1. Impact of the Co-Operative Party
on London Elections 2012
Val Shawcross AM

2. Contents
 The role the Co-operative Party played in
the 2012 elections.
 Key Co-operative policy points for London.
 The results of the elections.
 Where next?
 Issues facing Londoners

3. How you helped
 Organisation and mobilisation
 Funding and Support
 Policy development

5. An Economy in all our
Interests
 Promote growth of co-operatives to create
jobs by incentivising lending to start-up co-
op enterprises, appointing a City Hall ‘Co-
operative Commission’
 Londoners should have access to a credit
union
 The Mayor should advocate a more diverse
banking system and stand up for
customer owned banking as a crucial
element in reform of the City.

6. Building for the Future
 All Londoners should have access to
affordable homes over which they have real
control. The Mayor and Assembly should look
to bring London’s co-operative housing
stock up to the European average of 10%.
 Existing social housing stock should be made
more accountable to tenants.
 The Mayor should promote mutual forms
of retirement homes.

7. Co-operative Communities
 Promote transfer of community assets – such as city
farms – to the control of local people. The Mayor
should advocate a new ‘community gateway’
model
 The Mayor should look to mutual models for
cultural events.
 The Mayor should support and promote the Co-
operative Councils initiative.
 Young Londoners must have a real democratic
voice, a co-operative Youth Assembly and
encouraging young people to be ambassadors
for their communities

8. Ethical London
 The Mayor and Assembly must ensure that
London takes seriously its position as the
world’s largest Fairtrade city.
 London’s green spaces – such as the
Royal Parks - should be made more
accountable to Londoners
 The Mayor and GLA should use 2012, the
UN’s Year of Co-operatives, to
promote our movement and teach the
values of co-operation

9. Sustainable Infrastructure
 The Mayor should promote and develop
consumer energy co-operatives as a radical
way to cut fuel poverty, tackle climate change
and address the cost of living crisis.
 London’s infrastructure should be greener,
sustainable, better integrated and
‘smarter’. The new Mayor should advocate a
smart city approach and improved access to
broadband, especially through telecoms co-
operatives.

10. Mayoral Result

11. London Assembly

12. What do these results mean for
Labour on the London Assembly?
 Labour have increased their control over
London's Assembly, despite Boris's win in
the Mayoral elections
 We now have 12 seats, a gain of four over
last year at the expense of the
Conservative and Liberal Democrat
parties, and the Green Party held on to
their two seats.

13. Where next ?
The Co-operative movement and
London's future ?

14. Issues facing Londoners
 Unemployment, Low pay and Poverty
 High cost of Living
 Homelessness, lack of affordable homes
 High private rents, bad landlords
 Cuts to public services NHS, Police,
Councils
 Impact of population growth –transport
capacity
 Environment – poor air quality

15. Questions and Discussion
?