The Co-operative Councils’ Innovation Network (CCIN) brings together 22 local authorities to devise responses to central government austerity – and the list is growing all the time, with Birmingham the latest council to express an interest.
Whatever the demographic differences between member authorities, they share a common aim – to provide a national voice for co-operative-inspired councils and share experience and best practice.
One of the clearest indications of a step change in how decisions are made is public engagement over priorities and choices at budget time. Co-operative councils led the way on this, and it is increasingly common practice for community members to have a say in how their money is spent.
