The Leader of the Labour Group, Cllr Gill Mitchell, is asking the Chief Executive of Brighton and Hove City Council to give serious consideration to using a co-operative service delivery model where appropriate, similar to that in Lambeth.

This follows growing debate around the delivery of local public services via co-operative principals as a way of combating the tightening budgets that councils across the UK face, whilst continuing to deliver quality services that people need.


Cllr Gill Mitchell, Leader of the opposition and Labour Group, said:
"A co-operative or mutual model would, by its very nature, directly involve local people who would be able to shape the services they receive along with the staff providing them.  More services should be focused on what people actually want from their councils; led from the grassroots of our communities.

"I spoke to Councillor Steve Reed, Leader of Lambeth Council, at Conference about his plans and was impressed by his commitment to take this approach forward.  Tightened Council budgets do not need to lead to fewer or poorer quality council services. There are other options to cuts and they need to be fully explored.

"Brighton and Hove already has a 'co-operative tradition' in addition to many social enterprise businesses operating in the city.  It would be logical for a council that has long supported these organisations to consider whether it could use them itself. Schools, Sure-start Centres and social housing management could be among services that would lend themselves to becoming co-operatives."

For more information about Labour view:
www.brightonhovelabour.com