Draft:Community co-operatives in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland
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| Submission declined on 19 August 2024 by Ktkvtsh (talk). This submission appears to be taken from https://www.thenews.coop/community-co-ops-in-the-highlands-and-islands-of-scotland. Wikipedia cannot accept material copied from elsewhere, unless it explicitly and verifiably has been released to the world under a suitably free and compatible copyright license or into the public domain and is written in an acceptable tone—this includes material that you own the copyright to. You should attribute the content of a draft to outside sources, using citations, but copying and pasting or closely paraphrasing sources is not acceptable. The entire draft should be written using your own words and structure. Declined by Ktkvtsh 4 months ago.
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| Submission declined on 6 November 2023 by Voorts (talk). This submission reads more like an essay than an encyclopedia article. Submissions should summarise information in secondary, reliable sources and not contain opinions or original research. Please write about the topic from a neutral point of view in an encyclopedic manner. Declined by Voorts 13 months ago. | |
Comment: Please put some effort into your draft and fix the very obvious footnote erros. WHFP (1977) is not listed in the bibliography section, how is anyone supposed to know that work from guessing? --Johannes (Talk) (Contribs) (Articles) 17:40, 13 October 2024 (UTC)
- WHFP referred to in full with link to its WP article. Floating reference tags result from intemperate deletion of text. Could Ktkvtsh please restore that text, or tell me how to restore it? (It isn't in history).TobyJ (talk) 10:45, 16 October 2024 (UTC)
- Comment: Major amount of copyright violation from source throughout the article. Ktkvtsh (talk) 23:00, 19 August 2024 (UTC)
No, there is NO copyright violation, because the article in 'Co-operative News' was published after this draft was submitted, and indeed was inspired by it, rather than the reverse. TobyJ (talk) 10:39, 13 October 2024 (UTC)
Co-operative News published 3rd February 2024. Reviewer has made an error. Article prepared by Community Coops History Group based on long delayed DRAFT that was available here until 19 August 2024 when it was edited by reviewer. No violation of copyright.Chasball4 (talk) 15:05, 13 October 2024 (UTC)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2023) |
Community co-operatives are multi-functional businesses run for the benefit of the residents of geographical communities or neighbourhoods, and directly owned and controlled by them.[1]During the 1970s and 1980s, about two dozen of them were established in peripheral communities in the north and west of Scotland, often with public support provided through the Highlands and Islands Development Board (HIDB).[2]
Definition
[edit]A fuller definition of the wider community business movement (of which community co-operatives in the Highlands and Islands are part) is:
- businesses which trade primarily for the benefit of their community and are accountable to that community. They are controlled by the communities themselves, with open and voluntary membership.
- [They] are set up to provide services to communities or develop a community business in all sectors, from utilities to distilleries. The model helps communities protect essential public services and develop new opportunities that provide wider economic, social and environmental benefits...
- They encourage people to get involved – either by becoming a member or by volunteering time. Investment can be raised from individuals who, as owners, are involved in decision making. The profits can then be invested back into community projects or distributed among members, generating positive local impact.[3]
Community co-operatives are an expression of what has become known as a community-led local development (CLLD) approach.
Origins of the Community Co-operative Programme
[edit]The Highlands and Islands Development Board was created under the Highlands and islands Development (Scotland) Act 1965[4] The Board had wide-ranging powers to encourage regional development, including the formation of community co-operatives.
The development of HIDB's community co-operative scheme can be traced back to 1976, following contact with similar schemes in the west coast of Ireland, mainly in Glencolumkille in Donegal, and Innisman in the Aran Islands. [5][6][7][8]
Support policy
[edit]In November 1977, as a result of the lessons from Ireland, and a series of public meetings,[9] the Highlands and Islands Development Board launched a community co-operative support programme to encourage enterprise initiatives in marginal areas where its conventional approach to economic development was less successful and where depopulation was increasing.[10] In the Western Isles, where the programme was initially developed, the co-operative businesses used the Gaelic name co-chomunn (plural co-chomuinn). The pilot programme, using the 'multi functional community co-operative model',[11] appointed two field workers to stimulate interest and offer practical support. [12][13] The new co-operatives were registered using model rules as Industrial and Provident Societies, which provided that their members should have one vote if they bought at least one £1 share, although many communities reached out to former residents as well as those living in the area and set the minimum shareholding at £25 or £50. Investors would have no financial liability beyond this. The co-operatives' profits and assets could only be used to further their objectives, and could not be distributed.
Development approach
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In 1982 the programme-specific field officers (by that time six in number, based in Orkney, Inverness and the Western Isles) were absorbed into the wider functions of Highland and Islands Development Board. 'They had been able to operate alongside local steering groups and provide dedicated support. Under a new plan these workers were encouraged to apply for posts in the finance department of Highland and Islands Development Board, but with a less proactive job description.'[14] However, by 1985 specialised field workers were re-established through the newly-formed Association of Community Enterprises in the Highlands & Islands (ACE-HI) which, with the support of Highland and Islands Development Board, continued the expansion of community co-operatives. ACE-HI provided significant technical support, advice and training.[15] It was also instrumental in the very early development of electronic communication and networking through the pioneering use of RURTEL.[16]
Legacy
[edit]Policy analysts have identified a number of beneficial impacts of the community co-operatives:
- "The initiative raised consciousness of what might be possible, and inspired people elsewhere in Scotland, and the UK generally, to do similar things. It reinforced the tradition of mutual co-operation in the Highlands and Islands, building confidence and capacity, and unlocking creative potential – as well as marshalling and deploying collective resources, financial and otherwise, which could be used to attract more funding, and to implement plans. In addition, the co-ops built asset bases and revenue income, to underpin their development."[17]
For smaller, more remote communities in the Highlands and Islands, the co-operatives created relatively modest – though locally important – numbers of new jobs, services, and enterprises. In the face of the failure, unwillingness, or insufficiency of both private and public sector investment, the initiative offered plans and hope for a Third Way alternative. More significantly, the enterprises changed people's lives, in that people did all manner of things they hadn't expected to do – or be able to do – and gained business management skills, and a greater measure of empowerment and control. The facilitation and encouragement of the co-ops by HIDB was genuinely bottom-up."[18]
In 1991, HIDB was restructured under the new name Highlands and Islands Enterprise and HIE continues to support community-led local development as part of its 'Support for Communities Framework 2022-2026'.[19]
New community co-operatives continue to be established in the 21st century, typically to carry on an existing business threatened with closure.
- When the primary school in the village of Strontian in Ardnamurchan was scheduled to close in 2016, a community benefit society was formed to finance and build a replacement school on land bought near Ardnamurchan High School. More than £900,000 was raised through a combination of grants, bank finance, local fundraising and a community share offer, as well as a payment from the council for tenant’s works. The new Strontian Primary School opened in October 2018 and has around 30 pupils. [20]
- Britain’s remotest pub, the Old Forge[21] in Inverie, an isolated coastal community of 120 people on the Knoydart peninsula, reopened in 2022 after being taken over by a community benefit society.[22]
- GlenWyvis Distillery in Dingwall, which had closed in 1926, was reopened in 2017 after a community share offer raised £2.6 million from over 3,000 investors. [23]
List of community co-operatives (co-chomuinn) in the Highlands and Islands
[edit]| Name | Location | Year established |
|---|---|---|
| Co-Chomunn Nis Ltd | Lewis | 1979 |
| Co-Chomunn Bhatarsaidh Ltd | South Uist (Vatersay) | 1979 |
| Co-Chomunn Eirisgeidh Ltd | South Uist (Eriskay) | 1979 |
| Co-Chomunn na Hearadh Ltd | Harris | 1979 |
| Co-Chomunn na Pairc Ltd | Lewis | 1979 |
| Co-Chomunn Scalpaidh Ltd | Scalpay, Harris | 1982 |
| Eday Community Enterprise Ltd | (North Isles) Orkney | 1982 |
| Hoy Community Co-operative Ltd | (South Isles) Orkney | 1982 |
| Co-Chomunn an Iochdair Ltd | South Uist | 1980 |
| Papay Community Co-operative Ltd | (North Isles) Orkney | 1980 |
| Barra Community Co-operative Ltd | Barra | 1981 |
| Hope Workshop Ltd[24] | St Margaret's Hope, Orkney | 1982 |
| Kyles of Bute Knitwear Ltd | Argyll & Butes | 1982 |
| Balnakeil Craft Village Community Co-operative Ltd | Sutherland | 1983 |
| Co-Chomunn Staffain Ltd | Isle of Skye | 1983 |
| Fyrish Community Enterprises Ltd | Ross & Cromarty | 1983 |
| Mossbank & Firth Community Co-operative Ltd | Shetland Islands | 1983 |
| Skerries Community Enterprises Ltd | Shetland Islands | 1983 |
| Appin Community Co-operative Ltd | Argyll | 1984 |
| Kilchrennan Community Co-operative Ltd | Argyll | 1984 |
| Laggan Community Trading Ltd | Lochaber | 1985 |
| Fetlar Community Enterprises Ltd | Shetland Islands | 1986 |
| Helmsdale Heritage Society Ltd | Sutherland | 1986 |
| Foula Community Co-operative Ltd | Shetland Islands | 1987 |
| North Isles Community Enterprises Ltd | Shetland Islands | 1987 |
| Ollaberry Community Enterprise Ltd | Ollaberry, Shetland Islands | 1995 |
| Eid Community Co-operative Ltd | Aith, Shetland Islands | 2002 |
| Uig Community Co-operative Ltd | Lewis | 2003 |
| Búth Tholastaidh Ltd | North Tolsta, Lewis | 2010 |
References
[edit]- ^ "A community co-operative is a multi-functional business run for local benefit and directly controlled by the community in which it operates. Some of its activities may be social in character, but it must make a profit overall". Highlands and Islands Development Board (HIDB), internal document, 1979
- ^ Community enterprise in the Highlands and Islands, final report to the Highlands and Islands Development Board (HIDB), Andrew McArthur and Alan McGregor, Training and Employment Research Unit (TERU), University of Glasgow, February 1988, pp. 25-28.
- ^ "What is a co-operative? - Community co-operatives". Scottish Enterprise. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
- ^ Highlands and Islands Development (Scotland) Act 1965, HMSO 37597
- ^ ”Cooperatives and Closeness to the Ground are the lessons from Ireland" West Highland Free Press, 2 and 7 July 1976, p2
- ^ Highland and Islands Development Board 12th Annual Report SBN 902347 59 4, pp 26-27
- ^ Editorial, West Highland Free Press, 15 April 1977, p2
- ^ "Board back the Co-op: but communities must take initiative, says Chairman", West Highland Free Press, 22 April 1977, p1
- ^ "New Moves for Isles Coops", West Highland Free Press 4 November 1977, p5
- ^ "Twin boost for co-ops. Board to provide cash and advice", West Highland Free Press, 11 November 1977, p1
- ^ Community Co-operatives: A Guide, Highland and Islands Development Board, 1977
- ^ "Ness coop may not be far away", West Highland Free Press, 14 October 1977, p5
- ^ "Enthusiasm For Coops Grows in Barra and Harris", West Highland Free Press, 21 October 1977, p1
- ^ Hadfield, Miles (3 February 2024). "Co-op News". No. February 2024. Co-operative News. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Watt, JA (1988) Community Enterprise in the Highlands and Islands: Into the Second Decade. Paper presented to the International Conference on Rural Entrepreneurship, Cranfield Institute of Technology, September 1988.
- ^ Bryden, J; Misener, B (1991). "Rurtel: A Rural Communications Network. Some lessons from a 3-year pilot project". In Kuiper, D.; Roling, N.G. (eds.). The edited proceedings of the European Seminar on Knowledge Management and Information Technology. Wageningen: Agricultural University, Wageningen. pp. 141–148. ISBN 90-72525-11-6.
- ^ Gordon, Mike (2002). "The Contribution of the Community Co-operatives of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland to the Development of the Social Economy" (PDF). Journal of Rural Cooperation. 30 (2): 1–23. doi:10.22004/ag.econ.59775. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ Gordon, M. (2002) A Study of the Contribution of the Community Co-operatives of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland to the Development of the Social Economy', Journal of Rural Cooperation, 30(2): 95-117
- ^ "Support for community-led organisations and social enterprises". Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ "Community co-operatives in Scotland". Scottish Enterprise. Co-operative Development Scotland. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ "Community Ownership". The Old Forge Community Pub. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ "Knoydart community owns Britain's remotest mainland pub". News. BBC. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ "Community co-operatives in Scotland". Scottish Enterprise. Co-operative Development Scotland. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ Did not use community co-operative model rules.
Further reading
[edit]- Buchanan, G. (1987) The First Ten Years: A Decade of Community Enterprise in Scotland, Community Business Scotland, Glasgow
- Community Business Scotland (1986) Community Business in Scotland. 1986 Directory. [1]
- Deveney, C., ( 2015) Time Travels – Stories from a remarkable 50-year journey, ISBN 9781853090653
- Grassie, J. (1982) Highland Experiment: The Story of the HIDB
- Hetherington, A. (ed.) (1990) Highlands and Islands – A Generation of Progress, ISBN 0-08-037980-X
- Pedersen, R. (2019) Gaelic Guerrilla: John Angus Mackay, Gael Extraordinaire, Luath Press Ltd, ISBN 978-1-913025-39-7
- Highland and Islands Development Board (1984) 18th Annual Report, 1983, Inverness, ISBN 0 902347 78 0, ISSN 0265 6698
- Highland and Islands Development Board (1984) Community Co-operatives: Fact and Figures, Inverness
- Highland and Islands Development Boardj (1985) 19th Annual Report, 1984, Inverness, ISBN 0 947872 16 7, ISSN 0265 6698
- West Highland Free Press
Category:Co-operatives in Scotland Category:Highlands and Islands of Scotland