A Co-operative Pub is where a significant part of a community comes together to form a co-operative to try and save and run their local.
Co-operative pubs are different because they encourage widespread community-ownership at a level the majority of the community can afford. Currently the majority of Co-operative Pubs are where the community has purchased the building, however if they feel it is appropriate, some communities may choose to take on a lease initially with a view to purchasing the property in the future.
Co-operative pubs are set up on a ‘one member one vote’ basis rather than a ‘one share one vote’ basis. This creates a democratic way of running a community business and ensures that everyone has a say in how they want their local pub to be run.
Like any business, a co-operative pub aims to be profitable - it is what happens with the profit that sets it apart from a private enterprise. A Co-operative pub can distribute profits to the members, reinvest the profit in the business or distribute funds in the community for the benefit of the community.
Community-ownership is becoming increasingly popular in the UK. There are now around 250 co-operatively-owned village shops in the UK and the co-operative model has also been adopted by energy schemes, woodland projects broadband initiatives, housing schemes and much more. Co-operative ownership is a sustainable and ethical way of doing business. 97% of co-operatively-owned village stores opened over the past 25 years are still open and trading today.
Co-operative Pubs are registered with the Financial Services Authority under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965.
Further information
If you have any queries or would like any further information on the support, please contact us on info@plunkett.co.uk or 01993 810730. We aim to respond to all inquiries within 3 working days.