Co-operative Party
Rural Co-operative Commission

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Although around 9.7m people (17.1%) in the UK live in rural areas according to DEFRA, issues of rural poverty and poor infrastructure have rarely been given the much-needed attention by the Government they deserve. Our rural economies have been left struggling after the impact of COVID-19 coming on top of years of cutbacks, our high quality food producers being undercut in trade deals, and uncertainty over the Government’s new environmental support schemes.

Co-operatives form a significant part of the rural economy in this country – some of the largest co-operatives are in the agricultural sector with a turnover of over £7bn according to the 2021 Co-op Economy report. With the right support, we could help this sector can grow even more.

That is why we have launched a Rural Commission: bringing together the best ideas for how the co-operative movement can contribute to our rural life.

Commissioners

bassam

Lord Steve Bassam (Chair)

joesepher

Joe Joseph

LizPole

Liz Pole

Baroness

Baroness Barbara Young

BrendaWestone

Cllr Brenda Weston

Sue

Baroness Sue Hayman

DavidDrew

David Drew

Call for Evidence

Promoted by Joe Fortune on behalf of the Co-operative Party, both at Unit 13, 83 Crampton Street, London, SE17 3BQ, United Kingdom.Co-operative Party Limited is a registered Society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014. Registered no. 30027R

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