Last week, I got the chance to bring together the Judges of the Buy Better Together Challenge for the first time since I took on my new Ministerial role. For those of you who aren’t aware, this is a £60,000 prize fund, jointly offered by my Department and Co-operatives UK, to encourage innovation in community buying.
I have to admit I’m a relatively recent convert to the benefits of community buying, and have been particularly struck by how it offers real benefits – not least to my own constituency and others in rural areas like it.
We had a thought provoking discussion, and it was great to get the chance to explore the grass roots activities that the judges have been involved with. Their passion for this kind of approach was infectious.
Examples of initiatives were in abundance, ranging from food co-ops to social enterprises to oil buying schemes in rural communities- this struck a chord from my constituency perspective. The savings that the group buying schemes were able to secure were also staggering, with examples of groups reinvesting any surplus goods or profits back into the local community.
Community buying is not a new concept – the judges traced its history back to the 19th Century when similar schemes were initially used as a means to address economic imbalances, using the famous example of the Rochdale Pioneers.
The original impetus behind community buying still remains true today. For consumers to be able to secure the best outcomes for themselves they need to realise the potential of cooperation, the advantages of working together to source better deals and the societal benefits of working together as a community.
In promoting community buying, we are knocking at an open door as more of us search for more sustainable lifestyles, and recognise the power of the internet and collective action to develop innovative solutions.
Applications for the Buy Better Together Challenge close next Tuesday (15 May), so I would encourage all of you who have brought your communities together to save money in this way to enter and share the benefits of this type of approach.
Similarly, if you are a business that encourages community buying, do consider entering the strand for businesses. I’m looking forward to learning about the entries, and how they are helped towards establishment by the great package of benefits – including training and mentoring – that are on offer to those who are successful.
For those of you who are not yet ready to enter the competition, or still thinking about setting up a group, do check out our Guide on how to set up a community buying group. We look forward to hearing how you get on.