Become a Council Member

What do Council Members do?

As a Council Member, you will:

• Attend Council meetings four times a year, where you’ll hear from and talk to our Board and Operating Board and the wider Co-operative Movement to share ideas and keep the voice of our members at the heart of what we do.

• Ask questions to influence future plans and decisions and share your views on issues that are important to our member-owners and have a significant impact on our Co-op, with the chance to shape work relating to them.

• Read and understand information about how our Co-op is run and play an active role. In addition to Council meetings, you will also be part of a committee or working group, where you’ll input and provide constructive challenge in real time.

• Get involved with your Member Activator, local member events and community activities, gathering feedback on local issues and sharing updates on what our Co-op is doing.

Could you be a Council Member?

Just like our 6m member-owners, our Council Members come from all walks of life and different communities across the UK. Council Members receive an annual fee of £3,075.

To become a Council Member, you will need to:

• Be a regular consumer of our Co-op’s products and services.

• Be passionate about, and have a genuine interest in, our Co-op and our Co-operative Values and Principles.

• Be able to understand how a large complex consumer co-operative runs and the products and services we offer to member-owners and customers.

• Be an ambassador and positive role model for our Co-op, demonstrating integrity and acting in the best interests of Co-op at all times.

• Be co-operative, collaborative and respectful of others, with sound judgement and the ability to challenge constructively and assertively and seek support and advice if needed.

• Have great communication skills, including active listening and understanding others, as well as being influential and diplomatic with experience of making a positive impact.

• Be organised and well-prepared for meetings and other activities.

• Be a passionate advocate for social mobility, inclusion and belonging.

How to stand for election

• Being a co-op with member-owners makes us a democratic business. We hold elections for our Members' Council so that Co-op Member-Owners can pick their leaders to represent their views and our values. To support this process, you'll need to submit a photo and a short and long word statement for our Annual General Meeting (AGM) materials.

• You'll need to have earned 250 trading points from January-January by spending across any of the following businesses in the Co-op Group (Co-op Food, Co-op Insurance, Co-op Funeralcare and Co-op Legal Services). You also need to have been a Co-op Member for at least 1 year. Check your eligibility to stand for election on your membership account or by emailing us with your membership number, full name and address at councilelections@coop.co.uk.

Become a Co-opted Council Member

Our Members' Council has up to seven seats allocated for co-option each year, helping us to better represent our diverse communities. To stand for election to the Members’ Council as a Co-opted Council Member, you'll just need to have been a member of the Co-op for 1 year.

Council Members will vote on who they would like to elect as a Co-opted Council Member following our AGM in May. Please provide a statement and photo as part of your nomination to support this process.

If you're interested in becoming a Co-opted Council Member, please email councilelections@coop.co.uk.