Over the last couple of years, we have been recruiting new members at a record rate, and we want to ensure they are given the opportunities and tools to make the most of their membership.

This week I visited newly established co-ops in Manchester, to hear about their experiences of starting up and the benefits they’ve received from their co-operative models.

The Co-operative Party and our wider movement have campaigned on food justice for a number of years, and as the removal of the £20 a week 'uplift' to Universal Credit threatens to leave families unable to put food on the table, it is more important than ever that we do so.

The Government in Westminster has an opportunity with their fan-led review to hardwire fan ownership in the English football pyramid – so now is the time to speak out.

The recommendations which address food insecurity are welcome, but the report otherwise fails to address many of the root causes and lacks the radicalism that other parts of the document have.

Approaches to local economic growth have for too long centred around a model of inward investment – reliant on investment from Whitehall and big business that is just as easily taken away as it was given.

From our campaigns on high streets, protection of retail workers and fighting the privatisation of Channel 4 to the launch of our Chris Herries Mentoring Scheme, we have been working to put our co-operative principles into practice.

Last week I visited a recently opened Community Fridge in Plymouth, the result of a new partnership between environmental charity Hubbub and the Co-op, being run by the Kintsungi Project in Stonehouse.