Almost a year to the day after ‘A Christmas Carol’ was published the Rochdale Pioneers gathered together and opened their 1st co-op store. Happy 180th anniversary. It wasn’t inevitable that they would go on to inspire a huge global movement rather it was the strength of their idea.

👇 ICYMI: this week, the Government introduced their devolution white paper, including a new Community Right to Buy. Read Co-operative Party General Secretary @fortunejf.bsky.social's reaction to it here.

Co-operative Party General Secretary @fortunejf.bsky.social is in @thetimes.com this morning backing the Government's plans to give communities the right to buy community assets when they come up for sale.

It’s great that community owned energy has be identified as such an important aspect of the Governments clean power action plan. The rapid expansion of community owned energy schemes will spread ownership, help democratise energy and deliver greater security amongst much else.

A new community right to buy creates a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put power back in community hands. Watch Emma Foody MP and @jimmcmahon.co.uk discuss how the Government is going to make sure communities have the expertise they need to make the most of it.

Great to get down to Bristol tonight for Community Energy England awards. It was lovely for the @coopparty.bsky.social to be recognised for our work in promoting community energy. It is an important area of our work and it’s great now to have such a supportive Westminster Government - 🐝🐝

I don’t think too many Treasury teams would have been discussing co-op and mutual growth over the last few years but good to hear this one is. It crops up in important exchanges about a new co-op and mutual growth council and new measures around access to finance and regulator requirements.

This is as good a place as any to start with my first post!