Author Archives: David Smith

In response to the Prime Ministers statement this week we’ve asked the Casey Commission to make democratic ownership, prevention and retention of public value central to social care reform. cw:Casey Review Submission- Co-operatives UK Although its remit concerns adult social … Continue reading →

Submitted by Coops Wales on behalf of Welsh & Yorkshire Young Co-operator. SEP – Nothing About Us Without Us – Report cwyc:3:10:26Young Co-operators Casey Submission. Following the Prime Minsters statement this week https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-andy-burnham-sets-out-plans-for-a-new-national-care-service The Casey Commission have been asked to … Continue reading →

CLES – Wales must turn its co-operative care promise into practice At the Senedd Co-op Cross Party Group meeting this week, Dr Sarah Evans’s presentation of CLES research exposed a troubling gap between Wales’s social care ambitions and how public … Continue reading →

Short video from the Coops Wales, 12 September 2026 High Street event where children and young people presented their findings on their three month research project involving 637 children and young people in Wales and England. Main event video to … Continue reading →

Our May 2024 Robert Owen Day we focused upon “Building a Co-operative Future: Law Commission Review – Radical Perspectives”.   https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGbE0b-Z8DOZkJsIgzSZJoRhVzoSuDiOH We explored a bold new vision for co-operative law, specifically examining how the Law Commission, which has now partly reported … Continue reading →

The announcement of Progressive Voices Cymru is a welcome and timely development. Wales needs spaces in which people can think seriously, creatively and ambitiously about its future, particularly at a time of economic insecurity, pressure on public services, democratic disillusionment … Continue reading →

The Nothing About Us Without Us project took place over three months. It was led by us, the Welsh Young Co-operators and Yorkshire Young Co-operators. Altogether, 637 children and young people from Wales and Yorkshire took part, including young people … Continue reading →

The world’s biggest UPF firms would “not fight so hard” if policies to curb intake of their products were ineffective, said Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. “The lawsuits tell us … Continue reading →

Sat, Sep 12, 2026 at 10:00 AM online   High Street Renewal:  Community Ownership & Community Wealth Building Deep Dive: Co-op approaches, delivering change, explore practical approaches facilitated, with  fresh ideas, and the role of UK governments Registration here: https://tinyurl.com/High-street-renewal   … Continue reading →

We prompted the Law Commission on their review of the 2014 Act ‘to see if its fit to meet the needs of society’. “They say, “Thank you for your interest in our review of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies … Continue reading →

We wrote to English and Welsh Ministers to see what could be done to capitalise on the English Ministerial Commitment to support a Community Right to Buy, in a Welsh context. The Welsh response did not raise implementation or interim … Continue reading →

How would this model achieve the common good and greater democratic accountability without wider public and active member engagement? https://lnkd.in/eTKAm429 We strongly welcome the move towards relational commissioning, community wealth building and greater use of co-operative approaches. However, at Coops … Continue reading →

Following our May 16 Robert Owen Day, our Stage Two online event is planned for 12 September 2026. As requested in feedback, this will include several deep dive – nuts and bolts sessions. Further details to follow. Note: seven short … Continue reading →

Urgent Interim Funding Vital to Save Welsh Assets Before Landmark Community Right to Buy Bill Takes Effect To stop this asset loss, funding availability must be decoupled from the time it takes to pass the legislation. Sector leaders urge the … Continue reading →

The General Medical Council Order 2026 presents a complex legal, technical maze that effectively marginalises the patient’s voice on critical safety issues. A mere numerical majority cannot validate policy when patient safety is at stake. Our framework establishes transparent patient expectations … Continue reading →

23626:ds The NHS workforce crisis The draft GMC Order is therefore not just a technical regulatory change. It is a patient safety issue. The danger is that the public may see “GMC registered” and assume equivalence with a doctor, even … Continue reading →

Pride in Place, Co-operation and the Risk of Community Power Being Displaced: Are we putting Place before Party? The Pride in Place Prospectus makes important and welcome references to community-led delivery, co-operatives, community benefit societies, charities, community institutions and the … Continue reading →

NHS Patient Safety recommendations 2026 The Co-op Movement has always championed quality public services, including patient safety. We appeal directly to the UK Government  because the GMC consultation, deadline 23/6/2026, is designed to prevent patient input! The argument is not … Continue reading →

As Wales enters a new political chapter following the Senedd elections of 7 May, there is a growing sense that incremental change is no longer enough, writes the team from Co-op Wales. https://www.thenews.coop/comment-a-new-era-for-wales/ Communities are tired of seeing wealth leave … Continue reading →

Seven short videos from our 2026 Robert Owen Day event on Transforming a Declining High Street. Includes the Centre for Local Economies presentation, three grassroots case studies. Plus a Co-operative Perspective on Urban Renewal and UK Government’s Pride in Place … Continue reading →