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Principles met

  • Co-production

    We will develop systems that enable citizens to be equal partners in designing and commissioning public services and in determining the use of public resources.

  • Community leadership and a new role for councillors

    We will explore ways for councils to act as a platform for helping the community to contribute to local outcomes, and to re-think the role of councillors as community connectors, brokers and leaders.

  • Innovation

    We will embrace innovation in how we work with local communities to drive positive change.

  • New models of meeting priority needs

    In exploring new ways of meeting the priority needs of our communities we will encourage models, such as co-operatives and mutuals, which give greater influence and voice to staff and users. in designing and commissioning public services and in determining the use of public resources.

  • Walking the talk

    As a membership organisation, we will make this statement of our principles operational by: • Co-operation among members: Our members work together to help each other implement our values, sharing experiences and learning. • Openness of membership: Full, Associate and Affiliate Membership is open to any qualifying Council, organisation or individual who shares our values and is committed to putting them into action. • Co-production of the Network’s work: Members help shape the Network’s work programme and the content of events and written products. • Action-focused: The network is a vehicle for helping councils translate co-operative values and principles into policy and practice. •Membership-based: The network is majority funded by modest membership subscriptions from its member Councils, Associates and Affiliates. •Non-party-political: Members share the belief that working co-operatively within and across communities holds the key to tackling today’s challenges.

Rochdale is ranked the 15th most deprived borough in England based on a rank of the average for LSOAs in the area (defined in the Indices of Deprivation).   Recent statistics from the End Poverty Coalition estimate that child poverty has increased in Rochdale borough from 32.9% in 2014/15 to 40.5% in 2021/22. In the ward with the highest child poverty rate, half of all children are living in poverty. The Greater Manchester Poverty Action’s (GMPA) ‘Poverty Monitor’ shows that 15% of Rochdale residents are in fuel poverty and 12% are struggling with food insecurity.

The Council is finalising its anti-poverty strategy – ‘The Future we Deserve’. Its aim is to provide a life raft for families who are struggling to stay afloat. Rochdale is the birthplace of co-operation and a co-operative spirit permeates the borough. In order to make meaningful change for those experiencing poverty, we must to galvanise that co-operative spirit.

The Council has worked collaboratively with a broad range of partner organisations, the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector, through its partnership with Action Together and people with lived experience of poverty to devise and design the strategy. In early 2023 several listening events and anti-poverty summits took place, bringing partners together with those who have a lived experience of poverty. Through a combination of listening, workshops and action planning, a vision to alleviate poverty was formulated.

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