No. 173 AND 174: RECOMMENDED DONATION £2 AUGUST 2020 SHEFFIELD’S CO-OPERATIVE NEWSPAPER CITY AT THE CROSSROADS ELECTION RESULT DEMANDS CO-OPERATIVE RESPONSE More than a year ago, in November 2018, members of the Co-operative Party gathered at Sheffield Town Hall to discuss Co-operatives Un- leashed, a report commissioned by the party and written by the New Economics Foundation. The report called for a significant expansion of the co-operative sector in Britain, bringing our economy closer into line with other coun- tries in Europe, where co-operatives thrive at worker and retail level. Co-operators from across York- shire and the Humber debated what this might mean for the Community Wealth Building agenda pioneered by Preston Council, as a response to the austerity agenda pursued by successive Conservative led govern- ments. FORMER LABOUR MP LESLIE HUCKFIELD: “SHEFFIELD LED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF WORKER Can co-operatives be created in or- der to deliver local council services CO-OPERATIVES IN THE THATCHER YEARS. IT CAN DO SO AGAIN NOW.” in a more compassionate and effi- “What we’ve got to be talking about, standing on a pledge to double the authority required to contain the in- cient manner than the private sector? is the experience in this city, in set- size of the co-operative economy in fection, and provide assistance to the This was the key question put to at- ting up co-operatives, for our own the UK, the work to implement this public, at a local level. The Govern- tendees. self defence. We can look after our- policy needn’t rely on central gov- ment was initially reluctant to alter According to former Labour Mem- selves a hell of a lot better, by con- ernment. The Preston Model shows its policies to ensure that people did ber of Parliament and independent trolling the public services we need that we can start building the foun- not go without food and shelter. researcher Les Huckfield, the an- to go on living.” dations for a new co-operative com- Where the Government proved swer was a defiant no. “It’s about our control over our monwealth in Sheffield today. unable or unwilling to help, others “The difficulty that I have when lives. Its about local economic de- helped to fill the breach. Residents deciding to support the report and mocracy. Its about reciprocity. Do MUTUAL AID AND COVID-19 and community groups around Shef- the work that the Labour Party are unto others as you would have field have organised Mutual Aid now doing,” he stated, “is that they them do unto you. That’s the way The Coronavirus pandemic has societies. Local co-operatives deliv- seem to have forgotten that we’ve that working people think about the greatly impacted on our way of life. ered food to the vulnerable. done this all before!” things, and certainly how we should It has exposed the deleterious effect This is co-operation in action. The “I am not interested in co-opera- think about things moving forward.” of austerity on our ability to cope Sheffield Co-operator hopes that tives, whatever kind they are, com- Though the Co-operative Party and with “war-time” conditions. such activity will continue into the peting against the private sector to Labour suffered a disappointing re- Local councils and the NHS have future, to overcome the inequalities deliver public services.” sult in the 2019 General Election, been stripped of the resources and exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. PRINCIPLE 5 HOSTS CO-OP SHOWCASE EVENT EVENT AT AIZLEWOOD’S MILL IN SHEFFIELD DEMONSTRATES THE STRENGTH OF THE CO-OPERATIVE SECTOR In September 2019, Principle 5, the Co-operatives attending included Yorkshire Co-operative Resource Footprint Printers (Leeds), and var- Centre, organised for the first time ious co-ops from Sheffield such as a two-day Co-operative Showcase Beanies Wholefoods (which recent- in Sheffield. It was a gathering of ly moved into new premises) and co-operatives to network, meet the Fireside Housing Co-op (which is, public, and present their products incidentally, currently seeking new and services. residents). National bodies such as The idea came from discussions The Phone Co-op and Co-ops UK with Aizlewood’s Mill, the co-op- were also represented. eratively run business centre on There were also displays from Nursery Street which houses Prin- Sheffield Co-operative Development ciple 5. For years, Aizlewood’s Mill Group (SCDG), Sheffield Co-opera- have been part of Heritage Open tive Party, Sheffield Credit Union, Days, enthusiastically showing to Sheffield Renewables, Principle 5, the public their historic, refurbished Portland Works, Regather, Union building. For 2019, the Co-operative Street, and Webarchitects. Showcase became part of this. Co-operatives have historically Visitors were treated to a welcom- created culture and common wealth ing mini-bazaar of displays and stalls through collective self-help in work- by various types of co-operative, in- ing class communities. The event cluding food, education, print, pub- celebrated the unique values and lishing, phone communications and principles of the co-operative move- co-operative development. Retired ment. co-op worker Stuart Cooke offered It is hoped that the Showcase will a display of publicity materials and become a regular feature in the cal- old photographs of co-operative ac- endar, bringing people together to tivities from the days of black-and- meet and discuss co-operatives in a white. The event also featured a short relaxed atmosphere. Another event talk by Professor Rory Ridley-Duff will be organised when the Open on developments in the world co-op Days return, so please look out for erative movement, and tours of the the second Co-operative Showcase! Principle 5 Resource Centre. - JONATHAN COOK

A NEW HOME FOR BEANIES WHOLEFOODS After many years of consideration, people are now more comfortable Sheffield’s award winning co-oper- about spending more on local and ative grocery shop Beanies Whole- organic food.” foods has finally closed its premis- “Beanies uses several local grow- es at 205 Crookes Valley Road and ers to supply the shop’s seasonal moved 100 yards up the hill into the fruit and veg, and provides both or- former GP surgery and chemist at the ganic and non-organic fare.” corner of Barber and Crookesmoor Packaging is changing too, with Road. worries about plastic waste leading The decision to move was taken by to Sheffield’s wholesalers helping after the new premises became avail- shops like Beanies provide more able for let last year. The new shop fruit and veg in bags and cardboard has more floor space, bike racks, a punnets. Personalised, or bulk buy- small car park, and an expanded ing of food or household cleaning bulk-buy section. supplies, is encouraged. There is now a cafe next door - The shop and cafe have a close-to- long desired for by regular custom- zero waste policy, with local food ers - which serves homemade cakes, charities making use of surplus sandwiches, tea and coffee, and soup stock. Anything wilting goes to co- made from vegetables sold in the op member Matt West’s compost shop. bins at his Moss Valley smallhold- Chris, from Beanies, said: “After ing, ready for a new crop. paring back after the financial crash, - ROBIN WILDE MAYOR CALLS FOR COTECH CONFERENCE “COMPLETE RETHINK” HELD IN SHEFFIELD ON LOCAL TRANSPORT CO-OPERATIVES DISCUSS IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON THE CLIMATE, THE INTERNET, AND THE FUTURE OF WORK DAN JARVIS MP CALLS FOR NOT-FOR-PROFIT AND CO-OP BUS COMPANIES AND EXPANSION OF PUBLIC OWNERSHIP This year saw the first northern how tech workers can co-operate to gathering of a network of around make a difference, and the second ed that what was needed was greater forty different co-operatives in var- day began with a visiting speaker government funding. ious technical fields, coordinated from Extinction Rebellion. Ideas “While the SYPTE does its best...” by Sheffield-based Webarchitechts through which software can help are he wrote, “its architecture and ap- (www.webarchitects.coop). being developed as a result. proach are no longer fit for purpose.” The network, started in 2016, is Environmental issues are a key “For far too long, we’ve had more called CoTech (www.coops.tech). part of CoTech’s outlook, not least of the executive than the passenger Attendees came from around the because technology is a heavy user – a complete rethink is required. UK, Europe and even South Amer- of power and minerals. If better soft- Arms-length arrangements have also ica. Local housing co-ops Fireside ware and internet services can help cemented a gap between funding and Brambles provided some of the to make the world a better place, and accountability.” accommodation. CoTech are the good angels in a “I find late running services and The two-day event was held at murky world. Thanks to the internet, the volume of cancellations on some Sheffield’s DINA venue (www.dina tech workers such as these can have routes frustrating and infuriating... venue.com), behind John Lewis in much more international patterns of the travelling public has in recent the city centre. Originally the city’s work-sharing with colleagues across years been subject to steadily deteri- first ‘Free School’ it was renovated continents. orating services.” by volunteers in 2016 and is not-for- CoTech uses software called Dis- “As...Mayor, I have inherited annu- profit. The Argentinian tech co-op- course, supplied by Webarchitects, alised reductions in funding for bus- erative movement FACTTIC sent to keep in touch through a forum es, ultimately attributable to govern- three workers as part of a short UK of member discussions, without the ment cuts, resulting in a situation of tour, fact-finding and speaking about distractions of social media. Meet- City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis has ‘managed decline’.” the co-operative movement in their ing face-to-face occasionally is also claimed that a “complete rethink” is needed in order to preserve and “But we also need a fresh, imagi- country. vitally important to building rela- improve transport services in South native approach to how we run lo- It seems that the British have some- tionships. Yorkshire. cal services, including exploring thing to learn, as Argentinian tech This gathering was CoTech’s first Though Mr Jarvis praised the South the creation of not-for-profit and co-ops have been work-ing together informal event outside London. We- Yorkshire Passenger Transport Ex- co-operative bus companies and ex- for longer than ours. Their econom- barchitects later advised another ecutive (SYPTE) for doing its best to panding public ownership and local, ic collapse of 2002 was very severe, co-operative, Code-Operative, in or- maintain a decent service, in a letter democratic accountability through- but the co-operative movement has ganising CoTech’s autumn gathering to Councillor Penny Baker (Liberal out our public transport system.” blossomed in the aftermath. in Newcastle. Democrat, Stannington), Jarvis stat- - CHRISTOPHER OLEWICZ Much of the discussion was about - JONATHAN COOK SHEFFIELD CO-OP STORE TRIALS GLASS MILK BOTTLES “The response shows just how close the issue is to people’s hearts. It’s also great to be supporting a local farm” A local Co-op store on Ecclesall a discount on their next pint when Road has brought back glass milk returning their used bottles. Other bottles in response to demands from stores in the city are now planning to customers, and as part of its effort to follow suit. cut down on the amount of plastic Director of Our Cow Molly, Ed- waste it generates. die Andrew, said: “It’s great that the The store is selling glass pint bot- Co-op has become the first major su- tles from Our Cow Molly at Dung- permarket in the UK to listen to en- worth. Customers can return the bot- vironmentally conscious consumers COFFEE CO-OPERATIVE tles to the shop to be re-used by the asking for milk in glass bottles, and dairy. to give them what they want. We’re VISITS UNIVERSITY According to store manager Pete really proud we’ve been able to get On the 14th of September 2019, the Encompassing workers from three Cooper, the glass bottles are proving our milk on the shelves there and University of Sheffield welcomed indigenous ethnicities, CENCOIC a hit and he’s planning on increasing help reduce plastic waste.” guests from the CENCOIC co-oper- is a leader in the Colombian cof- his order to meet demand. Mr Coop- According to recent research, a ative of Colombia, as they visited a fee trade. The co-operative now in- er said: “We’re the first Co-op in the glass bottle needs to be used at least number of cafes in Sheffield where volves 2,700 families in the coffee country to sell milk in glass bottles 13 times before becoming better for their coffee is sold. business. and we believe we’re the first super- the environment than a plastic one. CENCOIC are one of the principal There are 987 women workers, market in the country to do so too.” Mr Andrew said this was easily the suppliers to Roastology, who create who have recently released their “It fits in with the Co-op’s ethos case with the bottles it delivers, the University’s unique blend just own special coffee called ‘Cafe Fe- as an environmentally friendly com- some of which he claimed have been two miles away from campus. menino’. pany keen to do what it can to re- in circulation for 20 years. A delegation from the universi- “It was a privilege to welcome duce plastic waste. And the response - JEN BANKS ty visited the Cauca region of Co- members of the co-operative to our shows just how close the issue is to lombia in 2018 to tour some of the University’, Peter Anstess, Head people’s hearts. It’s also great to be Our Cow Molly is open to visitors co-operative’s operations. The re- of Retail at the University said. “... supporting a local farm only a few for sales of milk and ice-cream. ciprocal visit was part of an ongoing it was an emotional experience for miles away.” Cliffe House Farm Hill Top Road, project between CENCOIC, Roas- both our visitors and ourselves to be Our Cow Molly already supplies a Sheffield S6 6GW. tology, and the University, to inves- able to join our growers, roasters and local convenience store with milk in First published in Co-op News tigate ways the University can help baristas all in one room.” glass bottles – where customers get 12 July 2019 the co-operative develop further. - CHRISTOPHER OLEWICZ greater support to be provided to al- low community assets to fulfil their COMMUNITY OWNED BUILDINGS economic potential. Ian Wilson, lead author and principal research fellow ADD £220M A YEAR TO ECONOMY from CRESR, said: “Most people involved in running community as- MAKE IT EASIER TO TRANSFER ASSETS INTO COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP, sets do so in order to preserve and SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS CONCLUDE improve them because they are of value to their local community. Al- though 31% of these assets are in excellent financial health, the sector needs more financial support in or- der to fulfil its economic potential.” While the sector is growing, this growth is uneven. Poorer areas are less likely to have communi- ty-owned assets, with the most de- prived 30% of neighbourhoods con- taining just 18% of assets. On the whole, rural areas have more assets in community owner- ship than urban areas, with some exceptions, including Liverpool, Birmingham, and Manchester. This suggests the importance of creating an environment which is supportive of community ownership. The authors propose a range of measures which national and local government should consider to sup- port the growth of the community ownership sector. These include making it easier to transfer assets into community own- ership, provid-ing more business planning and general support for community organisations, and en- COMMUNITY OWNED ASSETS PLAY A KEY ROLE IN SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY WEALTH suring community owners have more AGENDA AS DEVELOPED BY PRESTON COUNCIL AND CLEVELAND, OHIO IN THE UNITED STATES reliable access to cheap finance and greater protections against financial Community-owned land and build- Our Assets, Our Future is the first they are in good financial health, difficulties. ings such as leisure centres, sports analysis of England’s much-loved and surprisingly, nearly a third of all Vidhya Alakeson, Chief Executive fields and village halls generate community-owned assets in over a those assets counted were brought of Power to Change, said: “While nearly £220m a year for the UK, decade, and serves as a check on the into community ownership in the many are fond of community-owned according to new report produced financial health of the sector, as well past decade – making community shops, parks, pubs and heritage by academics at Sheffield Hallam as a much needed census. ownership a growth sector. One in buildings, few are aware how eco- University’s Centre for Region- It found that there are more than five assets made an operating loss of nomically important these assets are. al Economic and Social Research 6,300 community-owned assets 10% or more of revenue in the last That’s why we need concerted ac- (CRESR), written in conjunction of various sizes and types in the financial year. tion from policymakers at all levels with the Institute for Voluntary Ac- country. Despite limited resources, In response to their findings, the to support community ownership.” tion Research. three-quarters of these assets say authors of the report have called for - CHRISTOPHER OLEWICZ

appropriate support to meet its po- tential, and to find ways to scale up- REPORT OUTLINES COMMUNITY wards and outwards.” The report found that community SOLUTIONS TO HOUSING CRISIS led housing is more likely to gener- ate positive social welfare and dem- UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD RESEARCHERS STATE THAT COMMUNTIY HOUSING WOULD BOOST ocratic gains when communities take COMMUNITY COHESION, OPEN UP THE HOUSING SYSTEM, AND KEEP INCOME “LOCAL” a leadership role and are properly in- A new report involving academics addressing their own housing needs, against disinvestment and neglect; volved in their implementation and from the University of Sheffield has with benefits including: and Homes for Change in the Hulme governance. However, it also con- revealed the potential of commu- area of Manchester. cluded that the creation of commu- nity-led housing to generate social • Positive neighbourhood outcomes The report also explores what com- nity-led housing projects for low-in- benefits amidst the general housing for health and social wellbeing, en- munity-led housing may have to come communities was an outcome crisis in Britan. vironmental sustainability and skills offer low income urban neighbour- that could only be achieved with the Housing Futures: Community-led and employment. hoods within the Greater Manches- appropriate forms of investment, Alternatives for Greater Manches- • Protecting communities against ter City Region. support, and popular mobilisation. ter, researched by the Realising Just gentrification-induced displacement. Dr Sophie King, from the Univer- This means that access to land, Cities programme at the Urban In- • Keeping income within communi- sity of Sheffield’s Urban Institute, finance and technical development stitute, University of Sheffield, and ty-led organisations and reinvesting said: “Community-led housing has support are critical to the success of funded by the Mistra Urban Futures it for community use. strong potential to contribute to- social housing. There is an urgent centre, makes a series of recommen- • Opening up the housing system. wards addressing some of the fail- need to stall the large-scale privati- dations to maximise the contribution ures of the current housing system. sation of public land across the City of community-led housing towards Examples of successful commu- By rejecting the private right to Region and make more land availa- achieving a more progressive, demo- nity-led housing projects include: profit, community-led groups can ble for community control. cratic and inclusive housing system. The Turner Prize-winning Granby exert local democratic control over - HANNAH POSTLES Community-led housing schemes, 4 Streets in the Toxteth area of Liv- their housing circumstances, ena- Courtesy of University of Sheffield the report states, allow people and erpool, which was begun following bling residents to directly shape their 18 December 2018 communities to play a leading role in a long-term campaign by residents neighbourhoods. The sector requires “GOD WILLING, LABOUR ACHIEVES” NOTES FROM THE COUNCIL THE RESIGNATION OF JULIE DORE: Council Leader Julie Dore an- nounced earlier this year that she would step down at the May 2020 local elections. She has now delayed her departure in order to oversee the Coun- cil’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. THE CO-OPERATOR RESPONDS: Since 2010, Sheffield has faced a £460m cut to its budget, with further cuts scheduled for the 2020s. With little room to manoeuvre, the Council worked hard to protect local services, and this is to be commended. However, there have also been serious miscalculations, such as the treatment of tree protestors. In assessing how the Council can help the city recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, this edition of The Shef- field Co-operator provides numerous examples of how, in the past, Sheffield pursued radical solutions in an effort to build a better future for its residents. In facing the challenges of the next decade, the Council can do worse than reconnect with its reputation for pursuing innovative policies.

㈀Ⰰ 䰀䤀一䔀匀 䤀一 匀吀伀䌀䬀 伀嘀䔀刀 ㄀ Ⰰ 䄀嘀䄀䤀䰀䄀䈀䰀䔀 吀伀 伀刀䐀䔀刀℀ 圀椀搀攀 爀愀渀最攀猀 漀昀 䜀爀愀椀渀猀Ⰰ 倀甀氀猀攀猀Ⰰ 刀椀挀攀猀Ⰰ 䐀爀椀攀搀 䘀爀甀椀琀Ⰰ 一甀琀猀 ☀ 匀攀攀搀猀⸀ 䜀氀甀琀攀渀ⴀ䘀爀攀攀 倀爀漀搀甀挀琀猀 ☀ 倀攀琀 䘀漀漀搀⸀ 䈀爀愀渀搀攀搀 䜀漀漀搀猀 ⴀ 䴀攀爀椀搀椀愀渀Ⰰ 匀甀洀愀Ⰰ 䔀猀猀攀渀琀椀愀氀Ⰰ 䈀椀漀渀愀 攀琀挀⸀ 䌀爀甀攀氀琀礀ⴀ䘀爀攀攀 䌀漀猀洀攀琀椀挀猀 ☀ 䌀氀攀愀渀椀渀最 倀爀漀搀甀挀琀猀⸀ 䴀攀愀琀ⴀ䘀爀攀攀 ☀ 䐀愀椀爀礀ⴀ䘀爀攀攀 匀甀戀猀琀椀琀甀琀攀猀 䄀爀攀 伀甀爀 匀瀀攀挀椀愀氀椀琀礀℀ 吀攀氀㨀 ㄀㄀㐀 ㈀㔀㠀 㘀 㔀㘀 眀眀眀⸀氀攀洀戀愀猀⸀挀漀⸀甀欀 猀愀氀攀猀䀀氀攀洀戀愀猀⸀挀漀⸀甀欀 吀栀攀 伀氀搀 吀愀渀渀攀爀礀Ⰰ 唀渀椀琀 㔀Ⰰ 圀栀椀琀椀渀最 匀琀爀攀攀琀Ⰰ 匀栀攀昀昀椀攀氀搀 匀㠀 㤀儀刀 伀瀀攀渀椀渀最 吀椀洀攀猀㨀 䌀氀漀猀攀搀 䴀漀渀搀愀礀⸀ 吀甀攀猀搀愀礀 琀漀 䘀爀椀搀愀礀 㤀⸀ 愀洀 ⴀ 㔀⸀ 瀀洀⸀ 匀愀琀甀爀搀愀礀 㤀⸀ ⴀ ㄀⸀ 瀀洀⸀ 伀倀䔀一 吀伀 吀䠀䔀 吀刀䄀䐀䔀 ☀ 倀唀䈀䰀䤀䌀 䔀猀琀⸀ ㄀㤀㠀㌀ ⴀ 䄀 圀漀爀欀攀爀 伀眀渀攀搀 䌀漀ⴀ伀瀀攀爀愀琀椀瘀攀 such as Barcelona and Grenoble. Given the focus of the communalist LETTERS TO THE EDITOR project on participatory democra- We invite letters to be sent to the editor at [email protected] cies, and the role that co-operatives and will be able to apply for funding have played in places like Preston, it’s interesting that its founder had for repairs and begin fundraising in little positive to say about workers’ earnest. co-operatives. Bookchin was deeply When we have funds over £5,000 sceptical of the potential for co-op- we will become a registered charity. eratives to functionally improve Volunteer days, with support from workers’ lives. Rangers, have slowly started bring- In a particularly scathing passage ing the gardens back into shape. he describes the worker control of The local Fire Station and a garden- their workplaces as a “dirty bour- ing company are coming to help us geois trick” which merely allows make further headway. Our May workers to “plan their own misery”, Day Event last year was a great suc- rather than contributing to a func- cess and a revelation as to how many tionally different economy whose people hold as yet undocumented production is democratically organ- stories of the Spa’s history. There is ised and seeks to meet the needs of still so much to discover! Through its participants. the restoration of Birley Spa we in- Moreover, he believed if they are tend to not only revisit its origins in in competition with capitalist busi- the Victorian era, when bathing in nesses, co-ops, however well in- THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF SAVING BIRLEY SPA chalybeate waters was all the rage, tentioned, will be pressured to drop but also, to invoke the site’s most their social interests in order to re- On 30th August 2018, at a public At our meeting in June, for some glorious days as Pleasure Grounds, main viable. Co-ops themselves do meeting, MP Clive Betts made the reason, the goalposts were moved, but with a modern twist, helping our not challenge the market factors announcement that the auction of and suddenly we needed to generate visitors to have greater engagement that cause ruthlessness and disinter- Birley Spa Bath House had been more income, office or residential with the environment and nature est, but instead abide by their rules halted. Little did we realise, that this were the only solution apparently. around them. believing themselves to be too vir- was not the battle over, but instead it We left that meeting shell-shocked, We have had valuable support tuous to be alienated. Both of these was just beginning. but worse was to come. On 11th from other Friends groups and Her- criticisms speak to my experiences The Victorian building was made July 2019 we were told we had till itage experts, without which we may working in co-ops. I’m sure many an Asset of Community Value in the 10th August to find funds to cov- well have failed some time ago. That fellow co-operators are well aware early November 2018, meaning the er the cost of the building repairs, said, we have to acknowledge we that unpaid hours are the elephant in council had to give us 6 months no- around £200,00, and an income of have made mistakes, on our own, the room. tice to sell it, which they duly did, £30,000 per annum! and bad advice has been followed, Similarly, the small workforce, less than a fortnight later. We believe that the letter we never to our cost. The learning curve is al- tight budgets and belief in the social Our first meeting with the coun- received would have allowed us to most vertical. It seems terribly long values of a co-op’s work can mean cil was that December, there was a apply for funding to repair the build- winded, but I think it is important to things like sick leave and holiday surprising number of councillors ing. Without it we were absolutely understand how much of a complex seem to slip away from us in the way and officers there. Personally, I felt powerless. process it has been to date. We have we would never let a traditional em- the environment was quite hostile, We were determined to not give up no reason to believe things will run ployer off the hook for. with the representative from Prop- without a fight, so we went to the smoothly from here on in. Although erty Services being by far the most press. The Sheffield Star and Radio perhaps, that means we are more THE CHALLENGE vocal and negative. We were initial- Sheffield were both incredibly sup- prepared for what the future holds. ly quite taken aback, but soon found portive, giving us column inches The momentum behind our group Co-operatives (quite understanda- our voice and the meeting concluded and air time. We arranged a “Hands has grown apace, Birley Spa has tak- bly!) seek workers who will partic- with us being sent off to formulate a around the Spa” event which was en on a life of its own, our hidden ipate fully in the co-op’s activities, business plan. very successful. We were front page gem is making itself known, and and not view it as a job “to be left at It is worth saying at this point that news! It was empowering to know about time too! the door”. A far cry from the tradi- we were all new to this, we are nei- that people cared. - FIONA MILNE tional left message of clearly defined ther heritage nor business experts, One week later, and two days be- www.friendsofbirleyspa.org/ and limited working hours! but we have an unshakeable vision fore our next meeting with the coun- I risk leaving this edition of The for, and commitment to the Spa. cil, we were contacted by a local Co-operator with a sour note. I still The business presentation meeting businessman, who wanted to help THE CHALLENGE FOR CO-OPS believe that co-operatives and work- eventually went ahead in March and us keep the Spa within the commu- The renowned American geogra- place democracy have a role to play was very well received by our local nity. This was truly wonderful news. pher and essayist, Murray Bookchin in transforming our economy for the councillors and Jim Steinke, the cab- On the 5th August we arrived at the is best known for his “communal- better. Bookchin’s views on co-ops inet member responsible for Neigh- Town Hall, with some trepidation, ist” political theory. Communalism, are sidelined within the new munic- bourhoods and Community Safety. for our meeting with Councillor Paul described by Bookchin, advocates ipalist movements he helped found. (Prior to this we had been unable to Wood, but, everything had changed for a society built around localis- In the tumultuous decade ahead, we present our plans, as a representa- again! ing democratic societies away from in the movement must keep our at- tive from Property Services told us The deadline was now gone. The central control, towards face-to-face tention trained on these questions: that the building was to be put out council stated they were going to democracy organised together in a to conditional tender.) We were told work with us and possibly fund loose federation. These communalist - In a time where the campaign for to expect a letter, but the letter never some of the repairs. All sides are ideas have found increasing traction shorter working hours goes main- came. Following the council elec- determined to make this work. Fi- amongst left-wing activists and pol- stream, how can the high demands tions there was a cabinet reshuffle, nally we felt we were moving for- iticians who would seek to recapture co-ops place on worker participation and Jim Steinke was replaced. ward, and could begin to achieve our the devolution of power narrative remain relevant? It’s fair to say that things then took goals. The Sheffield Co-operative from Conservative “Big Society” - How do we combat the insidious a turn for the worse. We had been Development Group (SCDG) were policies, and instead for powerful workplace cultures that can grow told we needed to find a business to potentially going to work with us. city and regional governments. within co-ops? rent part of the building to help gen- We were accepted on to the Prosper These, they think can command - What can co-ops offer that strong erate an income. We had one, Karma North Mentoring programme, which greater legitimacy and participation; workplace unions cannot? Hub, which offers Yoga and Holistic covers developing sustainable com- while still working towards socially services. This tied in perfectly with munity business, and may give us liberal and ecological causes. These Hopefully some of my fellow co-op- our ethos of being a centre for health access to the Northern Cultural Re- are the principles we see at work erators can offer their responses in and wellbeing. Box ticked, we were generation Fund. We are becoming in the so called “Preston Model”, later editions. good to go. a Company Limited by Guarantee, as well as in major European cities - ELLIOT WOODHOUSE CO-OPERATION AND THE CHI- INNER CITY REGENERATION dinary Labour Party members need By the fact that Labour are not in NESE CO-OPERATIVE SECTOR to start now to develop new ideas for power and cannot get legislation Whilst recognising that for some Sheffield, before we are overtaken placed upon the statute book, the time this has been an on going issue by events. worry I have is the apparent relaxed for the City Council, the recent de- tone of the Party’s manifesto. It cline nationally in high street retail THE UNDECLARED WAR doesn’t convey any sense of urgency. outlets is an issue that shall under- Nor is there any reference to the fact mine the efforts of all local author- After two and a half centuries of that we are going to have to change ities, whatever their political com- exploitation of the Earth’s natural our way of life very quickly just to position, to generate prosperity in resources, we are now aware of the survive. their area. Covid-19 has brought this kind of damage our way of life is This is why I have personally de- painfully into focus, and we must having upon our environment and scribed climate change as an Un- now consider a future beyond retail ourselves. declared War. Much like terrorism, employment. Over the past decade we have ex- this enemy is difficult to predict, Up to the present time, I am una- perienced serious flooding as a result and even when we can, it arrives on ware of any ideas being advanced as of concentrated heavy rain over a such a scale we are temporarily over- to whether or not this is achievable, relatively short period of time. These whelmed. On two occasions, the UN given the fact that we have yet to flash floods, which swell rivers that has tried to get the world’s greatest find an alternative to capitalism as then flood inland towns and cities, contributors to reduce pollution lev- the preferential system for ordering are just the start of what is to come. els. On both occasions, these nations society. These changes are not just affect- have failed to meet reduction targets. The Labour Party nationally has ing the UK. They are taking place Scientists state we have about ten not advanced any ideas that could worldwide, and they will have seri- years at the very most to try and re- persuade people generally that if we ous implications for farmers across duce carbon emissions in order for YINGJIA (JADE) CAO WRITES wish to live in the future, we have to the world. Britain will be impacted the world to be able to continue sus- ABOUT THE RECENT GROWTH create a harmonious, safer and car- greatly, given the amount of food taining human life. I foresee a huge OF THE CO-OPERATIVE SEC- ing society. we import. task ahead to get people mentally TOR IN CHINA Locally, efforts have been made to When reading the Labour Party’s prepared for the huge changes we start that process. The former Dis- manifesto commitments for the last have to make to face a serious future. I’m an international student from the trict Labour Party was reformed into election, I found them to be com- Regrettably our political system is University of Sheffield who studies a campaign committee. This com- pletely inadequate when set against failing on every front to face up to Information Systems. In my second mittee now needs to assert itself. It is the latest scientific forecasts made the greatest threat to mankind since semester this year, I decided to apply of little use campaigning unless we at the January UN Climate Change the last ice age. for a part-time job advertised by the have something to campaign for. Or- Conference. - KENNETH CURRAN university Postgraduate Advantage Scheme to extend my working ex- perience. That’s how I came to learn of Principle 5 and the co-operative movement. The British co-operative move- ment has gone through a long his- tory. Chinese co-operatives began much later than in Britain, and given that Chinese society has undergone periods of high instability in the past, their progress has been uneven. But a large number of people do par- ticipate in the Movement. PROFESSOR HU JUN The first co-operative organization in Chinese history was born in 1918. The Consumer Cooperative of Pe- king University was founded by Pro- fessor Hu Jun and his students at the university. In September 1922, Mao Zedong founded the Road Worker Consumer Co-operative in Anyu- 20 years. actively explored the development 2007, the number of rural co-oper- an, the first co-operative led by the After the reform and opening up of and improvement of various co-op- atives having industrial-commercial Communist Party of China. China in the mid-to-late 1970s the erative economic organisations. business registration was recorded After the founding of New Chi- rural household contract responsi- In addition to the original com- as around 100,000. By 2013, this na in 1949, co-operative ideas were bility system greatly increased the munity co-operative economic or- had grown to 689,000 by and was generally adopted in Chinese socie- enthusiasm of farmers, leading to ganisations, supply and marketing expected to reach 900,000 by 2015 ty. There were both urban and rural improvements in rural productivity, co-operatives, and credit co-oper- (China News Review, 2013). organisations; supply and marketing and a better standard of living. atives, which have been developed From my own point of view, co-op- co-ops, consumer co-ops, credit co- Nonetheless, the agricultural sector and improved to a certain extent, a eration contradicts the concept of ops, production co-ops and transport has always been weak in China, and large number of new rural co-op- competition, where people get to- co-ops. By 1955, co-operation in ag- farmers a vulnerable group. With the erative organisations emerged and gether to seek for mutual benefits riculture, commerce, and handicraft, development of the market economy, developed rapidly, such as farmers’ rather than seeing each other as an had rapidly developed. this weakness has been exacerbated. professional co-operatives, profes- enemy to fight for resources. To me, However, due to a change in di- It is difficult for a single household sional associations, and joint-stock the idea of co-operation and the im- rection made by government, which to manage the risks of the market. co-operatives, which are based on plementation of co-operatives seem was the effort to implement a full Hence co-operatives began a re- the principles of democracy, equal- like an ideal world, away from capi- socialist transformation in Chinese vival. In 1982, 17 farmers in Jiepai ity, and mutual benefit. talism and class differentiation. society through a planned economy Town, Tianchang County, Anhui Today, many Chinese academics However, there can also be fake under the People’s Commune, the Province jointly established the first who study the domestic economy co-operatives as well, where coop- peasant co-operative economy broke new farmer co-operative formed af- focus on the importance of rural sup- eratives are used as a mask under down, and became increasingly una- ter the liberalisation, the Aquatic Re- port. Following the passage of the which the core is still unfairness. ble to meet the requirements of eco- search Association. Law on Specialised Farmer Co-oper- - YINGJIA (JADE) CAO nomic development. This lasted for In the 1990s, localities across China atives formally implemented in July THE POLITICIAN AS sumers in the form of a dividend, difficult to achieve. is mine”. Over the next decade, the SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR a co-partnership scheme, operates “It is only over long periods of Breatham Garden Suburb was born. more like a workers co-operative, time that one can prove that there Following his election as MP for In 2011, the then Member of Parlia- giving primacy to the employees, has been growth,” Vivian once lec- Birkenhead, Vivian led another ment for Birkenhead, Frank Field who invest their money, time, and tured. “Any proposed changes in project in Liverpool, the Wavertree suggested that MPs should carve skills, in exchange for shares, a share the political, social, and economical Garden Suburb. The aim of the en- out a new role for themselves in in the profits, and the right to take structure of a country which takes terprise? To “provide a residential their constituencies as social entre- managerial decisions. for granted great and striking change suburb for the people of Liverpool preneurs. Politicians, he claimed, The idea first found form in the for the better in human motives, pas- amid surroundings which conduce “could no longer fully represent the Labour Association, formed in 1884. sions and prejudices is drawing a bill to both health and pleasure”. For a well-being of their constituents by Vivian became friendly with two of on human nature which stands a very time, its telegraphic address was operating simply as MPs have done its leaders, Edward Owen Greening good chance of being dishonoured ‘Antislum, Liverpool’. [since] ... the 19th century.” and Thomas Blandford, and was ap- when it becomes due. Whilst ap- Bringing together local leaders and pointed its Secretary in 1890 at the pealing to and stimulating the best in CHANGING TIMES organisations to form Community age of 22. our nature it seems to be wisdom to Interest Companies to tackle social Though Vivian saw the develop- assume normal conduct in our prac- Vivian held Birkenhead by 144 problems, MPs could use their polit- ment of large corporations as inev- tical efforts at remodelling society.” votes in January 1910 but lost in ical capital, Field stated, to develop itable, he felt that labour, in self-de- “Over long periods of time we the December election of that same projects addressing the key issues in fence, could form corporations of its hammer out very laboriously and year. Standing as a Liberal, he was their constituencies. Once the les- own, in order to mould the future into painfully great principles for guid- re-elected briefly as the member for sons had been learned, those projects a third way between a narrow capi- ing human conduct. Great and lofty Totnes, in December 1923, but lost that worked could be scaled-up and talism, devoid of public spirit, and a minds from time to time interpret to the Conservatives the following replicated across the country. labour bloc, unreasoning and devoid these, but generations and ages even October. He died at his home, The At a time when new solutions are of responsibility for the businesses pass away before the average of us Limes, Crouch End Hill, Middlesex, needed to lessen inequality, Field’s in which they were employed. fully realise and practise the truths on 30th May 1930. By this time, words are welcome. In seeking fur- Over the next decade, in addi- proclaimed. This may not be in the co-partnership as a movement was ther inspiration, one might also take tion to his secretarial duties, Vivian minds of some a very cheering view declining, in favour of profit sharing inspiration from one of his predeces- toured the country, lecturing on the of the law of progress, but if it is the and municipal housing schemes. sors. For Henry Harvey Vivian, Lib- subject of co-partnership and assist- true view it is wisdom to recognise As we look to the future, however, eral MP for Birkenhead from 1906- ing workers in setting up schemes. it.” Vivian’s understanding of co-part- 1910, was certainly an innovator. Inspired by Thomas More’s Uto- In February 1901, Vivian was invit- nership as a means of social up- An advocate of “Co-partnership”, a pia, Robert Owen in Lanarkshire, ed to meet a group of builders in Eal- lift can provide an example of how form of co-operation, Vivian’s desire and the Christian Socialists, Vivian ing, to advise them on establishing Members of Parliament can use their to see working men enjoy the ben- took from these sources the lesson a co-partnership housing scheme. position to effect social change in efits of house ownership led him to that new ‘systems’ of society de- He persuaded the men to share in their constituencies, bringing togeth- actively participate in the develop- pended on men and women willing- his vision of an ambitious scheme er local people to experiment with ment of the Garden Suburbs move- ly participating in a remodelling of built on communal rather than indi- new ideas today, rather than simply ment in the 1900s and 1910s. their natures “to fit a new, cut and vidual ownership, a community of waiting - often in vain - on a favour- Unlike retail co-operation, which dried, mould”. Repeated failures individuals who would say, “this es- able result in the next election. distributes surplus profits to con- suggested that this was incredibly tate is ours” rather than “this house - CHRISTOPHER OLEWICZ Supporting Co-operatives in Sheffield since 2009

Our schemes have generated over 708 mw/h of electricity and saved over 200 tonnes of CO2 since 2014. Abercrombie to develop an ambi- tious new city plan. The Sheffield A BRIEF MUNICIPAL Civic Survey and Development plan of 1924 was a broadly conceived plan for the future of the city, based on a civic survey that considered the HISTORY OF SHEFFIELD needs of the people; their access to work, need for utilities and other ser- THE SHEFFIELD CO-OPERATOR RECOUNTS THE RECENT POLITICAL vices, and their surroundings. HISTORY OF SHEFFIELD AND ITS STRUGGLE FOR PROSPERITY The challenge, Abercrombie ex- plained, was to arrange the ‘parts On 21st May 1897, Queen Victoria It pledged to raise tram fares and Labour candidates, in the belief that of the city so that they form one officially opened Sheffield Town oppose road-making schemes that organised labour could only effect satisfactory mechanism, each part Hall, a significant marker of the am- might give jobs to the unemployed, change if it achieved a majority on performing its functions in the best bition of the City Council in the four and to oppose the building of work- the Council, and then worked to way.’ years since Sheffield achieved city ing-class housing at High Storrs on re-divert its profits away from rate The outcome was that housing in status in 1893. land which had been purchased at subsidisation, and towards a more the city centre was demolished, in What follows is a history that brief- public expense for that specific pur- ambitious improvement plan favour of a series of low density ‘sat- ly recounts the politics of the city pose. The first Labour councillor was ellite settlements’, giving Sheffield since that time, with a focus on the A further proposed development elected in 1905, (R.G. Murray, ILP its ‘big village’ flavour. ideological divide between public at Wincobank was denounced as a and Gasworkers) for Brightside In spite of this upheaval, the Con- and private enterprise. ‘socialistic’ attempt to suppress in- Ward. Four years later, Joseph Point- servatives refused to countenance dividuals ‘as holders of property.’ er was elected as Member of Parlia- any proposals made by Labour A CONSERVATIVE COUNCIL King Edward VII School - opened ment for Attercliffe and retained the to improve infrastructure or wel- in 1905, as an authority-controlled seat in 1910 after the Liberal candi- fare in the city. In 1922, Sir Albert In the late 19th century, before the school – was redesignated as a date withdrew. Hobson claimed that the people of rise of the Labour Party, the Con- fee-paying school for ‘the sons of Sheffield had discovered a new in- servative and Liberal parties were the middle and upper classes.’ THE GREAT WAR dustry - breeding - in order to claim not as hostile to public ownership as additional benefits. Councillor Matt they are today. ILP AND LABOUR The Great War had an enormous ef- Sheppard asked rhetorically at a For close to two decades between fect on Sheffield. The city served as a by-election meeting, “What are the 1883 and 1901, Sheffield was con- By this time, Labour had begun their major centre for the armaments pro- Labour Party?” The answer? “They trolled by the local Conservative ascendency. It was in the steel-pro- duction, and by 1918, its population are colossal humbugs, hypocrites, Party and its defacto leader, W.C. ducing areas of the city that the In- had grown to 500,000. The Council Bolshevists, Fabians and the cosmo- Leng, the Editor of the Sheffield dependent Labour Party (ILP) first commissioned noted planner Patrick politan refuse of Europe.” Daily Telegraph, and Vice-Presi- began to gain a foothold, with the dent of the Sheffield Association for first branch established in 1893. In Promoting Sanitary Reform, and the that year, it contested the Attercliffe Better Housing of the Poor. by-election, after the Liberals passed Although hostile to labour unions, over a Lib-Lab candidate endorsed Leng was nonetheless reported to by the Sheffield Federated Trades have claimed to be a socialist, and as Council in favour of a local saw- such, ruthlessly targeted the skilled mill owner. Although Frank Smith working-class men of the city as po- finished last in the poll, the election tential voters for the Conservatives persuaded future Prime Minister and his ambitious Improvement Act. Ramsey McDonald to commit to the In the 1890s, Sheffield had the ILP. fifth highest Rates (the forerunner For much of the 19th century, Shef- to Council Tax) in the country. A field’s economy had been dominated proportion of the profits from Coun- by independent craftsmen, or ‘little cil-owned enterprises was diverted mesters’. As large-scale industry back into social improvements, and had become more dominant, these a significant amount was returned to ‘mesters’ had begun to lose their ratepayers in the form of subsidies. competitive edge in the marketplace. Although the city never reached They were generally supportive of the heights of Birmingham – the Liberal or Lib-Lab candidates, once most heavily municipalised author- the Liberals began their practice of ity in the country, and also a Con- running working-class Liberal can- servative-led council – in that dec- didates. ade, the markets, the water company, The nature of work in the large and the electricity company, had all factories contributed to the develop- been taken into council ownership, ment of a tight-knit and independent in the belief that these services could working-class identity that was an- be run more cheaply and effectively tagonistic to ‘the bosses’. Lib-Labs by the Council than by private com- however, generally came from the panies. light trades. Working class conservatism was RETURN TO REACTIONISM concentrated in the Central Division, represented by Sir Howard Vincent Leng died in 1901, and consequent- from 1885 to 1908. Park Constit- ly, the Sheffield Conservatives uency, a mining area, also retained quickly lost sight of his vision. Rate Conservative sympathies, due to the subsidies increased at the expense influence of the Duke of Norfolk. of public improvements, and no fur- In 1900, the Labour Representa- ther municipalisation occurred. The tion Committee (LRC) was formed. ‘first and most pressing duty’ of the Its Sheffield branch consisted of Party from that point forward, was nine representatives from heavy in- to ‘combat the insidious and utterly dustry, two from light industry, and fallacious doctrines of socialism’. seven from the transport and gener- The 1905 Conservative manifes- al unions. It worked to unite trade to was particularly class-partisan. unionists and ILP members behind nents now became clear. The Asso- ipal enterprise, with representatives ciation would focus on maximising who pledged ‘unfettered extension Rate subsidies, while Labour would and development in every phase of use the profits of Council owned municipal activity.’ enterprises to undertake social im- Labour inherited a host of social provements. problems from the Association. By the mid-1920s, Sheffield had Most pressing was the Manor Es- outgrown its infrastructure. The tate. While 6,000 houses had been Sheffield Corporation operated just built on the Manor, the build quality eight public baths and no wash- was poor, and local amenities were houses and had just one infant and scarce. Only 1,000 of the 3,000 chil- maternity welfare centre. Plans to dren on the estate were able to attend build a sanatorium for those made school. sick by working in heavy industry Drastic action was required. The were repeatedly deferred on econo- Council built maternity and child my grounds. The city spent propor- welfare centres, and wash-houses, tionately less than any other local and took over the Poor Law hospi- authority in the country on educa- tals. Care of consumptives, the blind tion. There were few council hous- and those formerly treated in the es, and public health continued to be hospitals was taken over by the Cor- AFTER THE 1 926 COUNCIL ELECTION, TRAM CONSTRUCTION endangered by the large number of poration. Workshops were built for WAS BROUGHT IN-HOUSE TO CUT OUT “THE MIDDLE MEN” antiquated privy middens (outside the blind, and benefits paid so that toilets) and ashpits located in the for the first time, they could enjoy a CLEGG AND THE LIBERALS preached confiscation without com- poorer areas of the city. reasonable standard of living. Tram pensation, nationalisation without Exacerbating these problems was construction was brought in-house, Throughout the late 19th and early payment, and the “levelling down of the fact that the Association was fi- and new routes were built across 20th century, the Liberals lacked a individuals instead of the levelling nancially incompetent. Its leaders the city. New markets and abattoirs coherent political position. Some fa- up.” made several decisions in the name were built. Secondary school pro- voured social improvements, and the Clegg practiced an intolerant po- of short-term economy which ulti- vision was increased by over 80%. municipalisation of the tramways litical style. In his 70s by the 1920s, mately placed the Council’s financ- Almost 9,000 ashpits were replaced was pushed through with only one his incapability to make any accom- es under significant strain. It raised with 15,000 new dustbins. Almost Liberal voting against. It was they modation to the Labour position led loans at unnecessarily high interest 8,000 new houses were constructed, who had encouraged the purchase of him to make ill-conceived decisions. rates to meet immediate demands. and 2,500 courtyards were provided the land at High Storrs for housing, In both 1921 and 1923, Labour boy- Its decision to reform Rates collec- with electricity for the first time. The and had stopped the Conservatives cotted the Committee work of the tion was disastrous and led to the first central library, located on Sur- when the latter attempted to force its Council in protest at the unjust al- issuing of 255,000 summonses for rey Street and widely viewed as be- sale. location of places. Labour made up non-payment, 289 imprisonments ing inadequate, was replaced. Perhaps more than the Great War, one third of the Council but were al- and a loss of £700,000 in revenue. All this work was undertaken by ‘di- or the efforts of Labour leader E.G located just one of fifteen key com- This policy in particular undermined rect labour’ employed by the Coun- Rowlinson, the single contributing mittee positions. the Association’s main claim to su- cil, financed by a rate increase, and factor which aided the rise of the Clegg justified his actions with his periority - their belief that the work- a £1.5 million stock issue to pay off Labour Party in Sheffield was Wil- motto ‘To the victor, the spoils’. Even ing classes did not have the skills debts incurred by the Association. In liam Clegg, who wasleader of the his one-time political ally, Alderman required to take responsibility for celebration of their efforts, the new Sheffield Liberal Party for nearly 30 Moses Humberstone, described him the finances of a large city, and that Council owned Printing Department years. as ‘the biggest autocrat I know’. the job should be left to businessmen issued a pamphlet in 1932, Six Years A solicitor and former footballer, and professionals. of Labour Rule in Sheffield, 1926- Clegg also, like Leng, claimed to be THE CITIZENS ASSOCIATION The Association was always a 32, which detailed Labour’s many a ‘socialist.’ True socialism, Clegg marriage of convenience. It lacked achievements. claimed, meant “the provision of In order to prevent Labour from the administrative guile of Birming- The Labour Group was blessed those things which were necessary becoming the largest party on the ham’s Conservatives, and its efforts with a number of talented adminis- for the benefit and advantage of the Council, the Conservatives and Lib- to keep down the Rates led to a fru- trators. T.H. Watkins, a railway ac- people as a whole, and which could erals formed a coalition - the Citi- gality “which bordered on miserli- countant, played a dominating role not be supplied by private enter- zens Association - later known as the ness.” H. Keeble Hawson, summed in the Corporation’s financial plan- prise.” The ‘spurious’ socialism of Municipal Progressive Party. The di- up the role of the Association aptly. ning; Albert Ballard and J.H. Bing- the Labour Party, on the other hand, vision between Labour and its oppo- “The sudden post-war depression ham were the principal architects … produced a startling change. All of Sheffield’s educational reforms; ideas of progress and expansion had William Asbury had an unrivalled been forgotten. The men who had practical knowledge and concern for guided the Council for so long and health provision. had inspired the vigorous policies Leading the Group was E.G. Row- of earlier years had grown old; they linson who led Sheffield Labour, could not face the challenge of the with the exception of two one-year times and so Sheffield in 1926 be- spells, from 1926 until his early came the first of the big cities to fall death in 1941. Rawlinson became a under Socialist control.” full-time administrator; chairman of two committees and a member of six SIX YEARS OF LABOUR others. In spite of his many commit- ments, the Labour Group was large- Labour’s chance finally came in No- ly united throughout this period. vember 1926. On a wave of pro-la- Into the 1930s, Labour continued bour sentiment following the Gener- to advance, particularly in the de- al Strike, the Party finally succeeded velopment of new housing estates. in winning a majority to implement Planned along ‘garden suburb’ lines, its ‘Progressive Charter.’ 27,000 council owned dwellings The primary issue of that election, were built by 1940. the Sheffield Co-operator declared, Its competence in managing the was to replace the vested interests financial affairs of the city while un- that controlled the lives of working dertaking these ambitious projects INHERITING A HOST OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS, THE FIRST LABOUR people in Sheffield, which limited was at odds with the chequered re- COUNCIL PUBLISHED A PAMPHLET OUTLINING THE PROGRESS their activities and retarded and re- cord of the Labour Party nationally. IT HAD MADE IN IMPROVING SOCIAL CONDITIONS IN THE CITY stricted the development of munic- In 1937, George Orwell felt that the Sheffield residents ‘wanted to be organisation of the Council, Greater oil shock of 1974 however, there government had placed economic pre-eminent in everything.’ power was given to Harrison, who was an economic retraction, and orthodoxy ahead of the lives of lo- hoped to increase the independence many steel firms permanently lost cal people, and in an effort to forge POST-WAR BOOM of the Officers from the Councillors. their competitive edge in the inter- their own path, they decided to cre- The number of departments and national market. ate their own economic strategy for Victory in the Second World War, committees was reduced, and a new The election of Margaret Thatcher Sheffield. and the election of a Labour gov- Policy Committee was introduced to prompted a crisis in local govern- Inspired by the Mondragon Co-op- ernment, transformed the role of the define the general direction and pri- ment. Economic reforms wreaked erative in northern Spain - responsi- Council. orities of the Council. Wary of build- havoc on Sheffield, and unemploy- ble for a large percentage of econom- During the War, when the Coali- ing departmental empires that they ment skyrocketed. In 1981, the city’s ic activity in the Basque Country tion was in power, and proposing a could not penetrate, the councillors unemployment rate rose above the - the Council attempted to replicate National Health Service, the Council ensured that co-ordination remained national average for the first time. its achievements. The Council would worried that the removal of hospitals in the hands of the Committees, even By 1984, the manufacturing sector, rid itself of managerialism and bu- from local authority control might if the work was delegated to the Of- which had employed almost 50% reaucracy, placing more power in the undermine municipal democracy. ficers. of the city’s workforce in 1971, em- hands of residents, to eliminate eco- But after the 1945 Election, it acqui- ployed only 24%. nomic inequality rather than merely esced, no doubt keen to support the THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC Opposing Thatcher’s policies was compensate for it with benefits and national party. When electricity was a new generation of working-class programmes. nationalised, it was the Conservative Sheffield enjoyed full employment left-wing councillors led by David In order to achieve this, the Council and Liberals who protested. Much until the mid-1970s. Following the Blunkett. They resented the fact that created an Employment Department, later, it was the Conservatives and Liberals who opposed the removal of the tram system. Sheffield boomed in the 1950s, and its population grew to 600,000. To manage this growth, the Council put into place another redevelopment plan. The Lower Don Valley was re- zoned as industrial only, and all ex- isting housing was cleared. Sheffield became recognised nationally for its innovative ‘streets in the sky’ hous- ing developments, particularly Park Hill flats. Consequently, the city did not experience suburbanisation to as large a degree as other cities. The city centre was rebuilt, most- ly by private developers conform- ing to a Council developed plan. To oversee these endeavours, the Public Works Department was expanded, and a Manager appointed. Existing public buildings were repainted and redecorated. The Conservative and Liberal op- position worked to hold back La- bour’s programme. When the Con- servatives briefly regained control of the Council in the 1960s, they at- tempted to force the Council to put out all contracts worth in excess of £500 to competitive tender, before they could be allocated to Public Works. MANAGERIALISM Regrettably, but in line with the de- velopment of state-bureaucracies and the professionalisation of ad- ministration in the post-war period, the Council became more distant and managerial, less able to incorpo- rate ‘lay opinion’, from community groups, and even ‘backbench’ coun- cillors. By the late 1960s, there were 24 Council departments, in addition to 20 committees, overseeing a fur- ther 82 sub-committees. These were overseen by the Town Clerk, but with no clear line of authority. The Departments pursued their own poli- cies, with the Chief Officers cultivat- ing relationships with the councillors who controlled the committees. The election of Ron Ironmonger to the leadership of the Labour Group in 1966 and the appointment of D. B. Harrison as Town Clerk and Chief Executive, led to a sea-change in the tasked with supporting businesses, law, and refused to vote for a no-rate creating employment opportunities, policy. David Blunkett and Clive and expanding municipal enterprise. Betts argued for a policy of setting A host of services were brought in the maximum legal rate and combin- house, from window cleaning to skip ing this with a deficit budget, in the hire. Two full-time Development hope that at a later point the Gov- Workers, and a Product Develop- ernment would be forced to make ment Officer, were hired, to develop more money available. The District new worker co-operatives, and de- Labour Party (DLP) voted against sign new products. the proposal, but in conjunction with Examples included Procon, a con- Conservative and Liberal council- crete products co-operative, and lat- lors, a vote to set the legal maximum er, Traffic Systems, a worker co-op- passed. erative specialising in traffic systems Following this incident, the power engineering and maintenance. Some of central government to intervene attempts were also made to trans- in, and direct local services, and to form failing businesses in the heavy force local authorities to contract industries into co-operatives, but services out to private tender, and these were generally unsuccessful. to set rates, became extensive, and Another initiative was the reorgan- under significant pressure, Sheffield isation of the Estates Department, Council began to reconsider its ap- to utilise council owned land and proach. property to promote community in- itiatives, rather than “the speculative URBAN REDEVELOPMENT requirements of private developers”. SHEFFIELD’S DEFIANT ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIC STRATEGY TO Seeking further inspiration, the In 1980, the Government launched THATHERISM LOOKED TO EMPOWER RESIDENTS TO TAKE CON- Council republished Six Years of the first Urban Development Corpo- TROL OF THEIR LIVES AND REDUCE ALIENATION Labour Rule in Sheffield, recalling ration (UDC) in London, an attempt the “brave pioneers” who had “laid to involve private sector finance city centre out into the Don Valley. ing-class city not to the false future the foundations for the magnificent in regeneration projects. The UDC The Council negotiated to exclude that Sheffield is a sports centre. We socialist city’ of which people had model was based on the creation of some areas that were already being have partnerships with the private been so proud.” special purpose government-man- redeveloped by SERC and to trans- sector which need properly defining, dated agencies, tasked with regener- fer staff over to the Development because at the moment we have poli- A LOSING BATTLE ating industrial zoned areas. Corporation. ticians playing at being businessmen Sheffield Council initially resisted After years of estrangement, a new and businessmen playing at being By the mid-1980s, the Council em- the introduction of UDCs, and it was effort was made to engage with the politicians.” ployed over 21,000 people, more only in 1986 that it set up its own Chamber of Commerce. Public-pri- For all the financial pain howev- than five times the workforce of the alternative, the Sheffield Economic vate partnerships were proposed, in er, Sheffield does now hold a rep- largest private firm in the city. This Regeneration Committee (SERC), order to diversify the economy into utation for being the City of Sport. was completely at odds with the in an effort to preserve local control leisure, tourism, and new technol- Since 1991, the city has hosted more desires of the Conservative Gov- that would be lost under the UDC ogies. Plans to build Meadowhall than 1,000 sporting events, nearly ernment, which believed that local model. Although it consulted with were brought forward. half of them international. Ponds councils were wasteful and ineffi- the private sector, SERC took the Gestures such as the flying of the Forge continues to host internation- cient, and had therefore trimmed form of a Council committee. red flag from the Town Hall on May al water sports events, most recently council budgets. The following year however, the Day, the creation of nuclear free the UK Invictus Trials and the Un- In response, the leaders of the La- Council changed its mind, and en- zones, and the annual Karl Marx me- derwater Hockey World Champion- bour controlled local authorities met tered into an agreement with the morial lecture were dispensed with, ships. Bramall Lane has been chosen in February 1985, and decided that Government to launch the Sheffield to ‘cleanse’ the Council of its ‘neg- as a host venue for the 2021 UEFA Councils should refuse to set budg- Development Corporation, with a ative’ image. Women’s European Championships. ets, as part of a strategy to force the seven-year budget of £50 million The Olympic Legacy Park, which government to release extra funding. and powers to provide services and FLAGSHIP INVESTMENTS replaced Don Valley Stadium, con- Leading Sheffield councillors how- acquire and dispose of land in an tinues to grow, and is home of the ever, proved unwilling to break the area of 2,000 acres, running from the A key aim of the Sheffield UDC Sheffield Hallam University’s Ad- was to identify of a ‘flagship invest- vanced Wellbeing Research Centre ment’, to help the city create a pos- and Food Engineering Centre. A sta- itive image for itself. The Council dium for women’s football and rug- decided that Sheffield would put for- by league games is forthcoming. ward a bid to host the World Student Games, which if successful, would be the largest multi-sporting event THE SUPERTRAM held in Britain since the 1948 Lon- don Olympics. Sheffield would be Another scheme, originally intro- transformed into ‘The City of Sport’. duced by SERC, was the Supertram. Although the bid was successful, A striking example of public in- it emerged that the Council had not vestment, the project received £233 undertaken the necessary work to as- million from the government and sess the ‘realistic possibility’ of the £7 million from the private sector, private sector taking an interest in mostly provided by the developers the event. Costs overran, fundraising of Meadowhall. under-achieved and a deal for televi- The tram route was chosen as part sion coverage fell through. Though of an effort to regenerate the north the games went well, costs eventu- and east of city, but unfortunately, ally exceeded £500 million. Coun- the project ran out of money with cillor Peter Duff, who resigned from only one east line completed, and no the Council in protest, criticised the west line. Without having assessed ideology that had motivated the bid: the potential usage of the service, “The Council has been dragged it came as a disappointment to the into the Thatcher myth that the fu- Council that the tram initially was THE WORLD STUDENT GAMES WAS A SUCCESS FOR THE CITY. ture lies in tourism, leisure, and a financial failure, and it was sold BUT IT WAS NOT A FINANCIAL SUCCESS. TODAY SHEFFIELD HAS recreation. We should be playing to to the private sector in 1997 to curb FORGED A REPUTATION AS “THE CITY OF SPORT.” the traditional strengths of a work- further losses. generation Budget (SRB), a consol- The Sheffield First Partnership, would fight for greater local control HEAT AND POWER idation of government regeneration founded in 1998 to manage the re- over funding. In recognition of his programmes under the administra- generation of the city, was given the efforts, he was made a non-execu- The Council encountered further tion of the Department for the Envi- responsibility of restoring the city tive board member of Department bad luck with its innovative District ronment, Transport and the Regions centre, improving transport links, for Communities and Local Govern- Heating System, originally managed (DETR). encouraging enterprise development ment. by the Council in partnership with The CLG’s flagship initiative, ‘The including incubators created through In the first decade of the new mil- Sheffield Heat and Power Ltd (the Heart of the City’ sought to upgrade the universities. The apparent suc- lennium, public sector job growth private sector). The project aimed the city centre and run-down neigh- cess of this model encouraged the drove much of the recovery in Shef- to reduce the amount of waste sent bourhoods, attract new businesses, Government to require all local au- field. A 2012 study showed that pub- to landfill by providing the city cen- and increase the student population thorities to follow Sheffield’s lead lic administration, education and tre with a reliable and cost-effective of the city to over 50,000. Projects and establish partnership boards, health made up over a third of all the source of energy. included the redevelopment of Mid- known as Local Strategic Partner- jobs in the city, with private sector Between July 1989 and March land Railway Station, and the build- ships (LSPs). jobs responsible for half, heavily 1990, a series of pipes were installed ing of the Winter Garden. Kerslake also re-organised the concentrated in Small and Medi- across the city centre, linking the in- The Council also began to look Council, streamlining its 14 exist- um sized Enterprises (SMEs). This cinerator on Bernard Road with the towards the European Union for ing departments into five executive progress coincided however, with Lyceum Theatre, Millennium Gal- funding. The city secured ‘Objective sections. A quarter of all Council severe cuts to the Council’s core leries, Crucible, and Weston Park One’ status, which opened up £820 services were outsourced to trusts budget. Many jobs were lost, func- Hospital, Sheffield City Hall and million pounds to more than 250 or- and the private sector, overseen by tions amalgamated, and programmes several of the university buildings, ganisations and over 650 projects, a system of performance indicators. cancelled or shrunk, and only accel- to provide them with a cheap source increasing the size of the local econ- The Council tapped into a host of erated following the election of the of heating. The scheme won the first omy by 8.5%. Partnership working government programmes targeted at Conservative-led coalition govern- CHPA Community Heating Award with the private sector was a precon- addressing inequalities, such as the ment in 2010. for Innovation. dition of this funding. New Deal for Communities, Sure The main flaw with the scheme Start, Neighbourhood Renewal, and OUTSOURCING was that it was built close to a res- BOB KERSLAKE the Social Exclusion Unit. idential area. Concerns were raised In 2001, a Government mandat- Although the Kerslake years, and about the smoke and emissions gen- Driving much of this change was ed Urban Regeneration Company those of his successor, John Moth- erated by the incinerator, and effect Council leader Mike Bower, and – Sheffield One – was set up asa ersole, had many positives, the out- of dioxins on the health of local res- Bob Kerslake, who was appoint- successor to the UDC. Sheffield One sourcing of contracts to the private idents. Anticipating the introduction ed Chief Executive in 1996. Kers- was developed by the Council in sector has often been problematic. of the 2000 EU Incineration Direc- lake’s appointment, combined with conjunction with the regional devel- The first major agreement negoti- tive, an effort was begun to upgrade the election of a Labour government opment agency Yorkshire Forward, ated by the Council was agreed in the incinerator at a cost of £25 mil- the following year, gave the city a and English Partnerships, the nation- January 1998, when it agreed to out- lion. When this was deemed to be much-needed boost. “Inheriting a al development agency. Major fund- source its IT and finance operations too expensive, the plant was fully dire budgetry situation … and a lack ing came from the EU Objective 1 to CSL, a subsidiary of Deloitte and privatised, and a 35-year £1.2 bil- of resources”, Kerslake sought a for- Fund. Revised every three years, the Touche. At £130m, it was 50% larger lion-pound contract was awarded to mal rapprochement with the Cham- new City Strategy set out the long- than the largest existing agreement Onyx (now Veolia) to run the plant. ber of Commerce and the wider term vision for the Council, “to cre- to date, negotiated by the London Onyx announced that it was cheap- business community. He embraced ate new jobs and ensure that local Borough of Croydon. er to build a new facility than to the new attitude towards public-pri- communities have access to them”. Under the terms of the CSL deal, upgrade the existing Bernard Road vate partnerships and outsourcing Kerslake also played a founding 500 employees were transferred to incinerator, completed in 2006. Con- agreements, which led to the city be- role in the creation of the Core Cit- the private sector, at a reported sav- cerns about the smoke persist to this ing awarded further grants from the ies Network, a lobbying group of ing of £50 million. CSL were tasked day. and also, the fact that a short- Government and the EU. eight major post-industrial cities that with collecting Council Tax, paying age of refuse has meant at times that staff, and processing all payments waste has been diverted from local aside from benefits. recycling centres, and even imported Less than two years later, CSL into the city from elsewhere in the were fined by the Council after a country. huge backlog of Housing Benefits claims led to an explosion in rent SIGNS OF RECOVERY arrears, forcing the Council to prior- itise payments to private tenants in By the early 1990s, professional order to prevent mass evictions. and low-paid employment in Shef- One of the conditions of having field was starting to grow again, but been awarded the contract was that middle earning category jobs had CSL had to provide evidence to the declined. The combined losses from Council that their pension scheme the Games and the Supertram, meant could match that of the existing Lo- that the Council was forced to econ- cal Government Pension Scheme. omise. However, CSL subsequently en- After the Conservatives were countered acute financial problems, re-elected in 1992, further cuts ap- meaning they were unable to meet peared inevitable, and the Council their obligations to the scheme. The finally abandoned its no ‘redun- pensions were subsequently trans- dancy’ policy. School building and ferred, despite the resistance of the renovation was cut; teachers were Liberal Democrats on the Council, not replaced; school class sizes in- and CSL were eventually replaced creased; specialist provision was by Capita, who maintain the contract reduced; Council houses were not to this day. built; repairs were not carried out; Perhaps more controversial was Children’s homes and libraries were the outsourcing of the highways closed; home-help reduced; social redevelopment contract, negotiat- workers not replaced; and recreation ed partly by the Liberal Democrats and leisure facilities fell into decline. during their period in power, and In 1992, the Council launched the Labour after they regained control in City Liaison Group (CLG) as a suc- 2010. A 25-year contract to maintain cessor to SERC, an independent Sheffield’s roads, at £2.2bn it was agency that was successful in both THE LARGEST GLASS HOUSE IN EUROPE, THE WINTER GARDEN one of the largest Private Finance of the bids it made to the Single Re- WAS THE CENTERPIECE OF THE HEART OF THE CITY PROJECT Initiatives (PFI) agreed to date by a local authority. ists and performers to the city. Shef- solutions – both public and private - The Council have always main- field is the Real Ale Capital of Brit- in an effort to improve the life of the tained that it was the only way that ain and is internationally known as city. Sometimes those efforts suc- they could guarantee road improve- the Home of Snooker. ceeded, and sometimes they failed. ments, yet its attitude towards those Over the past 30 years, the city’s More important, is the fact that campaigning against the felling of student population has grown to they were tried at all. Dan Jarvis The Sheffield Co-operatoris street trees has been controversial. 60,000, helped by a large increase in has pledged to adopt co-operative edited by Principle 5: The York- the number of international students. approaches to local services where shire Co-operative Resource AUSTERITY With civic leaders convinced that possible. Perhaps then, soon, Shef- Centre. the future of Sheffield lies in dig- field will become a co-operative By the time of the 2008 Financial ital and advanced manufacturing, city? Can co-operation bring pros- For enquiries, letters, and other Crisis, Sheffield had increased its questions remain as to how wealth perity back to those areas of the city correspondence please email: population moderately, and ap- can be redirected to deprived areas, that have so long been allowed to de- [email protected] peared to be thriving, though it still where jobs and opportunities remain cline due to lack of work and oppor- ranked 14 out of 15 major UK cities scarce. With the High Street continu- tunities? Maybe, but without trying, Or write to: for ‘liveliness’. It suffered, as it does ing to contract, the problems will be- it will not. Sheffield Co-operator today, from pockets of high relative come more acute, particularly as we - CHRISTOPHER OLEWICZ c/o Principle 5 deprivation, and a high-level skills contend with the long-term effects Aizlewood’s Mill shortage, particularly in the areas of the Covid-19 pandemic. - For sources and further information, Nursery Street most affected by de-industrialisation As we have seen, Sheffield has contact Principle 5: The Yorkshire Sheffield S3 8GG of the 1980s. consistently implemented radical Co-operative Resource Centre. The austerity of the next decade saw the Council budget reduced by £430m. Welfare cuts of a further £4 billion around the country are cur- rently planned for the 2020s. With nearly a quarter of Sheffield’s local- ities counting in the most deprived 10% of areas in the nation, and three areas counting among the 1% most deprived areas, the impact will be devastating. With the Council una- ble to raise Council Tax rates, it is unable to invest in the local econo- my. Employment in the city has grown since 2010 but the nature of work has changed, with increasing numbers of people undertaking part-time work. Efforts to bring in extra investment from China failed. Announced in 2016, a reported £1 billion deal with the Sichuan Guodong Group – the largest deal to date between a Chi- nese company and a British city out- side London - promised investment and jobs. Proposals to turn the Cen- tral Library, which needs extensive repairs, into a hotel were poorly re- ceived, and eventually abandoned. Three years later, the deal collapsed with little evidence of any invest- ment having taken place. A CO-OPERATIVE FUTURE? When the Coalition was elected in 2010, it replaced Regional Devel- opment Agencies with Local Enter- prise Partnerships. The Core Cities Group actively supported the devel- opment of City Deals; funding and development agreements between central and local government to cre- ate City Regions, overseen by an elected mayor. After five years of ill-tempered ne- gotiation, the Sheffield City Region deal was signed in early 2020, two years after Dan Jarvis was elected Mayor, with a mandate to oversee a £30m a year fund, to guide econom- ic development across Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Chesterfield and Doncaster. It is hard to argue against the fact that private investment has done much to ‘upgrade’ certain areas of the city centre. Cultural events, such as the Festival of the Mind, and Sheffield Doc/Fest have brought art- WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO BUILD A FEMINIST CO-OPERATION? CLEM BONNEAU EXPLORES THE ONGOING CAMPAIGN FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN CO-OPERATIVES The co-operative movement is based these inequalities. on the principles of democracy, and Awareness: A lot of male co-opera- autonomy. Alongside these prin- tors are still unaware of the challeng- ciples, they often share values of es women face at work. Sociologist equality, equity and solidarity. Their Arlene Daniels talks about invisible structure ensures that the founding labour to refer to the unpaid labour principles are respected, but putting performed by women (housework values of equality and solidarity into and caregiving responsibilities) and practice is a much greater challenge. the expectation that women will take Gender inequalities in co-operatives on a larger share of this economical- were at the centre of the 2011 Wom- ly and culturally devalued work. en’s Challenge campaign, launched Few co-operators are aware of the by the movement to raise awareness stress and exhaustion it causes, and and reduce inequalities. how often it prevents women from THE NATIONAL CO-OPERATIVE WOMENS’ GUILD CAMPAIGNED Unfortunately nearly a decade af- taking on more responsibilities at FOR MATERNITY RIGHTS AND THE MINIMUM WAGE, FROM THE ter the launch of the campaign, we work for fear of letting down their PERSPECTIVE OF WOMEN AS CONSUMERS NOT WORKERS are still very far from the movement colleagues or their family. The in- show that even when women are tators for example. being gender-balanced. Women are ternet is packed full of strategies for present at meetings they are still A common effort: Finally, femi- still under-represented in managerial women to overcome this stress by consistently less likely than men to nist issues have to be tackled by all positions in co-ops. For some co-ops themselves, thus fostering a culture substantively participate. Far from members of the co-op with a real un- there is still an important gender pay in which women have to adapt to having less to say women don’t al- derstanding of the benefits of a gen- gap and opportunities are still much their workplace rather than the op- ways feel that they can oppose a der-balanced workplace, not only for greater for male co-operators. posite. male colleague. They will often wait women themselves but for the well- Despite our best intentions, we The stepping stone to a fair and for their turn to speak, and if the con- being and efficiency of the co-op. can’t always dislodge the more deep- equal workplace is to create sup- versation is led by strong charismat- In a 1997 article, Lynne Bouchard ly rooted inequalities as easily as we portive structures for women to ac- ic male co-operators, that turn might suggested some feminist principles might think and often co-ops fail to cess the same opportunities as their not come very often. be added to the seven Co-operative identify what needs to change. I will male colleagues so they don’t have Not only do co-ops need more Principles, including equality, equity not get into details about the origins to choose between their careers and women in leadership positions but and inclusivity. Nearly 25 years lat- and causes of gender inequalities, care duties. they also need to reflect on their er, this feels more relevant than ever for Simone de Beauvoir does a bril- Genuine representation: When communication and meeting styles in order to create a gender-balanced liant job of it in The Second Sex. In- speaking of representation, co-ops and focus on giving everyone an environment. So why not reimagine stead I would like to focus on some often fail to see further than attend- equal opportunity to speak, some co- our principles with a feminist twist? of the reasons we struggle tackling ance to meetings. However, studies ops might benefit from trained facili- - CLEM BONNEAU

Co-op News is a media co-operative that has been telling the movement’s stories for nearly 150 years.

Find out more about our publiction and join the Co-op News co-operative at: thenews.coop/join IN PROFILE: THE MANOR AND CASTLE DEVELOPMENT TRUST KEN CURRAN RECALLS THE BIRTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE MANOR AND CASTLE DEVELOPMENT TRUST

The story of the Manor and Castle Development Trust is part of the much larger story of one of Shef- field’s poorest wards, Manor and Castle, since 1979. Elected Prime Minister in that year, Margaret Thatcher began to attack the very fabric of post-war settlement placed upon the Statute Book by the Labour Party in 1945. She promised to privatise the core industries - coal THE MANOR AND CASTLE DEVELOPMENT TRUST, BASED IN PARK LIBRARY ON DUKE STREET, and steel - which employed millions HAS WORKED FOR OVER TWO DECADES TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF LOCAL RESIDENTS of people, and restrict trade union rights to favour businesses. Heavy in an area which had no money and an end, and that people living on the David my interest in the area and my industry and engineering products, it where few people owned cars. Manor needed to learn new skills if experience, and David offered me a was believed, could be bought from Eventually, a Project Manager was the community was ever to recover place on the MaTReC Management Asia cheaper than it was to produce appointed, but she had a huge task from the slump. At this time, he was Committee. Very soon I became im- them in the UK. This led to the col- on her hands, trying to work with very much on his own in this opin- mersed in community affairs. lapse of Sheffield’s industrial base people who, because of their lack ion; such was the negative view of After the completion of MaTReC almost in an instant. of experience of running a business, education on the estate. and the setting up of the Manor De- were of little help. The Project was It so happened that the former Co- velopment Company, a further bid THE MANOR running out of money. The problems op Butchers Shop, which had closed to Europe and English Partnerships were compounded when the man- as a result of the recession, was up was submitted to develop a business On the Manor Estate unemployment ager tragically lost her life in a traf- for sale. David bought the building, centre that could let out thirty small peaked at around 40%. Exacerbating fic accident. It advertised for a new with the intention of setting up an units to people at reasonable rents, the problem was the fact that the Es- Manager, and received one applica- educational facility, which he called the hope being that the centre could tate’s housing stock was in a shock- tion, from David Clarson, who was the Manor Training & Resource Cen- act as a catalyst to attract more busi- ing condition, as it had been built living in Stocksbridge. David had tre (MaTReC). It was the first social nesses and jobs. A builder was em- with sub-standard materials. previously served as a Trades Union enterprise on the Manor. He secured ployed who, having formerly owned The two issues combined to create Shop Steward at a Foundry in the a grant from the European Union to his own business, was semi-retired, a sense of worthlessness among the West Midlands. Later, he attended redecorate the shop, and to convert and concerned about the alarming local residents, who felt abandoned Bristol University where he studied the shop next door into a Children’s levels of unemployment among by the Council. For generations, Politics, and met his wife, who was Nursery for the use of the students. young men. they had been a source of labour from Sheffield. His and David’s idea was to cre- for the steel, metal bashing, mining, MY ROLE ate a Manor Building Company, re- foundry, and cutlery industries. They NEW HORIZONS cruiting a number of young men to couldn’t understand why a job was Having spent 20 years as a miner, I become apprentices, and training vitally important one day, and had Soon after his appointment, David had studied Politics, Constitutional them on the job. They did this, and no value the next! froze all expenditure on the Project’s Law and European History at New- the Business Centre now standing at Out of desperation, a group of un- enterprises. A number of the orig- battle Abbey Residential College, the rear of MaTReC is a testament to employed workers occupied the for- inal group complained that his ac- near Edinburgh. In 1968 I got a job their vision, as is the second centre, mer County Council Depot - which tions were undemocratic, but Dave as a Trade Union Officer, for the Na- also built on Alison Crescent. is now a motel - at the junction of countered that given the state of the tional Union of Public Employees During 1991, I was encouraged to Sheffield Parkway and Prince of Project it was a necessity, a view (NUPE) in South Yorkshire. I moved stand as a Labour candidate for the Wales Road. Following a lot of pub- that was supported by the Council to Sheffield and very soon became Council for Manor Ward. My branch licity in the Sheffield Star, they were Officers and a minority of the pro- involved in the Sheffield Trades gave their full support to my bid. In invited by the Leader of the Council, ject members. With money still left and Labour Council. After serving May 1992 I was elected with a large David Blunkett, to discuss what their in the bank account, David organ- NUPE for 21 years I took early re- majority. Having been a Local Coun- intentions were. ised a door-to-door survey to take tirement at the end of the 80s as part cillor on Tyneside, I was already fa- They explained their desire to use place. He trained a number of the of the merger process which created miliar with local government. the depot as a job creation initiative. members to undertake the surveys, UNISON. The Council agreed to set aside a in the knowledge that locally known For many years I had been a friend SOCIAL UNREST small budget for what became the people were more likely to produce of local Labour MP Richard Caborn, Manor Project, with a pair of Coun- positive results. and we regularly met up for a pint It became very clear soon after cil Officers given the task of assist- The survey revealed the Manor Es- with friends on Sunday evenings joining Sheffield City Council, that ing the rebels to achieve this objec- tate was very poor, and that its resi- at the Trades and Labour Club. while Local Government was basi- tive. Efforts were made to set up a dents had a low level of education- Through these meetings I accepted cally the same as when I left to study painting and decorating company, al attainment. The general opinion an offer to do some voluntary work Politics in Edinburgh, national gov- a car cleaning and valeting service, was that school had failed residents. at the Manor Advice Centre. ernment had radically changed its and a gardening service. These were What was clear to David was that the After a few weeks I crossed the road relationship with local Councils. I reasonable ideas, but were little use era of manual work was coming to to look at MaTReC. I explained to found a City Council being held in bondage by the influence and pow- to change course. ploy local people. Mike Bower, the Fortunately, in the 1980s, the Park er of the Conservative Government. A day or two later Ernest and I met Leader of the Council, who had a Community & Wybourn Action Morale was low within the Labour at the local Rectory to discuss a way passion for co-operatives, was quick Group had been formed, and talks Group. The Liberal opposition were forward. For a number of years a to recognise the logic of David’s were held with this group in order to very opportunistic. They had no Council run Local Forum had grad- thinking. We had the nucleus of a form a partnership, which eventually ideas about how to improve condi- ually fallen away and local tenants vision that was vital for the years became the Manor & Castle Devel- tions, but happily criticised Labour no longer had anywhere to take their ahead. opment Trust. I was prevailed upon efforts to improve the morale of the concerns. Our response was to set up to become the Chair. Feeling I could city, particularly the World Student an independent version of the failed MANOR AND CASTLE do more for the general condition of Games, which had been a great suc- Forum, so that people could attend the local electorate by taking a lead- cess, but sadly not financially. without feeling they were being The work undertaken by Michael ing role helping to operate a social Around the same time, in 1990, talked down to by Council Officers. Hesseltine resulted in the creation enterprise dedicated to improving gangs of young people began to A letter was put together, signed of the Single Regeneration Budget the general wellbeing of the commu- gather around St Swithuns Church by those we regarded as key people (SRB) schemes. The SRB was es- nity, I announced that if the bid for in Upper Manor. For some time across the Manor who were support- sentially a lottery for deprived areas. was successful, I would step down over the summer of that year the lo- ive of the new approach, and the Sheffield applied for the first round, from the Council in order to avoid cal vicar, the Rev Atkinson, spent first meeting of Manor Assembly and was successful in its plan to reju- any conflicts of interest. his time among these people, and I was called in late July 1990. Da- venate the housing stock of Uppert- Of course, we were successful, the would often join him along with the vid Clarson told that meeting what horpe. Kelvin Flats, and other slum first non-local authority organisation Secretary of the local Labour Party the Manor Project was, and what housing in the area, was demolished, to win an SRB grant. It must have Ernest Hardy hoping to have a calm- it had achieved so far. Both David and the residents re-housed. While taken the best part of 18 months be- ing influence. and I constantly talked up whatever this was positive, it did nothing to fore the various legalities were set- There was always a sense of ten- achievement was made. There was a solve the unemployment problem. tled. The Thatcher-Major years were sion in the air. One night, almost great need to challenge the negative Meanwhile, things continued to coming to an end, and New Labour all the windows of the church were attitudes that many people had, that deteriorate on the Manor. In 1996, were just beginning to solidify their broken, and an attempt was made to things would never change. after a local school was burnt down lead in the polls under Tony Blair. set fire to the building, which Rev. This is not to say that the Project in an arson attack, Roy Hattersley We were officially given the award Atkinson succeeded in preventing. was in good health at this time. Hav- declared that it was the “worst estate down on Victoria Quays by Junior This kind of incident had re-oc- ing undertaken great work up to that in Britain”. Minister Anne Widdicombe. curred across the country in the 80s point, without a proper vision for Around that time, the Manor De- Over 20 years later, the Trust is still – Toxteth, in Liverpool, Meadow the future, it was felt that the Pro- velopment Company decided to put going strong. The Trust branched Well in North Tyneside, and Black- ject might have run its course. Two forward a bid for the third round out, launching The Green Estate - water Farm in London – had all seen away days – paid for by MaTReC – of SRB funding. The Leeds based a land management enterprise - in major riots, with millions of pounds were held at the St George’s Hotel Government office were very im- 1998, and building the Quadrent, a of damage inflicted. Thatcher and at Nether Edge, with 20 students at- pressed by the bid, but advised that business centre on the Parkway. Ma- the Conservatives had no answers. tending, to create that vision. the geographical area of the Manor TReC has been close to closure on The Government was faced with David told the attendees that they Ward would be too small for consid- a couple of occasions due to lack of sending in the Army, which was al- were on the cusp of turning a com- eration, and suggested we talked to funding. This is a shame, because ready pre-occupied in Northern Ire- munity which had nothing into a community groups in other areas of the service it provides, education, is land. Michael Heseltine led a Cabi- community which owned properties the city. This included Castle, Wy- needed now more than ever. net rebellion which forced Thatcher and social enterprises that could em- bourn and Hyde Park. - KENNETH CURRAN candidate, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, was elected with 93% of the vote. Their story can be read in Jackson Rising: The Struggle for Economic Democracy and Black Self-Determi- nation in Jackson, Mississippi. The environment also featured heavily at the Conference, with the adoption of plans for a New Green Deal, but even here the local/glob- al and market/democracy came into play. How do we square the circle of a global trading system promot- ing the efficiency of the market and goods being shipped around the world, very often with environmen- tal consequences against protecting local environments and natural re- sources. Sheffield recently saw thousands on the streets, protesting against cli- mate change and the burning of the Amazon, but at the same time the EU are ratifying a trade deal with Mer- cosur, the South American Common Market, to buy more beef, chicken and sugar the very reason ranchers are burning the rainforest. THE SHEFFIELD.LINK But, I hear you ask, what has all this to do with Sheffield? The examples in Spain and the US have been born SHEFFIELD: A MICROCOSM of extremes but reflect some of the debates current in Sheffield all in the same frame. Brexit, trees, buses and OF A DEBATE democracy. All are parts of the local/ global, economic/democratic debate. DAVID BERRY OF SHEFFIELD RENEWABLES EXAMINES HOW GOVERNMENT POLI- The Brexit debate has now long CIES ARE REFLECTED IN LOCAL POLITICS transcended logic into one of raw emotion. The city is split almost In the last edition of the Sheffield allowance when work is not availa- itics from across the Atlantic and I equally between those strong sup- Co-operator much was made of ble. It is far from perfect, as it was was impressed by the strength of porters of Remain who see the cen- the Preston Model and Community born out of necessity rather than their presentations. tralised EU economy as offering Wealth Building, and the difficul- planned, but its unemployment rate The first was from Barbara Dud- them greater freedom and sheltering ties it faced with the global rules of is 4% compared to the regional un- ley, on behalf of the Working Fam- them from globalising trends, and competition and State support. Since employment rate of 29% and polit- ilies Party, a minority party in the those Leavers who want more na- then I have tried to look at other ex- ical participation is high. A longer US two party system, which organ- tional control and see the EU as part amples. history of the village can be found in ises on a local basis around strikes, of the global marketisation of life. the recent book The Village Against childcare and minimum wage issues Secondly, the trees, another split TWO THREADS the World by Dan Hancox. to pressurise candidates in the main between the economic efficiency I also came across academic back- parties to support working people. of the market and local democratic Socialism itself is often described ing for more localised and independ- They also stand candidates for lo- control by the people. Sheffield City as having two threads of thought ent control of economies. The first cal positions on the basis of work- Council, in the guise of private-sec- and organisation, with the more woman to win the Nobel Prize for ing class and union support. They tor contractor Amey, provoked out- recognisable Statist model compet- economics was Elinor Ostrom of the endorsed Elizabeth Warren for the rage with plans to fell and replace ing with a more localised version US. In 1968 Garrett Hardin wrote a Democrat presidential candida- street trees, and was met with dem- proposed by co-operatives and an- book The Tragedy of the Commons cy, and are active across many US ostrations, police intervention, and archists. These two threads are best in which he argued that resources States. Initiatives like this may help arrests. Yet Network Rail’s plan to described in the seminal work of Hal had to be controlled by either the with a breakthrough for left politics fell over a million trees for HS2, at a Draper, The Two Souls of Socialism market or the State or human self in- in next year’s presidential elections rate of a thousand a week, provoked published in 1966. terest would destroy them. Ostrom’s and break the liberal stranglehold on minor comments and a national peti- The United States and Spain have work provided hundreds of exam- the Democratic Party. tion of less than 200 signatures. always contained a strong element of ples around the world where, in fact, Second was the community econ- Thirdly, the buses, again a bat- co-operation and anarchism. Many communities sufficiently bonded in omy of Jackson, Mississippi. Like tle of the market versus democracy of us are already aware of Mondrag- solidarity had managed natural re- Marinaleda, it was born out of ne- and control. The chaos of whole- on, the giant Spanish Co-op - the sources communally for many years. cessity, and is represented by Kali sale changes to timetables by pri- tenth largest company in Spain. An- Ostrom’s riposte to Hardin was Akuno one of their Directors. The vate-sector bus companies pitted archism has always featured heavi- Governing the Commons, a book movement, named Jackson Rising, against local people dependent on ly in the US trade union movement laying a structural methodology for was formed in the aftermath of Hur- public transport for work and school. with the Wobblies, who made up an achieving communal self manage- ricane Katrina when the communi- Like much else, at the bottom of the element of resistance to Franco in ment. Her work never received its ty felt abandoned by both the State dilemma is the unwillingness to in- the Spanish Civil War. due regard as the left disliked her and the market. In the tradition of vest in public, rather than in private I recently came across the story of emphasis on tradition and family as the Black Liberation Movement the profit. Marinaleda, an anarchist village in bonds and the right rejected her as community have built a localised And fourthly, our local democracy Andalusia, and its workers co-oper- being too close to anarchism. economy of co-operatives and land itself. After several years of haggling ative, founded on abandoned farm- The 2018 World Transformed fes- trusts, but have also focused on de- over whether devolution to a City land thirty-five years ago. Its ‘back tival, attached to the Labour Party mocracy, with citizens’ assemblies Region was going to offer us more to the land’ ethos provides work for Conference in Brighton, featured and shared economic power. In its money, democracy, and economic the unemployed and offers a basic two elements of more localised pol- recent mayoral elections the winning efficiency, we now have an equally today. Both market and State have 70s with the oil crises and inflation been underpinned by institutions, stalling growth and creating rising political control and academic le- unemployment. This crisis allowed gitimacy. For many years the cry the market liberals such as Friedman of environmentalists was ‘act local, and Hayek, backed by Thatcher and think global’, and the clash between Reagan, to seize the initiative and re- the local and the global has now in- turn to market fundamentalism. troduced another level of alienation. The process of using the opportuni- There is a battleground of intellectu- ty of crises to establish new regimes al ideas that challenge left and right has been honed into a theory of cri- with scale and centralisation of eco- ses by Naomi Klein in her book The nomic power favouring efficiency Shock Doctrine. Privatisation, gov- and cries for devolution and locali- ernment cuts and most importantly sation to strengthen democracy and the surrender of the financial system participation. to the private banking system saw The economic institutions of Cen- huge growth in private credit along- tral Banks, the IMF and the World side labour’s declining share of GDP Bank are now far removed from the and security of employment. The day-to-day control of citizens, and birth of globalisation and the free THE COUNCIL SPENT MUCH POLITICAL CAPITAL DURING THE even their understanding, whilst the movement of capital was born and AMEY AFFAIR, BUT WHAT WERE THE ALTERNATIVES? strength of local campaigns still un- named the “Washington Consensus” derpins for many the wish to control created and guided by subsequent fierce debate about the model of or- got here as a left labour movement. their lives and environment. US governments and the US Treas- ganisation of our City Council. The The modern tactic of demonising ury. The process was aided by the strong leader model or the commit- your opponent rather than debating AN ECONOMIC BATTLE defeat of the Soviet Union. tee system? At the present time we with them does not help to under- Once again, ensuring the stability are to have a referendum to decide stand the frustrations suffered by For much of its history, capitalism of the system has proved too much the matter, with one side claiming many. The slogan ‘Take Back Con- has been a battle between the Mar- of a challenge. There have been over democracy, whilst the other claim- trol’ has become associated with the ket and the State, with liberals feel- 80 financial crises requiring IMF ing efficiency and speed of decision likes of Farage and Boris Johnson, ing that the market and its self-bal- or US bailouts, each accompanied making. but it has been a cry of workers and ancing prophecies fulfilled the early by ‘structural adjustment’, meaning citizens throughout capitalism. promise of Paine’s rhetoric, and rules on reducing the role of the State THE VALUE OF ECONOMICS The question posed by Ann al- those more like Spence, who feel and increasing market power. This lowed me to reflect on the issue of that the ownership of the means of culminated in the financial crash of I offer no view on any of these issues control and to think of the history of production was nearer true econom- 2008 and the subsequent printing of in this article, other than to say that economics, and how remote we are ic democracy. During the first period up to $14 trillion by central banks to I am a great critic of the market and from the power to control it at the of capitalist production, the market bolster the market system. our current capitalist system, but I do moment. Many see Thomas Paine dominated, backed up by mercantile Despite the huge injections of draw attention to the fact that if we as one of the founding fathers of our imperialism and gunboat diplomacy, money, the real economy has only are to thrive as a democratic com- democratic movement, but I am a fan but wars, crises and worker resist- felt austerity and declining living munity we must transcend the emo- of another economic prophet, Thom- ance to exploitation was always nip- standards. In a Radio 4 programme tional outpourings of the moment, as Spence who, a few years later, in ping at the heels of market liberals. Andy Haldane, Chief Economist at and the vitriol that goes with it, and 1793, berated Paine for his focus on The Great War, followed closely the Bank of England, reckoned less recognise the validity of all points of political rights, and whose cry was by the Great Financial Crash, the than 5% reached the real economy view. At the heart of all these matters that real democratic rights must be Russian Revolution and Marxism, of manufacturing and family budg- is money and its distribution. grounded in economic rights and and warnings from economists such ets. This is where we are today, wait- Also at the World Transformed, I that ‘the question is.. no longer about as Keynes saw post-war Europe and ing for the next crisis and feeling the attended an event with Ann Pettifor, what form of government is most fa- the United States following a new world spinning with little control. the economist, who berated the left vourable to liberty... but which sys- model of greater State intervention for losing its interest in economics. tem is most favourable to existence, and the mixed economy founded at WHAT NEXT? From a question of ‘Who reads the and capable of delivering us from the Bretton Woods in 1945. State own- Financial Times?’ only a half a doz- deadly mischief of great accumula- ership of key industries, import sub- After ten years of austerity, and af- en hands went up and this is what tions of wealth which enables a few stitution policies and full employ- ter spending hundreds of billions of provoked Ann’s ire. The object of unfeeling monsters to starve whole ment replaced private monopoly and pounds saving a corrosive financial her anger was the fact that on Oc- nations.’ free trade. This era is referred to as system we need the same action to tober 10th 2018 the US Federal Re- For Marx, it was the alienation of the ‘golden era’ in economics, with rescue our public services and de- serve yet again bailed out the finan- workers from production, echoed by growing GDP matched by redistribu- mocracy. The issue of control of our cial markets by providing $75 billion Jimmy Reid, convener of the worker tion, the Welfare State and democrat- lives, the market/democracy and dollars of liquidity (printing money, sit-in at the Upper Clyde Shipbuild- ic control of the “crowning heights global/local is an old one and we to you and me) to the shadow bank- ers and later Rector of Glasgow Uni- of the economy”. need to resolve the same issues that ing system, the unregulated financial versity when he said, ‘Let me define Thomas Piketty, in his epic Capital were being debated over 200 years market underpinning the speculative what I mean by alienation. It is the sees this era as an anomaly unlikely ago. That it is a global argument, as derivatives market. She pointed out cry of the men who feel themselves to be repeated, which ended after the well as one to have in Sheffield. that the Federal Reserve is now un- the victims of ...economic forces be- system suffered its own crisis in the - DAVID BERRY derpinning not only the US financial yond their control. It is the frustration system but that of the whole world. of ordinary people excluded from the I suppose the question for many is processes of decision making. The ‘How does that affect me?’ and the feeling of despair and hopelessness scale of the figure encourages disen- that pervades people who feel with gagement, or even alienation. But at justification that they have no say a time of austerity shouldn’t we en- in shaping or determining their own gage with this and try to think how destinies.’ money that is so short in our every- Remembering the two quotes it day lives is suddenly available to echoes the distance people are from those “too big to fail”? the power of controlling their every- In this age of 24/7 news and po- day lives. History can help us answer sitions on Brexit changing hourly it some of the questions as we learn is easy to get carried away with the from earlier struggles of those try- here and now, and forget to reflect on ing to take control of their economic the past, not only your own past but lives but also to gain some coherence SHEFFIELD COUNCIL HAVE DECLARED A CLIMATE EMERGENCY that of your forebears and how we in our answers and understanding of YET BUS USAGE IS DOWN 18% IN TEN YEARS and conflict between direct and rep- resentative democracy. The simple majority produced by a ‘referendum of the people which must be obeyed’ gives rise to several questions. In the first place, is it wise to erect direct democracy as the constitu- tional principle against representa- tive democracy? In any case, can we say that the franchise that concerned the Chartists is satisfactory now, for the purposes of either direct or rep- resentative democracy? And can we say that the institutional arrange- ments that frame political activity are satisfactory from a democratic point of view? I see several problems. First, the question of the franchise, whether for referenda or parliamentary elec- tions. The vote has now been given to people at eighteen years of age rather than twenty-one, but in the Scottish independence referendum it was given to Scots aged sixteen. In the face of the climate emergen- cy, the most effective voice has been that of Greta Thunberg, the Swedish schoolgirl. She first acted while only PETERLOO AND THE PRESENT fifteen. We need say no more to make the case for votes at sixteen! But the right to vote depends on registration. CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS This should not be a matter of indi- ON THE OCCASION OF THE BI-CENTENARY OF PETERLOO, JOHN HALSTEAD REVIEWS vidual responsibility. People should THE PROSPECTS FOR ELECTORAL REFORM IN BRITAIN be registered automatically by pub- lic authorities. There is no technical The bi-centenary of the Peter- by the slashing sabres in 1819 and ufacturing towns obtained their difficulty in doing this. Those who loo Massacre fell on 16th August some 400 injured. Women were an first parliamentary representation, argue against it are arguably seeking 2019. There was a commemorative especial target of the horsemen who but on a very narrow and restricted to gerrymander the system for their meeting in Manchester, despite bad rode into the crowd. Henry Hunt was franchise. Middle class reformers own advantage. weather. Manchester Trades Coun- arrested with nine other radicals and were generally satisfied by the Act A second problem is the first-past- cil also organized a commemorative put on trial at York in 1820. The de- of 1832, but working class activists the-post system. It used to be argued, march to Albert Square two days lat- tails, in documents from the period, were not. The ‘lions’ were urged ‘to when social class was seen as the er, in more favourable weather con- can all be seen at the John Rylands rouse from their slumbers’, produc- primary political division within a ditions. The events of 16th August Library. ing Chartist agitation between 1838 two-party system, that there was a 1819 have apparently been more The contemporary description of and 1848. Petitions for the six points ‘swing of the pendulum’ at general recalled this year than at any oth- the day as a ‘massacre’ was entirely of the Charter in this period were elections, giving fair, if not entire- er time during the last two hundred to the point. The naming of the site unsuccessful. Universal male suf- ly equal chances of success to both years, with major exhibitions at the as ‘Peterloo’ was to echo the terrible frage, annual parliaments, payment sides. But election studies since the People’s History Museum and the loss of life at the battle of Waterloo in for MPs, abolition of property quali- end of the Second World War have John Rylands Library of the Univer- 1815. The event gave rise to gener- fications, equal sized constituencies, consistently noted the erosion of sity of Manchester. What has this all al outrage. The reaction in Yorkshire and the secret ballot, were either not class-based support for the main par- been about, and what is its contem- is especially interesting because it achieved or delayed for many years. ties. porary relevance? had been home to a parliamentary Male suffrage, for example, on the The parties forming governments There was an enormous gather- reform movement for five years dur- modern basis, was not achieved be- have regularly been placed in office ing of textile weavers and others ing the 1780s. Members of the York- fore 1918. Votes for women, which on a minority rather than a majori- at St Peter’s Field, Manchester, on shire Whig gentry and even Earl Fit- the Charter ought to have included, ty of the popular vote. There can be 16 August 1819. People even came zwilliam of Wentworth Woodhouse were not satisfactorily extended un- little doubt that the Chartists of the from Oldham and Saddleworth. The were involved in a county protest til 1928. 19th century would have thought crowd included many women and meeting at York, as well as work- However, two hundred years after this undemocratic. The whole point children. The assembly gathered ing class people at other meetings in the Peterloo Massacre, the question of their activity was to enable the to hear Henry ‘Orator’ Hunt speak places like Leeds. Fitzwilliam, Lord is whether that history is adequate unrepresented majority to have its in favour of parliamentary reform. Lieutenant of the County and head for today? voice against the then represented Populous towns like Manchester of the West Riding magistracy, was minority! were then completely unrepresented consequently dismissed from his DEMOCRACY TODAY But this is only part of the matter. in the House of Commons. Those at- position by the Government. The There is good reason to suppose that tending the rally had no vote. radical, Godfrey Higgins of Skellow The argument for annual parliaments the two-party system may have ex- Any assembly in favour of rights, Grange, Doncaster, who had written - or shorter, since some argued for pired for the foreseeable future. The let alone asserting them from a plat- to the Yorkshire gentry in favour of triennial - was that the representa- main reason may be that the Scottish form, was then viewed as seditious. parliamentary reform in 1817, re- tives would have to be more respon- National Party has become a sub- The Home Secretary, local magis- signed his position as a magistrate in sive to the views of their electors stantial Westminster presence and is trates and their informers had com- solidarity with Fitzwilliam. than with longer terms. They would likely to remain so - this side of any bined with the military and local The clamour for reform could not have to sacrifice their independent possible independence - because of yeomanry in 1817 to arrest working be completely dispelled during the judgement and become delegates. the strains generated by Brexit. The men attempting to go from Man- 1820s. A disruption of trade follow- The constitutional position today is grip of Labour in Scotland, which chester to London with blankets on ing the collapse of many banks in that parliament is sovereign as a rep- has been an important factor in its their backs to seek reform. The same 1825 eventually led to the creation resentative body. Westminster success from the days forces were unleashed upon the of Political Unions and the reform But use of the referendum de- of Kier Hardie and Ramsay Mac- crowd two years later, but more bru- crisis from 1830 onwards which pro- vice by political parties as a way Donald to John Smith and Gordon tally. Whereas only one person was duced the Great Reform Act of 1832. of dealing with internal factional Brown, is now broken. The North- killed in 1817, eighteen were killed Manchester and other northern man- disagreements has created a crisis ern Irish Democratic Unionist Party movements and politics? In raising this we leave aside the disturbing sub-cycle analogy be- tween now and the depression of the inter-war years, that brought about virulent extremist political forc- es, to draw attention to the demise of the Liberal Party. Its success in Britain can arguably be dated from the Whig government formed after the passage of the Reform Act of 1832, or in a more modern version from the Conservative split caused by Sir Robert Peel’s repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846, but it became a spent force after the First World War. It remains so, despite - and because is now at odds with their Conserv- domination by the executive. De- referendum on reunification. What of - its participation in the Camer- ative colleagues at Westminster be- cisions in the Supreme Court have seems to be a more difficult issue on government of 2010-2015. The cause of Johnson’s Brexit proposal. demonstrated that sovereignty is a is whether we have returned to the number of Liberal Party Members In England, nationalist feeling has matter for parliament, not the execu- dominance of two parties. Perhaps, of Parliament in the inter-war peri- now fractured the Conservatives and tive, or a Queen rubber-stamping its within the first-past-the-post elector- od did not exceed 66, while Labour given rise to other parties. These unprincipled advice. In the 19th cen- al system, but I wonder. emerged in December 2019 with a latter have not gained seats at West- tury, parliamentarians were able to In discussion of the operation of more substantial 203. minster, but votes for them increases think and act relatively independent- business cycles, the Russian econo- But can we suppose that there will the likelihood of hung parliaments, ly until the growth of the rigid party mist Nikolai Kondratiev drew atten- be a political spring at some time quite apart from the existence of the whipping system. The present situa- tion to the existence of long waves in the future produced by underly- Liberal Party that formed a coalition tion, which is closer constitutionally born out of technological innova- ing conditions analogous to those with Cameron in 2010. to the condition of the Civil War of tion. These waves or cycles of some of 1900 to 1923/1929 that brought Several points arise. The British the 1640s than at any other time in forty to sixty years, it is argued, con- about minority Labour govern- polity is founded on the belief that our history, shows the need for them tain four sub-cycles, dubbed spring, ments? Or 1939 to 1945 that ushered the country needs ‘the smack of to be able to act independently. It summer, autumn and winter. The in majority Labour government? firm government’. That was part- is high time we had a radical shake characteristic of the ‘winter’ is said Pessimism about the future success ly produced by a two-party system, up of the system. Here in the north, to be debilitating depression that of progressive political forces may but is less likely in a multi-party we now feel the effects of a lack of tears the social fabric of society, as be a mistake, but modern conditions and hung-parliament system. In any proper democracy, just as did the un- the gulf between the dwindling num- seem unlikely to provide the basis case, the claim that a system is dem- represented at Peterloo in 1819. ber of “haves” and the expanding for a resurgence of old-fashioned ocratic is patently hollow when the number of ‘have-nots’ increases dra- Labour in its old heartlands. Is La- balance of views among the elec- THE 2019 RESULT matically. There could not be a more bour, like the old Liberal Party, now tors is not approximately represent- accurate description of our present in slow-burn long-term decline? ed amongst the views of the elected The December 2019 general election condition, but is there an analogy Only time will tell. members. Massive votes for some appeared to show an emphatic return in the long-wave notion for social - JOHN HALSTEAD parties result in a small number of to the two-party system. The Con- seats, and for other parties there is servative victory and decisive major- a thin distribution of a large num- ity of 80 means we will be subjected ber of voters, for many seats. This to ‘firm government’ for five years, breaks the link between the views of if not longer. But in the long view the electors and the representatives. it seems clear that the election result A reform of the electoral system is has strengthened rather than weak- urgently required if it is to be called ened the pressures for the break-up democratic! of Britain, because of the dominance The electoral system is not the be-all of the Scottish National Party with and end-all of the democracy ques- 48 seats out of a total of 59, and the tion. We have a second chamber, the collapse of their major UK oppo- House of Lords, which is constitut- nents. Labour has only one seat, in ed on an undemocratic basis. While Edinburgh, and Scottish Conserva- some have argued for a unicameral tive MPs have reduced from thirteen or single-chamber system, the view to six. More important for the break- that we only get well-drafted legisla- up of Britain, perhaps, is the loss of tion if we have a revising chamber is two seats by the Democratic Union- more powerful. It can be less based ist Party, reducing their numbers to on parties, and house many people eight. Nationalist parties (Sinn Fein qualified for effective scrutiny who and the Social and Democratic La- would not seek election to the other bour Party) were victorious in nine chamber. They should all be elect- constituencies, and a party neutral ed, but on a different basis from the on the union (the Alliance Party) in Commons. another. Only the two SDLP repre- Reform of the second chamber sentatives and the Alliance member could be the basis for strengthened will take up their House of Com- representation of nationalities and mons seats, but the Johnson gov- English regions within the British ernment with a large Conservative polity. This is important because of majority will no longer be in thrall the increased likelihood of a break- to the DUP. up of Britain following Brexit, and With Brexit, the erection of a bor- the scandalous neglect of large parts der between Northern Ireland and the of the provinces by a metropolitan British mainland, as a consequence political elite. of the former’s inclusion in the EU The doctrine of ‘the Queen in Par- customs union and the latter’s ab- liament’ and use of the prerogative sence from it, would be almost powers of the Crown is designed certain to intensify pressure from THE MAKE VOTES MATTER CAMPAIGN CELEBRATED THE to produce ‘firm government’ and business interests for an all-Ireland BI-CENENARY WITH A CALL FOR ELECTORAL REFORM SHEFFIELD HOUSING CO-OPERATIVES: PART ONE THE SHEFFIELD CO-OPERATOR CELEBRATES AN EARLY EXPERIMENT IN ECO-FRIENDLY HOUSE BUILDING In the late 1970s, the Labour Gov- people to make the project viable. ernment set up the National Co-oper- An additional six people joined the ative Development Agency with the original group. purpose of promoting the interests A consensus was reached to reg- of the co-operative sector. In 1980, ister the project as a co-operative, Sheffield City Council - along with under the auspices of the Industri- the Co-operative Party, the Sheffield al Common Ownership Movement Trades Council, the Co-operative (ICOM). The members listed them- Bank, and the two Sheffield co-oper- selves as self-builders and owners, ative societies - played a major part who each put forward an initial £250 in the establishment of the Sheffield of capital. Co-operative Development Group The group visited the Council, who (SCDG). offered five possible sites for the The 1980s were a hard time for project, to be purchased on a repay- Sheffield. However, the generous ment scheme. The group selected support pool available to those who the Paxton Court site, and after an wished to start co-operatives, meant account with a building contractor that those who did come forward and supplier was arranged on simi- found in the council, an enthusias- lar terms, work commenced in June tic champion. Empowering these 1983, with an expected completion groups, the Council supported a period of 18 months. In fact, it took number of successful co-operatives, around three years. particularly housing projects. A HOUSE FOR ALL SEASONS SHEFFIELD SOLAR HOUSING The homes on Paxton Court are built Paxton Court, a cul-de-sac off Spring as low-energy dwellings, incorporat- construction work themselves, hav- Association model rules had been Close Mount, overlooking Meers- ing features for passive solar energy ing agreed to work between 20 to 30 strictly adhered to. brook, is a development of thirteen collection and thermal storage. Us- hours a week. Those who worked low-cost, low-energy, passive solar ing traditional materials and skills, less over a six-month period were A MODEL CUL-DE-SAC houses, built by the Sheffield Solar they incorporate a timber frame con- required to pay the co-operative for Housing Co-operative between 1983 struction, with brick and block-work the hours not worked. A refundable Although plans to plant an orchard and 1986. insulated cavity outer walls, tiled premium of £2,000 was added to and create allotments were drawn The basic designs for the houses roofs, and a timber and glass con- encourage members to see out the up, after three years of labour, enthu- built by the co-operative - named the servatory. They were built in pairs, project. siasm for further development of the Solar-Heating Experimental Dwell- in order to limit the amount of mon- The members did occasionally call site fizzled out, with the members ing (SHED) - were developed by ey borrowed at any one time, and upon skilled labour from outside, eager to settle down into their new Cedric Green, an architect at the Uni- were sold to their owners following such as plasterers and electricians. homes. versity of Sheffield. A prototype, ‘A the completion of a habitable shell. Architectural students from the Uni- As of 2011, only one of the origi- House for All Seasons’ was entered In periods of good weather, this ar- versity, supervised by Cedric Green, nal families still lived on the street. in into the first European Passive rangement was relaxed so that cru- also helped out onsite as part of their Cedric Green, who served as a Tech- Solar Housing Competition in 1980, cial foundation works could be com- coursework. nical Advisor to the project, lived in where it won joint 2nd Prize. pleted on the other sites. Indoor work In a sign of the times, only work one of the houses for a time, but later After one of their number was intro- was prioritised during periods of bad undertaken by the men counted to- emigrated to France. duced to Green by a City Councillor weather. The price of the house in- wards the required labour hours. The completed project, remains an at an alternative energy fair in West- cluded the site cost, the amount for Wives and partners were not exclud- impressive example of how Shef- on Park, a group of seven friends shared road and service installations ed from membership, and did spend field Council enabled and supported decided they wanted to start their and the cost of the materials. hours working on site, but their la- the development of an innovative own eco-housing project. An adver- Few of the members came to the bour was not counted. They might housing development. tisement was placed in the Sheffield project with building skills. Still, have been restricted from the site - CHRISTOPHER OLEWICZ Star to find the required number of they undertook the majority of the altogether, if the National Self-Build BOOK REVIEWS

miles, lots of suburban sprawl, the hollowing out of our high streets. You get this sense that no-one knows where their food comes from. Beef is something you find in a packet, not something you find in a field chewing grass.” Nuts and Bolts, written by Amy Coyle, is an engaging introduction to food co-operatives, though it large- ly avoids detailed discussion about the financial and logistical issues involved. “Co-ops are great,” she writes. “A successful co-op is a huge asset.”

THE PARTY LINK The one shortcoming of the co-oper- ative movement, in Norman’s eyes, Nuts and Bolts: How to Start a Food Co-op, by Amy Coyle. is its funding of the Co-operative The Conservative Co-operative Party, and its links with Labour. The Movement (CCM), 2008 formalisation of the pact between the two parties, and the funding of the Nuts and Bolts, published by the Party by the Co-operative Group, he Conservative Co-operative Move- argues, breaks with with the Roch- ment (CCM), was an oddity when it dale Principles, which insist on po- emerged in 2007. litical and religious neutrality. Rothermere was a long-time support- on co-operatives, in an effort to kill Led by Jesse Norman, the current “How many Co-op members know er of the Proprietary Articles Trade the ‘co-operative octopus’. Member of Parliament for Hereford, of these payments? A tiny minor- Association (PATA), which since These efforts failed, and the Move- the CCM was a short-lived organ- ity. Why don’t they know?” he 1906 had pursued an anti-co-oper- ment continued to flourish into the isation which existed around the asks. “Because the Co-op, despite ative policy, cutting the Movement 1960s, before it began a slow decline periphery of the Coalition Govern- its huge public commitment to eth- out of the market for consumer goods in the face of competition from dy- ment’s move to enact a Co-opera- ical business, has decided to ignore such as gramophones, bicycles, radi- namic retailers who targeted ‘aspi- tives Bill (passed in 2014). the Rochdale Principles of honesty os and vacuum cleaners. Rothermere rational’ shoppers keen to shake off In the early 1990s, Norman served and openness, and keep them in the did so out of his own adherence to the co-operative image of thrift and on the board of Job Ownership Lim- dark…What is needed now is for the free market capitalism and the prin- utilitarianism. ited (the Employee Ownership Asso- Co-op to level with its own member- ciple of ‘personal initiative’. ciation). In the lead up to his election ship, and call a ballot on the issue.” At the same time Rothermere wrote COMMUNITY ASSET in 2010, he began advocating for the Perhaps Norman was unaware his editorial, the Movement was OR ECONOMIC FORCE? co-operative sector to play a greater when he made this suggestion, that seeking to strengthen its infrastruc- role in the British economy. the Co-operative Group has balloted ture, in response to the fascist perse- Little further was heard of the CCM “In my view, co-ops are splendid- its membership repeatedly on this cution of co-operators in Italy, Ger- until 2012, when it published a mag- ly conservative institutions,’ he once issue, and every time, ,embers have many, and Austria. Members feared azine to coincide with the 2012 Year explained. ‘Their founding Rochdale voted to continue supporting the that the same fate might easily befall of Co-operatives. In an article for Principles give them a broad ethi- Co-operative Party. the Movement in Britain if it was not that publication, Norman stated his cal basis far removed from modern A more instructive question that prepared. core claim that co-operatives could state-first socialism. They belong to Norman might ask himself is why It was a result of these persistent challenge ‘crony-capitalism’ in its no political party or creed.’ No less the co-operative movement felt com- attacks that the Co-operative Party, core areas of retail and care, and that than Margaret Thatcher would ap- pelled to involve itself in politics in founded in 1917, forged a pact with a Conservative government should prove of co-operatives as an exten- the first place, having not done so for Labour in 1927. Like Norman, con- help breathe new life into the move- sion of her project ‘to encourage the first seventy years of the Move- servatives of the day criticised the ment. people to do things for themselves, ment’s existence. Movement for involving itself in Norman’s genuine support for rather than looking to the State.” The answer is because, in the ear- politics. The Daily Express informed co-operatives is hard to reconcile “What I’m talking about is a differ- ly 20th entury, conservative forces its readers that the co-operative with the reality of the economic sys- ent form of social organisation, one in Britain, supported by the owners movement had been captured by the tem supported so virulently by his that is based on sharing the burden of the largest newspapers, tried their ‘Socialist Party’, against the wishes Party. The important question to ask amongst a group, rather than finding hardest to destroy it. of the majority of its members who is, how large a co-operative sector a pot of capital, although that might Independent store holders of the wished it to remain apolitical. would the Conservative Party and be part of it. We need to loosen the time resented the Movement and its Such opinions persisted into the its supporters tolerate? At what point rules by which they operate in order success. In an infamous 1934 edi- 1930s. Newspapers accused co-op- would they warn once again of the for it to be possible for more good torial for the Daily Mail, Lord Ro- eratives of being poor employers, ‘co-operative octopus’ strangling schools to come into being. They thermere likened the Movement to who paid lower wages. It accused private enterprise? How much sup- succeed because they have a more ‘a dangerous tumour...eating at the the Movement of being the first sec- port would a Conservative govern- direct link to local people, because heart of British retail trade.’ Ro- tor to cut jobs during the Great De- ment provide to the Movement to let the parents have set the thing up - thermere lamented how in only a pression. In 1930, a new body - the it grow? they feel a sense of proprietary own- few generations, the Movement had National Organisations Co-ordinat- The chances of another set of Roch- ership of it.” grown from ‘an insignificant asso- ed Committee (NOCC) – was estab- dale Pioneers succeeding against the In the particular example of food ciation of poor men’ merely trying lished to represent private traders in might of the supermarket industry is co-operatives, Norman disparaged to make ends meet into ‘a powerful their fight against the co-operative slim, but without help and support the supermarkets which “control the group of wealthy corporations with societies. Supported by Lord Bea- from Government, it will remain a roost.” “You get these big out-of- huge reserves’, that was crushing verbrook, the NOCC pressured the fantasy. town shopping centres, high food private traders. Government to implement a new tax - CHRISTOPHER OLEWICZ