Co-operatives UK

Co-operatives UK

Project: Establishing a Community Shares Standard Board (CSSB)
City: Manchester   Grant: £60,000

Co-operatives UK is the membership body for thousands of co-ops in Britain, working to promote, develop and unite member-owned businesses that form part of the co-operative economy. Co-operatives UK acts as the voice for the sector to promote co-operatives through policy and public campaigns.

Co-operatives UK, Locality and Baker Brown Associates proposes the creation of the Community Shares Standards Board (CSSB) as a successor body to the Community Shares Unit’s work in the development of good practice standards and voluntary regulation for community share offers. This “Mobilisation Phase” of the CSSB focuses on establishing the CSSB as the UK recognised certification body that sets and maintains public financial promotions standards for societies and community groups. This will carry on with the work of the Community Shares Unit to establish a sustainable model that will ensure the long term viability of good practice standards, as an independent standards body.

The purpose of the CSSB will be to promote, for the benefit of the public, high standards of ethical conduct and good practice by societies and community groups engaged in public offers of community investment.