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Members’ Update August 2024

  • 30th Jul 2024

We begin this edition with some congratulations. Shaun Davies MP, former Leader of Telford & Wrekin, and Paul Foster MP, former Leader of South Ribble, have both been elected to serve their communities in Parliament. They join over 100 new MPs with current or recent experience serving on councils. This must augur well for a reset of the relationship between Central and Local Government.

Congratulations also to our Founders, whose idea it was in 2012 to work together and develop a network of local authorities based on cooperative values and principles, each of them have secured significant roles in the new Government:

  • Steve Reed OBE MP – Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
  • Jim McMahon OBE MP – Minister of State for English Devolution and Local Government
  • Baroness Taylor, our former Chair, is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government

Congratulations also to these new Coop Council Leaders: Cllr Carole Pattison (Kirklees), Cllr Michael Mordey (Sunderland), Cllr Jacky Alty (South Ribble), and Cllr Lee Carter (Telford & Wrekin). Congratulations also to Cllr Jeremy Gardner (Adur), Cllr Carol Dean (Tamworth), and Cllr Dennis Jones (Peterborough), who were Associate Members before May’s elections and are now transitioning to Full Membership.

We took the opportunity to send out a Congratulations Card and the latest Case Studies pack to over 150 Leaders, MPs, Elected Mayors, PCCs, and the Cabinet. These are real examples of how cooperative councils work with local people to build strong and resilient neighbourhoods show what local government achieves daily.

On Wednesday, 17 July, during the State Opening of Parliament, His Majesty The King opened the 2024-25 Parliamentary session, setting out the Government’s legislative plan.   The speech, which was described as mission-led and based upon the principles of security, fairness, and opportunity for all, contained 40 bills, 26 of which appear to be of particular interest to local government. The speech can be found on the Government’s website and the LGA response can be found here.

Last month, we ran a Welcome Session for new and not-so-new members.  Thank you to everyone who participated, in particular, Morgan Jones (CWAC) and Fiona Gibson (Cardiff) from the Officer Network, Cllr Mike Stubbs (Newcastle under Lyme Labour Group), Cllr Sue Woodward (Burntwood Town Council) and Andrew Laird (Mutual Ventures) who presented or responded to questions.  You can re-watch that session below.
 
We welcome Cllr Dennis Jones and Peterborough City Council as new members in this issue. We also have news on Preston City Council’s new Digital Cooperative and New Inclusive Economy Strategy for Royal Greenwich. From Co-operatives UK we hear about plans for the UN International Year of Cooperatives in 2025 and their response to the King’s Speech.
 
Affiliate Members Oxygen Finance present their latest Local Authority Spend Almanac, and there’s the opportunity to try Peopletoo’s ‘Home-to-School Transport’ free data analysis tool. We’ve got a video on building Community Wealth from Unlimited Potential, training programmes from PSTA and some insights into the potential role of council farms from Cliff Mills at Anthony Collins Solicitors.
 
We begin this newsletter with news of my recent appointment as the new Chair of the Local Government Association and the timetable for the CCIN Governance Elections. In September’s update, I will reflect on opportunities for the Network’s future.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Update.

Best wishes

Louise

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