Co-Operative Day School

A Conference/Day School for members of the Co-operative Party in the South East is being held on 24 November. It will take place in the Reading International Solidarity Centre, 35-39 London Street, Reading , RG1 4PS. This is about 10 minutes walk from Reading station.

Speakers include Colin Wilkes of the Schools Co-operative Society,  Cllr Steve Reed, leader of Lambeth Council on Co-operative Councils and General Secretary Karen Wilkie on increasing the involvement of women and young people in the Co-operative Party.

Conference fee is £20 per person, which will include simple buffet lunch, coffee/tea on arrival and departure.  Further details can be read at the Co-operative Party website here.

Stop "Legal Loan Sharks"

The Co-operative Party is backing a campaign to regulate companies offering easy credit at exorbitant rates of interest.

Stella Creasy, who is the Labour and Co-operative MP for Walthamstow in East London spoke this week in Brighton at a TUC fringe meeting on this subject, alongside Owen Jones, the bestselling author of Chavs (which looks at the demonisation of the working class  in Britain)

Stella was joined in July by Ed Miliband, Leader of the Labour Party, and by Tom Watson MP, in launching a campaign pack , in association with the Co-operative Party and others.

Stella writes:  "This Government has so far refused to act to tackle the high cost credit companies who are pushing families into crippling debt across Britain. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t take measures to protect them and help make the case for a change in the law to cap the costs of credit. This pack is designed to help with ideas and actions you can take either on your own or together with others to stand up to these companies."

You can download the campaign pack here.

Incidentally, Eastbourne's Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Lloyd has opposed any action against these companies. You can click below to watch his speech last year attempting to justify this, here. If you don’t agree, then the campaign pack contains information to help you write to him, or other elected MPs urging action !