The slightly delayed consultation on the future of the law governing co-ops and community benefit societies has been released today. 

The Law Commission, the body charged by the Government with reviewing legislation to make sure it is fit for purpose, has today released its formal consultation on proposals to modernise the Co-operatives and Community Benefit Societies Act. 

The consultation is open until Tuesday 10 December (you can find all the details here), so this autumn will be a key period for co-ops, community benefit societies and anyone who cares about social purpose organisations to consider what the Commission say and make their views known.

This might all seem obscure and only of interest to lawyers, but if the new government is serious about doubling the size of the co-operative and mutual economy (as they promised in their manifesto) then the legal framework becomes of significant importance. 

We have written briefing notes for anyone interested in why the legal review matters; you can find them on the International Co-operative Alliance website here. As well as a general introduction, we have commented on why the proposals should matter to local government and social care.

We will be considering the Law Commission proposals carefully and making a full response to them in due course, and we will keep you posted on our views and key issues as we do so. 

For now, this is a critical moment for the co-op movement, and for everyone who cares about working towards a fairer, more inclusive economy.