People from all walks of life should see themselves reflected in local government and I am proud that as a Party we are leading the way to ensure our council chambers are more diverse than ever.

Last night a small group of Co-operative Councillors met together for the first time to kick off the Diverse Councils working group. Expertly chaired by Cllr Anntoinette Bramble and Baroness Debbie Wilcox, this group of councillors will be meeting regularly over the next few months to develop a strategy for increasing diversity in council chambers across England. Building upon the excellent work of the WLGA the working group aims to develop a series of recommendations, to ensure that more councils look like the communities they serve.

As co-operators working with, and not doing to, is at the heart of everything we do. And that principle extends to our elected members, every day Co-operative councillors across the UK are working hard within their communities. From People’s Pantry’s to Healthy Start campaigns we know that Co-operative councillors make a real difference to their residents and by working together to ensure greater diversity in local government our communities and movement will be better served.