BUILDING COMMUNITY POWER 

A Co-operative Party Regional Conference

for the North of England

In 2022, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Co-operative Party is once again holding a series of virtual Conferences across all regions and nations of the UK.  Members and supporters from across the North of England are invited to take part in this online Zoom event on Saturday 26 March from 2pm to 5pm.

The pandemic has shown that we respond to crisis with kindness – shown in the hundreds of mutual aid groups that have established, in the way that community and co-operative businesses have stepped up to support those in need, and in the way that people made huge sacrifices to limit the spread of the virus. As we rebuild from Covid-19, we want to look at how we ensure this co-operation can live on.

The theme for this Conference is Building Community Power – how we can strengthen community wellbeing and resilience by examining how communities themselves can make a difference.  By empowering our communities we can actively involve them in the decisions that affect their lives. We will examine how we can widen ownership in our economy and give people the tools and support to tackle the big issues from inequality and hunger to green jobs and high street regeneration.

The programme

14:00   Welcome address and introduction:

• Kim McGuiness, Lab & Co-op Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria

14.15   Keynote address on the current work of a Metro Mayor + the Labour & Co-operative Party Parliamentary Group and it’s influence in Westminster, followed by Q&A:

• Dan Jarvis, Lab & Co-operative Mayor of South Yorkshire and MP for Barnsley Central.

14.45   Building Community Power – hear from a series of speakers representing the breadth and diversity of community projects across our region as they share their learning and identify common principles that can be implemented on a wider basis.  Followed by Q&A:

• Chair – Jo Platt, former MP for Leigh
• Madhusudhan Roy – Regional Member Pioneer Manager – & Julie Lloyd  – Member Pioneer Co-ordinator , The Co-op Group
• Kay Johnson – Founder, the Larder Lancashire
• Claudia Bowler – Chapel Street Studio & Bread and Roses Cafe co-ops
• Gareth Nash, Co-op Mutual Solutions
• Cllr Clare Penny-Evans, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Public Safety, Newcastle City Councillor

15.45   Co-op Party policy consultations for 2022 Members are are invited to join these workshops as we explore these important areas of policy in further detail:

• Cllr Abigail Marshall-Katung, NEC representative for the Yorkshire and Humber & Leeds City Councillor – chair.

International development, with:

• Louise Harbour – Field Organiser, Aid Alliance
• Anna Geldred, Labour Campaign for International Development Exec

16.30   Health, with:

• Debbi Shannon, Link Psychology Co-operative
• Emma Back, EqualCare Co-op

17.15   Final words and thank yous

• Gary Booth, NEC representative for the North West

Register your interest in attending here: