Legal News for UK Co-ops and Mutuals

This is a blog where brief information about developments in UK Co-op and mutual law will be reported. Readers of this blog will also find Linda Barlow's Co-operatives UK Blog at http://www.uk.coop/blogs/linda.barlow helpful. For an network of academics working on co-ops, mutuals and social enterprises visit http://blogs.kent.ac.uk/r-comuse/2012/09/welcome-to-r-comuse/

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Interested in sharing information and knowledge around legal issues for co-ops and social enterprises in the co-oplawnews blog and thoughts on random issues in the "real" blog.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Electronic Searches of FSA register of I & P's Now Available

Thanks to Dave Hollings on Co-opnet for this news. The Searches can be done from here.

First European Co-operative Society (SCE) Formed

Early in July 2006 the first known use was made of the European Union Regulation and Directive to permit the formation of a European Co-operative Society.

As CICOPA reports:

"On 6 July 2006, a first ever European social cooperative society, Escoop, has been formally established in front of a notary, in Mola di Bari, Italy, between various Italian, Finnish and Spanish organisations involved in social services, the academic world and public administration, having at its centre the Italian social cooperative consortium Elpendu."

The escoop website gives more information.

Monday, September 25, 2006

Ed Miliband Sees "Third Sector" as Teaching Public Sector

In a Society Guardian piece of 20th September the Minister for the Third Sector indicates that, rather than lots of public sector functions being contracted out to "Third Sector" organisations, such as charities and social enterprises, maybe the third sector will be asked to "teach" some of its techniques and approaches to the public sector which will continue to deliver the services. Should social enterprises gear up for consultancy rather than service delivery?

Maybe this is an indication that under a post-Blair New Labour regime there will be less contracting out and more direct public sector provision? Or maybe it's impossible for a Labour politician to appear to be too critical of public servants and their delivery when David Cameron is snuggling up to them?