Northern Roots’ official opening on 19th September 2026 Author: Jonathan Bland Date: 24.09.26 Tags:community, E3M Alchemy, social enterprise Jonathan’s report on the opening of Northern Roots on 19th September 2026.
People who decide – Suara Co-operative takes participation seriously Author: Jonathan Bland Date: 19.06.25 Tags:European co-operation, public services June 2025 • Jonathan Bland I recently had the privilege of attending the AGM of Catalonia’s Suara Co-operative. I was intrigued to learn about how a workers’ co-operative with over 1,800 members takes key decisions about the future of their business. E3M and Suara have an ongoing learning exchange. Back in 2021 we held an […]
Why should you come to the Growing the New Economy Convention 12-02-2020? Author: Jonathan Bland Date: 26.11.19 So many parts of the UK have been let down by a failing economic model, where growth doesn’t result in rising living standards for large sections of society and the effects of austerity have meant that local services are struggling to meet local needs. There is a growing realisation that a new approach is needed. […]
Promoting Innovation – Suara, Spain’s largest services co-op Author: Jonathan Bland Date: 28.05.19 In April I visited Suara, Spain’s largest services co-operative, employing over 4,000 people and with a turnover of more than 80m euros. Based in Barcelona, Suara provides a range of care and education services across Catalonia. It was formed from a merger of three care co-operatives around 10 years ago, which realised that with competition […]
Barcelona – Promoting the Social and Solidarity Economy Author: Jonathan Bland Date: 07.05.19 In April 2019 I visited Barcelona to learn about recent developments in the promotion of co-operatives and the wider social economy in the City. Having worked in the co-operative movement in Valencia in the 1990s, I have always been impressed with the way that co-operatives and the wider social economy play a significant role in […]
The Co-operative Councils Innovation Network Author: Jonathan Bland Date: 18.01.19 Last autumn Social Business International / E3M joined the Co-operative Councils Innovation Network as an affiliate member. I had attended the network’s annual conference in Croydon and came away inspired by the opportunities to work with a group of progressive councils, looking for new solutions to the challenges facing them and their communities. The councils […]
The Public Service Transformation Academy (PSTA) Author: Jonathan Bland Date: 13.02.18 I have recently joined the Board of the Public Service Transformation Academy (PSTA), a social enterprise set up to run the Government’s Commissioning Academy and, more generally, to support those responsible for public services’ transformation to meet the challenges we currently face. The PSTA is led by the consultancy Red Quadrant and the Whitehall and […]