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Principles met

  • Co-production

    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.

  • Learning

    We will capture and ‘expand’ the experience and learning from individual projects and approaches in order to encourage broader application of co-operative principles within individual member Councils and across the Network.

  • Walking the talk

    As a membership organisation, we will make this statement of our principles operational by: • Co-operation 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 co-operative 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.

In June 2021, government announced a competition for city status across the United Kingdom, and its crown dependencies and overseas territories, to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The last competition was run in 2012.

For Milton Keynes, this would be its fourth bidding opportunity to become a city and it was agreed a different approach would be needed this time – one which involved as many stakeholders as possible, along with residents, and reflected on multiple aspects of local life including culture, faith, business, learning, and community.

The benefits of cooperation were twofold: not only did we source more fascinating, diverse, and authentic material in the bid than the Council could on its own (ensuring more voices were included), but we amplified support for the bid across everyone’s networks and as such could maximise local pride in Milton Keynes’ achievements regardless of whether the bid ‘won or lost’.

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