Our Statement of Values and Principles
Our Statement of Values and Principles
Cooperatives are based on the values of:
- self-help
- self-responsibility
- democracy
- equality
- equity
- solidarity
In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others. Our Values are what we believe in and our Principles guide the way we, and our members, put our Values into action.
The icons below should be used to demonstrate how Cooperative Councils are putting our cooperative principles into practice, demonstrating the ‘cooperative difference’ in the work that they are doing. Councils and organisations who receive CCIN funding to undertake Policy Labs and Policy Prototypes are asked to adopt these icons to show the ‘co-operative difference’ from this project work.
Member Councils can also use these icons in their own reports and publications, to raise awareness of the ‘Co-operative Difference’ in being a Cooperative Council. You can also add your logo to the Statement. The icons are available in various formats to encourage use and adoption. Please contact comms@councils.coop to request the icon files.
We will strengthen the cooperative partnership between citizens, communities, enterprises and Councils, based on a shared sense of responsibility for wellbeing and mutual benefit.
We will support the active engagement of the full range of residents in decision making and priority setting.
We will develop systems that enable citizens to be equal partners in designing and commissioning public services and in determining the use of public resources.
We will promote community-based approaches to economic development that focus on supporting the creation of jobs, social enterprises and other businesses and providing an environment for cooperative and mutual enterprises to thrive.
We will support the development of a framework and criteria for social value, giving substance to the concept and supporting Councils with the tools to ensure better local social and economic outcomes.
We will explore ways for councils to act as a platform for helping the community to contribute to local outcomes, and to re-think the role of councillors as community connectors, brokers and leaders.
In exploring new ways of meeting the priority needs of our communities we will encourage models, such as cooperatives and mutuals, which give greater influence and voice to staff and users. in designing and commissioning public services and in determining the use of public resources.
We will embrace innovation in how we work with local communities to drive positive change.
We will capture and ‘expand’ the experience and learning from individual projects and approaches in order to encourage broader application of cooperative principles within individual member Councils and across the Network
As a membership organisation we will make this statement of our principles operational by:
- Cooperation among members: Our members work together to help each other implement our values, sharing experiences and learning.
- Openness of membership: Full, Associate and Affiliate Membership is open to any qualifying Council, organisation or individual who shares our values and is committed to putting them into action.
- Co-production of the Network’s work: Members help shape the Network’s work programme and the content of events and written products.
- Action-focused: The network is a vehicle for helping councils translate cooperative values and principles into policy and practice.
- Membership-based: The network is majority funded by modest membership subscriptions from its member Councils, Associates and Affiliates.
- Non-party-political: Members share the belief that working co-operatively within and across communities holds the key to tackling today’s challenges.
