A co-operative is a business owned by its members. This means the members own
the wealth of the business together, not as individuals. Co-operatives are international
and take many forms - Worker Co-ops, Secondary Co-ops, Housing Co-ops etc.
Although they organise in different ways, they all hold in common the same principles,
values and ethics which provide guidance as to how they should function. The
values are: Self help, Self-responsibility, Democracy, Equality, Equity and
Solidarity which reflect the ethic values of honesty, openness, social responsibility
and caring for others.
A more detailed breakdown of the Co-operative Principles
may be viewed here
Adobe Acrobat Reader needed to read pdf files available free by following this link
The CDA leaflet may be viewed here in pdf format (107 kb)
The CDA Info pack is available here in pdf format (68kb)
"Directory of Local Co-operatives and Social Enterprises" available here in pdf format (567kb) or as searchable webpage here
"Delivering Employee and Community Buyouts" - a guidance booklet explaining the process - can be sourced from Co-operatives UK.
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