Our policy platform sets the agenda for our party. In the tradition of co-operation, our policy process is member-led. This is your opportunity to shape the ideas we’ll take to all levels of Government.
This year, our policy consultation will focus on two important areas: the future co-operative economy, and equalities.
This consultation will enable both individual members and local party branches to submit their views on what the future co-operative economy and our equalities policy work should look like.
It's easy to take part and share your views: our consultation questions are online and can be easily responded to using our online forms.
Please share your views and ideas through our consultation, which is running until Friday 13th June.
Our policy process takes the format of a consultation, with set questions that explore areas around the chosen topic that we're interested on developing policy on.
There are multiple ways to get involved in our policy process. We accept both individual and group submissions.
Groups that may choose to make a submission include local branches, or other groups within the Party such as our Equalities Networks. For example, your local branch may call a meeting to decide what the branch's submission will be to the policy process, and collectively discuss, debate and decide on a group response.
You can also submit an individual response to the consultation, which contains just your personal views. You can do that right here on our website - it's as easy as filling in a form.
No! We want all our members to contribute to our policy process. You don't need to be a policy expert: we're interested in your thoughts and your lived experience.
While we encourage our members to have a say on all the areas we're covering this year, you can submit a response on only one topic if you prefer.
No! To take part in the consultation, you don't need to have an answer for everything. You can choose which questions to answer and what ideas you'd like to share, whether that means addressing every single question in the consultation or just providing your thoughts on one area you're very passionate about.
To thrive in the coming decades, the co-operative movement must ensure it takes advantage of new opportunities created as a result of innovation and technological change. The co-operative model can help to harness new technology for common benefit – establishing democratic models which work for workers and consumers. Platform technology co-operatives are already emerging and this consultation will look to generate policy proposals which boost this development.
How to take part in this consultation
You can either fill out our easy online form to answer the questions individually, or if you are contributing on behalf of a local party you can also upload a Word or PDF document with your collated answers.
Contributions will only be accepted via our online form. Submissions sent by email or post will not be accepted.
Equality has always been a key value and principle of the co-operative movement – enshrined in the principles of the Rochdale Pioneers since 1844. We believe the new consultation is an opportunity to continue delivering on that vision and maintain a forward-thinking policy platform which meets the challenges people face from diverse backgrounds.
The Co-operative Party’s existing policy on equalities can be found primarily in two documents:
Download Existing Women & Equalities Policy
Download Co-operative Change, the Party's Platform for GE24
All the resources you need to hold your local meeting can be found here. If your branch chooses to hold their policy process meeting virtually, we've prepared a guide to using the technology you'll need to organise remotely, and presentations about the topics up for discussion in the Policy Process.
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