After a hugely successful programme of events and fringes at Labour Party conference in Liverpool last week, and our own Co-operative Party conference in Cardiff earlier in the month, conference season is now over for another year.

But as we turn our focus to upcoming Party activity over the next few months, here’s a reminder of what we’ve been up to – and some of the headlines:

#1 The future is local

Given the Party’s recent focus on expanding our work in local government and increasing the range of support we provide to co-operative councillors, it’s unsurprising that our conference programme had a strong emphasis on local government throughout.

Whether it was the ‘co-operative action in local government’ session in Cardiff, the launch of our new guide on credit unions, our fringe on devolution and a breakfast meeting for councillors in Liverpool, it clear that local government is where some of the most exciting activity is happening at the moment.

The work of co-operative councillors in delivering what is fast becoming known as the ‘Preston Model’ achieved particular attention, even being referred to in Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell’s speech to Labour Conference. Over the summer, our local government officer Emma Hoddinott wrote a blog covering the work of co-operative councillors there, which you can read here.

The work continues at our  day-long conference for Co-operative Councillors, which is taking place in Manchester in November. Registration and info here

#2 Fair Tax IS the new fairtrade

Some of the most popular aspects of both conferences focussed on the hot topic of tax avoidance, and on the leadership being provided by the co-operative movement via the Fair Tax mark, which aims to help consumers tell the difference between companies who pay their fair share, and those who do not.

The issue was front and centre of our ‘Building a Shared Economy’ policy debate in Cardiff, with Paul Monaghan from the Fair Tax Mark providing an update on its development. He was joined by Seema Malhotra MP, Liv Bailey and Jennifer Tankard on the platform, with contributions from party delegates on the floor.

The theme continued in Liverpool, with our second fringe of Labour Conference titled: “Fair Tax: the New Fairtrade?”, at which Paul Monaghan was joined by Richard Murphy, Matt Strong of Manchester City Council and Co-operative Party MP Meg Hillier.

And with more and more companies being awarded the Fair Tax Mark, and growing excitement and awareness among our members and supporters about its possibilities, it’s pretty clear that championing Fair Tax over the next few years has the potential to be every bit as influential and important as the movement’s leadership on Fairtrade over the past few decades.

#3 Our membership is more active – and growing too

With Cardiff the last Co-operative Party conference before our centenary next year, a quick look around the Conference hall revealed a Party membership that is increasingly diverse, active, and raring to go.

The Saturday evening saw our youth and women’s network socials, as well as the launch of a new network – LGBT+ Co-operators, a development which has been driven by members with the support of Party staff. This year’s youth social- always a highlight – was held in a street food market in a disused warehouse, and was particularly well attended, thanks to our bursary scheme which provided subsidised tickets, travel and accommodation to over 20 of our younger members.

And the Party is growing too – with over 9,500 members, we’re now bigger than at any time in the Party’s recent history, with our target of 10,000 members by our Centenary well within reach. That figure will have been boosted even further by our stand at Labour Conference, which saw a huge level of interest from attendees in joining the Party and in getting more involved.

#4 No more business as usual

What was clear – both in Cardiff and Liverpool, and among both Party members and non-members – was the impact of recent scandals at BHS and Sports Direct on how we think about business and our approach to the wider economy. Even listening to the speeches coming out of Tory Conference, there’s a growing consensus that the current approach just isn’t working, and that for post-Brexit Britain to be successful, we need to re-think how things are done.

And that’s where we in the co-operative movement comes in. Whether at our “What Does Responsible Business Look Like” fringe in Liverpool, or the huge range of debates and fringes at our own conference in Cardiff, the really interesting conversations aren’t just about ideologies or theory – they’re about showcasing the practical models for responsible, values-driven business that already exist in our movement.

So with our politics and economy likely to be in flux over the next few years as a result of the EU Referendum vote, the opportunity for us to make the case for alternative vision for the economy has never been greater. In the months ahead, you’ll be hearing much more from us on what that looks like, and how we can work with our members and elected representatives to make it happen.

#5 It’s all about the solutions

As our Chair, Gareth Thomas MP, noted in his speech in Cardiff, as well as in his speech on the Party’s behalf in Liverpool, the Co-operative Party has been in the news a fair bit this Summer, amid speculation in our sister Party (our response is here, by the way).

But whatever happens in the wider world of politics, our role and position have never been clearer:

We’re the Party of solutions. Whether in developing and promoting a co-operative vision for social care as an alternative to scandal-hit private care providers. Supporting community land trusts as one solution to the housing crisis. Or working to amend the Buses Bill to support a greater role for community transport. Or standing up for co-operative schools or daring to dream of a future role for co-operatives in higher education.

On the key issues facing the country, our movement has the ideas and the models. And, as we work over the next few months to develop and support them, we’ll continue to lead the way.

Or as Gavin Shuker MP put it in his article for LabourList– not a lifeboat, a lighthouse.