This is set out in the Party Rule Book and says:

The purpose of the Party is to promote co-operative and mutual forms of economic, social and voluntary organisation, which are based on the principles of mutual ownership and democratic control, and to support political action in pursuance of the Values and Principles of the Cooperative Movement in the UK and internationally as defined from time to time by the International Co-operative Alliance.

Below are a range of useful items that will help our members learn more about the National and Local Party:

All co-operators subscribe to these values and 7 core principles as set out by the International Co-operative Alliance:

Cooperative values

Cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.

Cooperative Principles

The cooperative principles are guidelines by which cooperatives put their values into practice.

1. Voluntary and Open Membership

Cooperatives are voluntary organisations, open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination.

2. Democratic Member Control

Cooperatives are democratic organisations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting their policies and making decisions. Men and women serving as elected representatives are accountable to the membership. In primary cooperatives members have equal voting rights (one member, one vote) and cooperatives at other levels are also organised in a democratic manner.

3. Member Economic Participation

Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative. At least part of that capital is usually the common property of the cooperative. Members usually receive limited compensation, if any, on capital subscribed as a condition of membership. Members allocate surpluses for any or all of the following purposes: developing their cooperative, possibly by setting up reserves, part of which at least would be indivisible; benefiting members in proportion to their transactions with the cooperative; and supporting other activities approved by the membership.

4. Autonomy and Independence

Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organisations controlled by their members. If they enter into agreements with other organisations, including governments, or raise capital from external sources, they do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members and maintain their cooperative autonomy.

5. Education, Training, and Information

Cooperatives provide education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers, and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their co-operatives. They inform the general public - particularly young people and opinion leaders - about the nature and benefits of co-operation.

6. Cooperation among Cooperatives

Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures.

7. Concern for Community

Cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies approved by their members.

More guidance notes on the Values and Principles are set out by the International Co-operative Alliance here. Guides to the operation of different types of Co-ops by Co-operatives UK are here and here.

The following are useful links to help with induction of new members and training of members:

• Co-operation across many animal species is an evolutionary trait and cooperation and mutual aid have been researched for nearly two centuries. Modern co-operation seeks to accentuate and promote those longstanding scientific insights as a more widespread form of human behaviour.

• The history of the Co-operative Movement dates back to the early to mid 19th century so has antecedents dating back 200 years before the modern Co-operative movement was founded by the Rochdale Pioneers in 1844.

• Co-operatives and the values and principles of Co-operation are part of a global movement and come together in the International Co-operative Alliance. This global movement of 1.2 billion co-operators (one in 8 people on Earth) organised through 3 million cooperatives, is probably the biggest single movement for positive change in the entire world.

• 2025 has been designated by the UN as International Year for Co-operatives.

• The UK Co-ops movement come together in Cooperatives UK. The UK Co-ops movement has 15 million members in the UK - one in three of the adult population - so it is quite likely you are already a member of a Co-operative organisation such as the Co-operative Group which runs many local Co-op shops.

• There is a full directory of other co-operatives in the UK. For local cooperatives you can find a full list on this website homepage here.

• Coop News is the monthly magazine of the Coop Movement and has a good online presence too. It started in the UK but promotes the wider global Co-op Movement now.

• The Co-op Party has existed since 1917. It has been in formal electoral alliance with Labour since 1927, so in 2027 we celebrate the centenary of this very firm link between our two parties. It sees itself as the political wing of the very large UK Co-operative movement promoting their longstanding co-operative values and principles.. The Coop Party in the UK currently has 13,000 members, nearly 200 branches and sponsors candidates for election in alliance with the Labour Party. As a result it has 41 Labour & Co-operative UK MPs, 11 Scottish MSPs, 16 Welsh MS and over 1,500 Labour & Co-operative Cllrs making it the largest UK party in terms of elected representatives after Labour, Tory & Lib Dems. As well as local branch activity - see below - and national events it also has 5 equality networks too. 

We are an active local branch that regularly meets and locally campaigns and has at least 60 years history.  The South Suburban Co-operative Party Political Committee, which we were originally a branch of, was a founding organisation of local Labour Parties in 1918 and 1923. A photo showing their committee in 1962 is below. You can also read some more of that history here. Nowadays we are a local branch of the regional Party: The London Co-operative Party Council. For many years we were called Sutton & District Co-op Party and included Epsom & Ewell too, but nowadays just cover the London Borough of Sutton. You can read more about some of our former activists who have sadly passed away later down this page.

Local Activities:

• We hold regular meetings, hearing speakers and discussing policy and make regular submissions to Coop Party policy consultations

• We encourage people to use Co-op retail stores in St Helier, Carshalton, Carshalton Beeches and Roundshaw.

• We encourage support for other local co-operatives such as Little Pioneers Nursery, mutuals and commonly owned organisations

• We take part in local Fairtrade Community Group and in the past supported the local United Nations Association Branch.

• We have supported fundraising for Sutton Community Farm. and members are active in Carshalton Lavender CIC.

• Our members have served in recent years on various retail co-operative member voice and decision-making bodies.

• We support various stalls at the annual Carshalton Eco Fair.

• We seek to encourage the formation of new co-operatives locally or existing organisations to convert to a Co-operative. 

• We send delegates to London Co-op Party Council and Regional and National Co-op party Conferences

• We affiliate to Sutton & Cheam and Carshalton & Wallington Labour Parties and send delegates to their various structures with some holding various CLP officer roles.

• We sponsor candidates for local and GLA elections jointly with Labour running on a joint manifesto and always additionally produce a London-wide Manifesto and a Co-op Agenda for Sutton for the local elections emphasising key co-operative related points from the agreed policies.

You can contact us direct at: sutton@local.party.coop

Our branch officers and delegates for this year are:

As well as our current members we list below long-standing members of our branch who have passed away over the years who played a role in the historic development of local co-operation within the borough.

All of them, and many other activists we have not listed yet, have in many different ways contributed to our local campaigning for co-operative values and principles' over the last 60 or more years. Some stood as official Labour and Co-operative candidates and some stood as Labour candidates supported by the Co-op Party. We thank them all and acknowledge we stand on the shoulders of our own local giants.

• Dave Towler - Along with his partner Mary Towler, Dave had been a very active Labour member in Carshalton and Wallington for over 50 years. Active in the Co-op Party too. Father of Jed and the much mourned Carshalton & Wallington Labour activist Sam Towler who passed away far too young.  Dave himself stood in Stonecot ward in Sutton and Cheam in 2002 and then stood in a number of Carshalton and Wallington Wards: Carshalton Central in 2006 and 2010; Wallington South in 2014; Wallington North in 2018 and South Beddington & Roundshaw in 2022.

• Alistair Cruickshank - Worked for Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) for 30 years (10 years as Under Secretary) which covered introduction and operation of Common Agricultural Policy in UK (including negotiations within EU and with other countries) and policy advice to Ministers on animal health and organic agriculture. After his retirement as a Civil Servant he was an active local Co-op Party member and actively involved with a range of local environmental and community organisations, mainly concerned with organic or environmentally-friendly agriculture and horticulture. These included Sutton Community Farm and Sutton Fairtrade Group. He was also a director of Sutton EcoLocal, The Centre for Environmental Initiatives and Carshalton Lavender CIC. 

• Phil Robinson - Former Sutton & Cheam CLP Fundraising Officer and Chair of Sutton Branch Labour. Active member of our CLP and Wimbledon CLP, being a very energetic fundraiser for both along with his partner Alison who has also held CLP roles. Chair of Croydon and Sutton Fabians. Secretary of Unite South West London Community Branch. Unite Trade Union Representative to the CLP EC and member of the Sutton Borough Labour LCF. Former Chair of the Sutton Civic Society. He often attended Council and Committee meetings to ask public questions. In his trade union work he helped raise funds for a school in Rugando, Uganda and his name is permanently commemorated there. Phil was a highly respected history teacher in Surrey with a strong reputation for pastoral support for pupils who fondly recall the support he gave them.

• Claire Shearer - Claire was a long-standing local health and social care campaigner active in the local voluntary sector who served on the Merton & Sutton Community Health Council (CHC). She was also very active in the Campaign for Advancement of State Education (CASE) and was both Secretary of it nationally and its local branch. A 2002 local newspaper report on all her voluntary activity when she was already 76 years of age is here. She stood for the Council in Carshalton South East Ward in 1974, Carshalton Beeches Ward in 1994 and Carshalton South & Clockhouse Ward in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.

• John Bloom - Former Chair of the South Suburban Co-operative Society Political Committee. Stood in Worcester Park South Ward in 1971, Carshalton Beeches Ward in 1986 and Rosehill Ward in 1990. Was also a Parliamentary candidate in Croydon South in 1979.

• Phyllis Byron - Former Officer of the Branch for many years. Active in the Co-operative Women's Guild. Partner of Bill Byron.

• Bill Byron - Former Chair of this Branch and also served on the South Suburban Co-operative Society Political Committee. Stood for the Council in Carshalton North West Ward in 1964. Partner of Phyllis Byron. 

• Phyllis Goodall - Former Officer of the Branch for many years. Active in the Co-operative Women's Guild. A member of Carshalton and Wallington Labour Party. Her husband Edgar was also a Sutton Councillor. She stood in Worcester Park South Ward in 1971 and Carshalton South East Ward in 1974.

• Edgar Goodall - Former Councillor for St Helier West Ward until 1978. Partner of Phyllis Goodall.

• Joan Baker - Was a Lambeth Councillor representing Clapham Town Ward in the early 1960s and was later Carshalton & Wallington Labour Party Secretary and also Parliamentary Candidate for the constituency in 1983 and 1987. 

• June Guiness - Partner of Geoffrey Guiness. Was a senior BBC researcher and was the Research Assistant for the famous 1960's TV series Civilisation by Kenneth Clark. An example episode is here and she appears in the closing credits as June Leech. Stood in Sutton South ward (as June Leech) in 1968. Active fundraiser and social organiser for Sutton and Cheam Labour Party. Her foresight in collecting old party records enabled her CLP to produce a full local history here. 

• Geoffrey Guiness - Partner of June Guiness. Councillor for Sutton East ward 1971-1974. Also stood in Worcester Park North ward in 1978. 

• Mike Woolley - Labour Councillor for Wallington North from 1974 to 1978 and Wandle Valley ward from 1978 to 1994. Leader of Sutton Labour Group from 1993 to 1994. Heavily involved in community activity in the North Wallington and Hackbridge area, working hard to initially get Beddington Farmlands sewage farm to eventually be taken over by the Council (still an ongoing process 35 years later) and a long-standing campaigner against homelessness and supporter of youth groups campaigning on the issue.

• Phil Bassett - Labour Councillor for St Helier West ward from 1956 to 1968 and St Helier South ward from 1968 to 1986. Leader of the Sutton Labour Group from 1968-1976. Also was a GLC Councillor from 1973-1977 for Carshalton and Wallington and stood for the Sutton Borough GLC seat in 1964, 1967 and 1970. Contested Sutton and Cheam GLC seat in 1981. Also stood in Beddington South ward in 1986, 1990, Sutton South ward 1998 and Belmont ward in 2002.

• Will Owen MP - Former Co-operative Party Official and Labour & Co-operative MP for Morpeth from 1954 to 1970 when he stood down after some national controversy having been arrested in January 1970 and charged under section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911. However on 6 May 1970 he was found not guilty of all eight charges. He also served on the South Suburban Co-operative Society Political Committee and was later Chair of Carshalton & Wallington Labour Party. A short biography is here. His known unpublished papers setting out his side to the events of 1970, seem to have been lost. 

• John Geleit - Trade Union official who represented our branch on the Epsom and Ewell Labour Party General Committee when we covered that part of Surrey during the existence of the Surrey & Berkshire Party Council. Became Chair of Epsom & Ewell Labour Party. His son Rob is an Epsom & Ewell Councillor and was Mayor of the Borough in 2023/24.

• Patrick Ford - Former officer of Carshalton & Wallington Labour Party.

• Bodipala Wijeyesinghe - Former officer of Carshalton & Wallington Labour Party and election agent. Stood in The Wrythe Ward in 2002.

• Clive Poge - Council candidate in Wallington South Ward in 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 2002 and 2006 and Beddington South Ward in 2010. Acted as a local printer for the Labour Party in Sutton for many years and was also Chair of the Board of the local community owned pub: The Hope.