With the hurly-burly of the general election behind us and after receiving the emphatic endorsement of the public – both in Wales and across Britain – we are, at the Wales Co-operative Party, now looking forward to reaping some of the rewards of all our hard work lobbying over many months.

The Welsh Labour Manifesto 2024 has a little gem of a commitment within it to growing the Co-operative & Mutual sector – and it is unique to Wales.

You can read the full Manifesto here:

Wales – Kickstart economic growth – The Labour Party

In the ‘Driving Innovation’ section of the chapter on economic growth, you will find a paragraph with big and very welcome implications for the co-operative and mutual sector. The key words are:

“The Welsh Labour Government has already doubled the number of co-operatives and mutuals in Wales, and is determined to double them again. We will work with the sector to address the barriers they face, such as accessing finance.”

Those two sentences show Wales is taking the lead over the rest of the UK – where the pledge is to double the size of the sector – in Co-op & mutual growth. Cwmpas (formerly the Wales Co-operative Centre) has been a vital partner in helping to deliver the on-the-ground action to grow Co-operation in terms of Employee Ownership, Co-operative housing, and a host of other initiatives. They greeted the commitment of the Welsh Government:

“Cwmpas was started by the trade union movement in 1982, and ever since we have supported workers and communities to develop co-operative solutions to the challenges we face. From credit unions to community energy, Wales has often led the way – and it is ready to do so again.

The need for co-operative models and values could not be clearer in sectors right across our economy and public services. To achieve the Government’s target of doubling the size of the co-operative and mutuals sector, in Wales and across the UK, we need to be pro-active. We need to actively promote the model and its benefits to communities, businesses, service providers and other key stakeholders, and build the supportive environment they need to thrive.

Cwmpas is excited to work with the Welsh and UK Governments, and partners across Wales, to achieve this exciting ambition.”

So, as you can see there is a renewed commitment to our work and a lot of enthusiasm for co-operation in Wales. However, there is still much to do ahead. Mike Hedges MS, chair of the Senedd Co-operative group said:

“The co-operative sector has been overlooked on occasions. I am very pleased with the work being done in creating more co-operative housing by Cwmpas with Welsh government support but this needs to increase. There is also a need to build on and increase the number of  care co-operatives and to develop co-operatives across all  the different economy sectors.”

Mike is right, it’s clear that the potential is all there. With political will and the expertise of Cwmpas combined with our resources, we can continue the journey to spread co-operation, and share power and wealth in Wales.