economic Strategies

With our country facing deep and growing health challenges rooted in, and with consequences for, the wider economy and society, Katherine Merrifield and @clesthinkdo.bsky.social​'s Tom Lloyd Goodwin argue health improvement should be a core test of devolution.

Read more ⬇️
https://bit.ly/3MqZcp2

Workforce Composition of the Sector Race and Ethnicity of Workers 42% White 37% Hispanic or Latine 13% Black or African American 5% Asian 1% American Indian or Alaska Native 1% Middle Eastern or North African <1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander Gender Distribution 64% Women 30% Men 3% Nonbinary 2% Gender Nonconforming <1% Another Gender Worker Ownership Among Respondents Nearly eight in ten workers (79%) are member-owners, while the remaining 21% are non-owner employees. Leadership Representation Nearly three-quarters of the sector identified as women-led. Businesses were asked to self-identify their leadership representation, with the option to select more than one category. 72% Women-led 42% LGBTQIA+-led 30% Immigrant-led 22% Black-led 17% Other

@usworker.coop's State of the Sector reports on the democratic and worker-owned economy in 2025.

The report showcases a prevalence of diversity and inclusivity in the workforce and in leadership. Workplace democracy is actively empowering the marginalized with a voice in our economy.

How do you expect the Scottish economy to change over the next five years and what can the government do to help? As we chew over the details of the Scottish budget, Holyrood consults our panel of experts

"We shouldn’t simply accept that poverty, inequality and environmental degradation are worth the price of a growing economy"

@naomimason.bsky.social for @holyroodmag.bsky.social's The Huddle on the future of Scotland's economy 🖊️👇

www.holyrood.com/inside-polit...

💡 Are you looking for a different approach to your business or community enterprise? Are you thinking about starting a co-operative? Our 'Is a co-op right for you?' FREE webinar series continues in 2026 delivered through Business Support for Co-ops, in partnership with The Co-operative Bank 👇

Graph showing international comparison of child poverty rates from 2012-14 to 2019-21. The UK is the worst performer of all the nations with a proportional increase of around 20%.

📢 INEQUALITY GRAPHIC OF THE WEEK (No.2) 🔽

The UK has a terrible recent record on child poverty, the worst of all the nations below, worsened by the 2-child benefit cap from 2017.

Source: Prof. Danny Dorling
Peak Injustice: Solving Britain’s Inequality Crisis
www.dannydorling.org/books/peakin...

A graph showing the wealth share of the top 1% in US, France, UK, and Sweden falling from 1895 to around 1980 and then going into reverse and increasing for the past 4 decades.

📢 INEQUALITY GRAPHIC OF THE WEEK (No.1) 🔽

A century’s worth of progress in reducing inequality has been thrown sharply into reverse in the past four decades.

Source: Prof. Danny Dorling
The Next Crisis: What We Think About The Future
www.dannydorling.org/books/thenex...

When our staff asked a @unioncabcoop.bsky.social driver-owner why he didn't work for Uber or Lyft, he responded,

"Because I grew up here & I’d rather work for a local company than line the pockets of some fat cats in Silicon Valley." ❤️‍🔥 #WorkerPower

www.usworker.coop/blog/coopera...

A New Loan Product Is Helping Power Brooklyn’s Coops A Brooklyn credit union just launched a new loan product designed for worker-owned cooperatives. For one agricultural coop, it’s already made a difference.

Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union has created a new loan program to help worker-owned co-ops access capital, addressing an often significant barrier for the model.

This is impactful for the growth of the democratic economy and in the creation of an alternative system where wealth is shared.

A testing ground for children's care reform More children are in care in the north west than anywhere else in England. A number of pilot schemes now underway could provide solutions for fixing a broken system nationwide.

England's children's care market is broken. Foster carers down 10%, costs spiralling, kids placed hundreds of miles from home. Can Greater Manchester's reforms fix a system in crisis?

Read my piece below for @newstatesman1913.bsky.social: www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/20...

Are you based in #WestYorkshire? Looking for a fairer, more democratic way to start or run a business? Join one of two FREE webinars being run in partnership with Business for Good West Yorkshire – introducing #coops, their benefits and how to access support to start one 👇👇