Mutual and co-operative businesses make a significant contribution to the UK economy, with combined annual revenues of £165.7 billion.

By offering a competitive alternative to shareholder-owned businesses, they are essential for the UK to build an inclusive, growing and diverse economy. They also provide greater consumer choice while delivering 'mutual value' to their members and wider society. Mutual growth will help government deliver on economic resilience, productivity, community power and net zero.

However, their different legal and regulatory frameworks prevent mutuals from competing on a level playing field with their competitors.

The mutual and co-operative sector stands ready to work with the Government to identify and provide co-operative and mutual solutions to the current challenges facing the UK. We recommend the Government takes the following steps to help the sector to thrive:

• Put co-operatives and mutuals at the heart of plans for growth by ensuring they are around the strategic table.
• Level the playing field between mutuals and co-operatives and businesses solely focused on shareholder profit.
• Enabling the creation and preservation of capital to support new and growing co-operatives and mutuals.

More detail on these steps and how they could be achieved can be found here.