Policy Process 2025: The Future Co-operative Economy

You do not need to respond to every question if you do not wish to do so: just respond to the questions that are of interest to you.
General
What support mechanisms are required to ensure co-operative and mutual businesses can emerge and compete in industries where they currently have a limited presence?
What is required to support increased innovation output by co-operative and mutual businesses?
How can we upskill people in existing industries and the co-operative sector to be ready for new technologies?
Please provide any further proposals for industries or technologies which the co-operative and mutual economy should look to expand into.
What is the role of regional and local co-operative development agencies in achieving co-operative growth in new and emerging sectors?

Media & Press
How can we ensure workers have the opportunity to purchase their publication when they are put up for sale or at risk of closure?
How can co-operative models help to save local and regional newspapers?
How would mutual models support the future of television broadcasters?
How can we ensure co-operatives can compete in digital media and social media?

New technologies
How can the UK’s governments support the development of platform co-operatives?
What other support infrastructure is required to assist the development of new platform co-operatives? i.e. university spin-out support, R&D support, tailored business support, awareness raising
What is needed to ensure co-operatives can adopt new technologies and expand into new markets – i.e. cybersecurity, website and software development, etc.?
How can we ensure new tech and platform co-operatives have the start-up and patient capital available to grow and compete with other tech firms?
How can we ensure co-operatives can adopt AI technology and help ensure its ethical development – aligning with the Government’s AI growth agenda?
What is the role of decentralised co-operative structures in online spaces?

Freelance & Self-employment
How can we ensure business support promotes the co-operative model to freelancers, the self-employed, agency workers and sole traders?
How can central and local government encourage the development of freelance and self-employed co-operatives?

Creative Industries
How can central and local government encourage creative industry workers to adopt co-operative business models?
How can we enable the development of freelance co-ops for creative industry workers?
How can co-operative and community owned models help music and entertainment venues to survive and thrive?

You do not need to respond to every question if you do not wish to do so: just respond to the questions that are of interest to you.
Scotland
What is the role of Co-operative Development Scotland and other agencies in targeting co-operative growth in emerging industries & technologies? What support do they need to provide to achieve growth?
How can the Scottish Government support the expansion of co-operatives in creative industries?
How can the Scottish Government enable greater innovation by co-operatives?
What is the role of the Scottish National Investment Bank in supporting co-operative innovation and platform co-operatives?

You do not need to respond to every question if you do not wish to do so: just respond to the questions that are of interest to you.
Wales
What is the role of Cwmpas in targeting co-operative growth in emerging industries? What support do they need to provide to achieve growth?
How can the Welsh Government incentivise the development of co-operative models for the self-employed, freelancers and agency workers?
How can the Welsh Government support co-operative media development – particularly for publications under threat of closure?
What is the role of the Welsh Development Bank in supporting co-operative innovation and platform co-operatives?

You do not need to respond to every question if you do not wish to do so: just respond to the questions that are of interest to you.
Northern Ireland
What’s is the role of Northern Ireland Executive’s business support services in supporting co-operative growth in emerging technologies and creative industries?
How can Invest NI facilitate access to capital for start-up co-operatives and mutuals to expand into new markets?
What is the role of Northern Ireland’s higher and further education institutions in promoting co-operative and mutual growth in new and emerging industries?
Comments
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Submit your response: The Future Co-operative Economy