Co-operative Council

Telford & Wrekin Council is a Co-operative Council which aims to work closely with residents, partners and local organisations to deliver the best we can for the borough.

By being one of 17 Councils/opposition groups currently in the national Co-operative Councils Network (see www.councils.coop/ for more information), we hope to:

• Bring more public services together so that people get what they need at the right place and the right time
• Involve local people and our staff more in planning and running services
• Support our communities better and encourage people to do more to help their own communities

We have already taken major steps into becoming a Co-operative Council but it won't happen overnight. We still face immediate, unprecedented Government grant cuts which mean we have to reduce our costs and challenge what we are spending.

All councils face difficult choices but we will involve you much more in making those choices.

We are working with the community through a Co-operative Commission which was established in September 2011. This group is involving community and business leaders in developing our future plans and is drawing on the wide range of skills and expertise that exists in the borough.

We are also working with our workforce through an Employee Commission which was established in October 2011. This Commission is employee-led, is open to all and gives employees a new way to get involved in shaping the organisation.

The Employee Commission identified and prioritised the following five themes:

• Financial management
• Skills planning and development
• Employee engagement and communication
• Employee volunteering
• Social responsibility

Over the last six months the Commission has developed proposals and recommendations to move them forward.

 Please refer to our Co-operative Commission webpage's for more information.

Associated documents:

• July 26 2011 - Cabinet Report
• January 26 2012 - Cabinet Report
• March 29 2012 - Cabinet Report

Press releases:

• 22 March 2012 - Employee Commission sets top five areas of focus for the council
• 16 march 2012 - More opportunities for local firms, voluntary groups says Commission
• 9 March 2012 - Co-operative Commission demands action on jobs and skills growth
• 2 February 2012 - Your Money, Your Projects - Helping with the winter cold and more

View all Co-operative Council press releases.