The Co-op movement

"The Rochdale Pioneers would not recognise the broadband internet services offered by The Phone Co-op, but they would recognise the spirit that continues to drive it."

The Guardian

 

For over 150 years, co‑operatives have been showing the world there is a different way of doing business, whether the industry is housing, finance or transport.

That's because they are jointly owned and democratically controlled by their members - and it's the members who benefit from the activities of the business.

All co-operatives are governed by the same core principles.

How we put co-operative principles into practice

• Democracy… members vote on important decisions and make up the Board.
• Openness… our pricing structure is transparent and our communications are clearly worded.
• Equity… we conduct all our business in a fair and just way.
• Solidarity… we help other co-operative projects to thrive.

We believe that the co-operative business model can help build a fairer and more sustainable society for everyone.

A consumer co-operative

The Phone Co-op is a consumer co-operative. That means we are 100% owned by our customers and run solely for their benefit.

We actively encourage all our customers to become members and therefore part-owners of the co-operative, to help us develop and grow. Because of this we can focus on providing value and good service rather than making money for outside investors.

We treat our customers as we would like to be treated, and reflect their personal values in the way we do business.

Helping other co-ops and social enterprises

We believe that co-operatives are good business citizens and we'd like to see more of them.

These are some of the ways in which we support other co-ops and encourage the wider adoption of the co-operative model:

• Each year we pay a proportion of our profits into a Co-operative and Social Economy Development Fund to help new and expanding co-operatives.
• We give preference to buying from other co-ops where possible.
• To help new and expanding social enterprises and co-operatives with their telecoms costs, we offer Start-up & Expansion funding of up to £250.
• We invest in other co-operatives and community owned businesses.