**UK Society for Co-operative Studies** (Registered charity, number 1175295) ## **Annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2022** **Page** 2-9 10 11 12-13 ## **Contents** Trustees’ annual report Receipts & payments account Statement of assets & liabilities Notes to the accounts # **UK Society for Co-operative Studies Trustees’ annual report for the year ended 31 March 2022** **Full name:** The UK Society for Co-operative Studies **Organisation type:** Charitable Incorporated Organisation **Registered charity number:** 1175295 **Principal address** Holyoake House Hanover Street Manchester M60 0AS ## **Trustees** Ian Adderley – Re-elected 2020 (Chair up to October 2020) Francesca Gagliardi - Elected 2020 (Secretary) Ruth Hall – Re-elected 2021 (Deputy Chair from October 2020) Janette Hurst (Co-opted December 2021, Membership Sec from Jan 2022) Gillian Lonergan (Ex-Officio, Production Editor of the _Journal_ ) John Maddocks (Co-opted July 2022) Elisavet Mantzari – Elected 2019 (Treasurer, from April-December 2021) Nick Matthews – Re-elected 2020 (Book Review Editor of the _Journal_ ) Dr Jan Myers (Ex-Officio, Editor of the _Journal_ ) Prof Rory Ridley-Duff (Chair) – Re-elected 2021 (Chair from October 2020) Hirsch Sharma (Co-opted Dec 2021, Treasurer from Jan 2022, Resigned July 2022) Mike Wistow – Elected November 2019 ## **Governance and management** The charity is operated under the rules of its constitution adopted 1 September 2017. Trustees are all members of the charity and with the exception of ex-officio officers are appointed by members at the AGM. The trustees may also co-opt members to the executive committee during the year. This year, two trustees were co-opted to cover the roles of membership secretary and treasurer. Co-opted trustees must stand for election at their first AGM following co-option to confirm their appointment. ## **Objects and activities** The society’s objects are to advance the education of the public concerning all aspects of the co-operative movement, and co-operative forms of structure, and, in particular, to assist, commission and/or identify and publish research into the aforementioned areas, and to promote the exchange of information and experience on co-operative studies and research. The main activities of the society include production of the _Journal of Co-operative Studies_ , supporting study networks, organising seminars, online conversations and hosting a conference. 2 ## **Public benefit statement** The trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 4 of the Charities Act 2006 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit, 'Charities and Public Benefit'. ## **Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit:** Main activities during the financial year included: 1. Publication of the _Journal of Co-operative Studies_ 2. Hosting a Co-operatives Fortnight Lecture 3. Organising the annual Co-operative Studies Conference 4. Co-hosting a Research Seminar Series 5. Hosting of a Co-operative Conversations Series 6. Supporting other events across the Co-operative Movement ## **Summary of the main achievements during the period** We are grateful to our members for their continued support and additional subscribers to the society’s _Journal._ In particular, we recognise the many hundreds of hours put in by volunteers across all aspects of the activities described below. ## **1. Publication of the** _**Journal of Co-operative Studies**_ The _Journal of Co-operative Studies_ is published three times a year. It is a journal that accepts both peer-reviewed articles from academic contributors and short articles from practitioners. It is distributed in Canada in co-operation with the Canadian Association of Studies in Co-operation (CASC) and in Ireland in cooperation with the Irish Society for Co-operative Studies. While one role of the _Journal_ is the dissemination of the results of research, we remain keen to ensure that its contents also reflect the role of the UK Society for Co-operative Studies in acting as a bridge between theory and practice in advancing knowledge and understanding of co-operation. We continue to operate a version of green open access, which means that articles and papers are publicly available on the UKSCS website subject to an embargo of six months after they are published. Before this, copies are available only to members. This policy continues with the aid of a website/membership system provided by White Fuse operated throughout the year. The continued development of the UKSCS website has meant we have been able to develop additional content on co-operative studies and a more accessible format for issues of the Journal. We were able to do some basic tracking of site usage and user behaviour which we hope to develop further. Over the year, there were over 3,000 new users visiting the website. While 36% are UK-based, visitors were recorded from a range of countries. Of the almost 18,000 views (and over 50,000 interactions), nearly 5,000 of the pages visited were related to the Journal. At the start of the year, we were able to catch up on the final printing and distribution of a backlog of hard copies of the Journal. The Summer edition of the Journal was a special issue on the issues and challenges for Irish co-operatives. Guest editors were from the University College Cork Centre for Co-operative Studies - Bridget Carroll (also from the Society for 3 Co-operative Studies in Ireland) and Olive McCarthy (also Journal associate editor for Ireland). Articles included research and reflections on community renewable energy co-operatives; the potential for co-operatives to enhance tenant management in housing; the importance of a conducive legislative environment for ‑ co-operative development; member engagement in agriculture co operatives; the role of co-operatives, particularly worker co-operatives, in Northern Ireland; a systems approach to co-operative appraisal; and the activities of credit unions during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Autumn issue was a special issue on co-operation between Canadian universities and the co-operative sector, coordinated through our sister organisation, the Canadian Association of Studies in Co-operation, by Professor Darryl Reed (deputy editor for Canada). Guest editors were Claude-Professor André Guillotte (Director of IRECUS – the Research and Education Institute for Cooperatives and Mutuals at University of Sherbrooke) and Josée Charbonneau, a research professional at IRECUS. There is a long, shared history between cooperatives and universities and the articles and case studies in this issue combine to illustrate the potential for co-operation over a broad range of activiites from research and teaching to community development. The Winter edition of the Journal was an open issue. As well as including articles originally submitted to the 2020 annual conference on the theme of “The politics, policies and practices of co-operative movements” (accounting and reporting frameworks; a new co-operative bank for Wales; and a think piece on the essence of self-help and mutual action), published articles ranged from ‘the talk and walk’ of co-operative principles and values in Australian co-operatives; multistakeholder cooperatives as vehicles for self-regulation; and the development of co-operative alternatives to personal assistance provision in the UK. A new departure for the Journal was the inclusion of an interview with Rose Marley reflecting on her first 100 days as CEO of Co-operatives UK. We also noted, with sadness, the death of Professor Johnston Birchall, who was instrumental in changing the face and content of the Journal from a news and member-oriented bulletin to an academicpractitioner journal with international reach and announced a special issue celebrating his legacy and contribution to be published in 2022. Also in this period, we published an additional special issue on Journalism and Cooperation ‘Constructing the co-operative imaginary: Journalism’s past, present, and emerging contributions.’ Guest editors were Mitch Diamantopoulos, Andrew Bibby, Alex Bird, with Rebecca Harvey and Siôn Whellans. The impetus for this special issue was the celebration in 2021 of 150 years of Co-operative News; first published in September 1871. Articles covered a range of themes: movement journalism and early Co-operation; the neglect and bias in mainstream media coverage; and exemplars of contemporary co-operative news innovations. Contributions came from the UK, Canada, Finland, Greece in addition to examples from Spain and France. The project to re-produce older issues of the Journal and the Bulletin continues. Issues 1967-1985 will be re-produced as ‘annuals’, and a searchable archive listing will be completed during 2022. 4 Looking to the coming year: A special issue of the Journal will commemorate the contribution of Johnston Birchall (summer 2022) and work continues on a special Issue on ‘New Cooperativism’. This issue, guest edited by Professor Rory RidleyDuff (Sheffield Hallam University/FairShares) and Dr Mary O’Shaunghnessy (University College Cork), is in partnership with the EMES International Research Network (EMES) and the European Research Institute for Co-operative and Social Enterprise (EURICSE). The guest editorial board includes Professor Linda Andersen (Roskilde University), Dr Nicole Göler de Ravensburg (Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences), Silvia Sacchetti (University of Trento) and Marcelo Vieta (University of Toronto), and will be published in Winter 2022. A special issue for 2023 on Robert Owen and Co-operation is also underway – with guest editors Professor Chris Williams and Nick Matthews. A review of the editorial advisory board commenced towards the year end and we welcomed and will continue to welcome new members over the coming year Thanks to Dr Paul Jones (Liverpool John Moores) who will step down from the deputy editor role to join the editorial advisory board when a new deputy editor joins the team. Similarly, a search for a new editor of the Journal to commence the role in 2022-2023 is underway. Finally, thanks go to all contributors and everyone involved in reviewing, editing, proofing, printing, and distributing of both the online and hard copy editions of the Journal. ## **2. Hosting a Co-operatives Fortnight Lecture** Twenty-four people attended our annual lecture, which was delivered this year by Dr Tara Mulqueen. Her presentation about “Co-operatives and legal recognition in the UK” took place on 22[nd] June 2021. It was organised to coincide with Co-operatives Fortnight. The lecture is available online at https://youtu.be/I2FivAnceL4. ## **3. Organising the Annual Co-operative Studies Conference** In 2021, our annual conference took place online between the 9[th] – 11[th] September, hosted by our new co-chairs Dr Francesca Gagliardi and Dr Elisavet Mantzari on the theme of “Inter-cooperation between co-operators and co-operatives”. The number of submissions was lower than 2021, but still sufficient to fill a 2-day programme. All keynotes and presentations are accessible via: https://www.ukscs.coop/events/3-ukscs-53rd-annual-conference-2021. The first keynote was given by Bruno Roelants, Director General of the International Co-operative Alliance, who addressed the conference theme by delving into the history of the movement’s development and its implications for present day intercooperation. The keynote is available via YouTube on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyEZJ0jS4y8. The second keynote was given by Peter Hunt, the Managing Partner of Mutuo, which offers policy advice and consultancy services across the mutual sector. He addressed the conference theme by considering opportunities in the shift to 5 sustainable business, threats from demutualisation and the need for innovations in the co-operative form. His keynote is available via YouTube on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G_P8BFijdo. The conference attracted 49 delegates to listen to 25 speakers from 12 countries. Conference receipts were £105. Conference expenses were £171 for a Zoom license. The board have continued to review the COVID-19 situation and believe it is now safe to plan for a face-to-face format conference in 2022-23. ## **4. Co-hosting a Research Seminar Series** To support the theme of the special issue on _New Cooperativism_ (due winter 2022) _,_ we delivered a series of online seminars between June and November 2021. The series was a collaboration between the UK Society for Cooperative Studies (https://ukscs.coop), EMES International Research Network (https://emes.net) and European Research Institute for Co-operative and Social Enterprises (https://euricse.eu), and it was facilitated by the FairShares Institute at Sheffield Hallam University. A total of 146 people registered to participate in five seminars. Attendance for the individual sessions oscillated between 12 and 30 people. All the seminars were recorded using Zoom with the goal of processing, transcribing and publishing them via the ukscs.coop website at https://www.ukscs.coop/events/22-new-cooperativism-a-seminar-series. Videos from Seminar 1 are available, but the remainder are still to be processed and uploaded. An important part of this project was to build a scholarly network that could clarify issues important to two new waves of cooperative development (the first rooted in social/political reactions to neo-liberalism between 1970s and the early 2000s, and a second wave linked to technology changes that build a social and solidarity economy (SSE)). We originally planned 10 themes to be explored in five seminars. Theme 7 (on gender/ethnic sensitivities) had to be cancelled after both facilitators had to withdraw for personal reasons. The following nine themes were debated in seminars that took place between June – November 2021: - 1 – New cooperativism and sustainable development (June) - 2 – Updating co-operative values and principles (June) - 3 – Legal innovations for multi-stakeholder governance (July) - 4 – Funding and incentives for new cooperativism (July) - 5 – Learning for new cooperativism (Sept) - 6 – Policy initiatives and spaces for new cooperativism (Sept) - 8 – Conceptions of (cooperative) wealth (Oct) - 9 - Digital and platform co-operatives (Nov) - 10 – Co-operative communications and publishing (Nov) Numerous people contributed to the series. Below is a list of the 29 people (listed alphabetically by surname) without whom we could not have run this seminar series. Ian Adderley (Panellist) (Theme 3) Ana Aguirre, Panellist (Seminar 5, Theme 9) 6 Michele Bianchi, Panellist (Seminar 1, Theme 1) Javier Borelli, Panellist (Seminar 5, Theme 10) Graham Boyd, Panellist (Seminar 4, Theme 8) Dave Boyle, Panellist (Seminar 2, Theme 4) Joanna Brzozowska-Wabik, Panellist (Seminar 3, Theme 5) Sara Capuzzo, Panellist (Seminar 1, Theme 1) Ali Ercan Ozgur, Panellist (Seminar 5, Theme 9) Guilia Galera, Facilitator (Seminar 1, Theme 1), Panellist (Seminar 1, Theme 2) Steve Gill, Panellist (Seminar 2, Theme 4) Nicole Goler Von Ravensberg, Facilitator (Seminars 3 and 4, Themes 5 and 8) Rebecca Harvey, Facilitator (Seminar 5, Theme 10) Olivia Henry, Panellist (Seminar 5, Theme 10) Elisavet Mantzari, Facilitator (Seminar 2, Theme 4) Maureen McCulloch, Facilitator (Seminar 4, Theme 8) Jan Myers, Facilitator (Seminar 1, Theme 2) Rocio Nogales, Facilitator (Seminar 5, Theme 9) Sonja Novkovic, Panellist (Seminar 1, Theme 2) Mary O'Shaughnessy, Facilitator (Seminars 1 and 3, Themes 1 and 6) Rory Ridley-Duff, Host/Tech (All Seminars), Facilitator (Sems 1, 2, 4 and 5) Daphne Rixon, Panellist (Seminar 4, Theme 8) Silvia Sacchetti, Facilitator (Seminar 2, Theme 3) Gianluca Salvatori, Panellist (Seminar 3, Theme 6) Nathan Schneider, Facilitator (Seminar 5, Theme 10) Simon Teasdale, Panellist (Seminar 3, Theme 6) Sara Vicari, Panellist (Seminar 3, Theme 5) Marcelo Vieta, Facilitator (Seminar 3, Themes 5, 6), Panellist (Sem 1, Theme 1) Christian Wolf, Panellist (Seminar 3, Theme 5) We also want to thank the New Cooperativism Editorial Board who supported this seminar series and have peer-reviewed submissions to the special issue. - Jan Myers, Editor, UKSCS (UKSCS Board member and EMES Member) - Rory Ridley-Duff, UKSCS (UKSCS Chair and EMES Member) - Mary O’Shaughnessy, University College Cork (EMES Board Member) - Linda Lundgaard Andersen, Roskilde University, Denmark (EMES Board Member) - Marcelo Vieta, University of Toronto, Canada (CASC Board Member) - Silvia Sacchetti, University of Trento / EURICSE, Italy (EURISCE Board Member) - Nicole Göler von Ravesburg, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Germany (EMES Board Member). The seminar series fuelled interest in new cooperativism and stimulated scholarly activity. Two further special issues on new cooperativism (in Germany and Austria) were stimulated by this seminar series. ## **5. Hosting of a Co-operative Conversations Series** Throughout 2021 and early 2022, the Society prepared to open up the online conversation format developed by Mike Wistow to a wider audience of members (and supporters). This hour-long evening event involves interviewing a member of the co-operative movement about their personal history and contribution, supplemented by general chat amongst members. This year, there have been conversations with Ruth Hall (UKSCS Trustee, March); Ian Adderley (UKSCS Trustee, August), and Steve Stanley (Former Probation Service Researcher and Advisor to the Home Office, October). In addition, the Society prepared to take the conversation series public, setting dates and organising publicity for conversations with Paul Gerrard and Russell Gill of the Co-operative Group. 7 ## **6. Supporting other events across the Co-operative Movement** This year, the Society has actively worked with other organisations in the co-operative movement to promote the study of co-operatives. Prof Rory Ridley-Duff participated as a speaker and panelist in the event organised by Co-operatives and Mutuals Wales to celebrate the 250[th] anniversary of the birth of Robert Owen. The event “Building on Robert Owen’s Co-operative Legacy” took place online on the 14[th] May. The Society has agreed to support a research project led by Dr Francesca Gagliardi at the University of Hertfordshire which has been funded by the Independent Social Research Foundation. The project investigates the contribution of co-operative values and principles to sustainable development. During this reporting period the project was initiated, and members have contributed to the research effort to prepare for a 2-day seminar that will be held in December 2022. In addition to Francesca Gagliardi, two other board members are on the steering group (Elisavet Mantzari and Prof Rory Ridley-Duff). The Society actively supported the 150[th] anniversary of Co-op News, not only by working with co-operative journalists to publish a special journal issue, but also by hosting a research seminar event focused on co-operative communications and publishing as part of the New Cooperativism Seminar Series. ## **THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Attendance at committee meetings** |**Name**|**Actual**|**Possible**| |---|---|---| |Ian Adderley|3|5| |Janette Hurst|0|1| |Francesca Gagliardi|5|5| |Ruth Hall|4|5| |Gillian Lonergan|5|5| |Elisavet Mantzari|3|5| |Nick Matthews|3|5| |Jan Myers|3|5| |Rory Ridley-Duff|5|5| |Hirsch Sharma|1|1| |Mike Wistow|5|5| ## **Valuing our Volunteers** The society could not function without the generous support of its volunteers. Volunteer activity during the year included: organising and participating in events including the AGM, editing and producing the _Journal_ , administering and fulfilling journal orders, administering membership, managing funds, bookkeeping and financial management, production of the annual report, liaising with partner organisations, and all the activities associated with facilitating and supporting committee meetings. 8 ## **Membership** |**Membership**||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |**Type**|**2021/22**|**2020/21**|**2019/20**|**2018/19**|**2017/18**|**2016/17**| |Individual members|64|58|55|67|76|69| |Co-op organisations|15|15|13|17|8|7| |Associate members|17|3|7|6|n/a|n/a| |Associate organisations|0|1|3|1|n/a|n/a| |**Total **|**96**|**77**|**78**|**91 **|**84 **|**76**| The increase in membership owes a lot to the development of a new website, and the increasing number of events that provide opportunities to raise the profile of the society and attract new members. ## **Financial review** The Society recorded a deficit of £3,029 for the financial year ending 31 March 2022. Reasons for this deficit include a final payment of the balance of restricted funds held for the Wheels for Co-operation project and the drop in grant income received during the year. Going forward, there are no further restricted fund payments to be made to Wheels for Co-operation and grant funding has been approved for receipt in 2022/23. The charity continues to have a diverse mix of income sources which includes grants and donations, membership fees, _Journal_ orders and event income. Expenditure and income remain lower during the period of the COVID pandemic because events are held online rather than in person. The amount charged for online events is lower than for face to face, reducing the income we derived from the annual conference. The main areas of expenditure during the year were journal printing costs (to clear the backlog), ongoing website maintenance and payment of the balance of funds held for the Wheels for Co-operation project. ## **The charity’s policy on reserves** The charity has three unrestricted designated funds established to support the activities of the charity: - Operating reserve £8,000 (to cover up to 12 months core activities), - _Journal_ production and distribution fund £6,000 (to meet commitments), - Conference bursaries fund £2,000 (to offer free or discounted places), ## **Thanks** Thanks to all the society members and trustees for their support and work over the year. Also, thanks to funders, the co-operative societies and the Co-operative College. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees: Rory Ridley-Duff, Trustee and Chair Date: 1[st] August 2022 9 ## **UK Society for Co-operative Studies Receipts & payments account for the year ended 31 March 2022** 10 ## **UK Society for Co-operative Studies Statement of assets and liabilities at 31 March 2022** These financial statements are accepted on behalf of the charity by: Signed Date: 1[st] August 2022 Rory Ridley-Duff, Trustee 11 ## **UK Society for Co-operative Studies Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2022** 12 ## **UK Society for Co-operative Studies** ## **Notes to the accounts - continued** ## **4. Volunteers’ expenses** During the accounting period, no reimbursements relating to trustees’ travel and meeting expenses arose because all meetings took place online via Zoom rather than face to face. ## **5. Debtors** There were no debtors at the end of the year. ## **6. Shares** The shares are in Co-operative Press Limited and have a nominal value of £10. ## **7. Creditors** There were no creditors at the end of the year. ## **8. Trustees’ remuneration** None of the trustees received any remuneration during the period. ## **9. Glossary of terms** **Advance receipts:** These are amounts received by the charity in the accounting period, for use in a future period. **Creditors:** These are amounts owed by the charity, but not paid in the accounting period. **Debtors:** These are amounts owed to the charity, but not received in the accounting period. **Restricted funds:** These are funds given to the charity, subject to specific restrictions set by the donor, but within the general objects of the charity. **Unrestricted designated funds:** These are unrestricted funds set aside by the trustees for specific purposes. 13