Wales Co-operative Centre
Canolfan Cwdweithredol Cymru

Co-operative + social enterprise news & resources July

Are you a charity with a trading arm or involved in the charitable retail sector?
Proposed cap on tax relief for Welsh charity shops 'would put jobs at risk'. A report for the Welsh assembly suggests slashing rate relief for Welsh charity shops from 80 per cent to 50 per cent

The business of food: A new plain English guide to marketing and finance for community food enterprises Download the guide Trading for Success helps community enterprises identify:
• What is distinctive about the product or service they offer;
• How their product or service matches the customer's needs;
• Whether the enterprise can be financially viable;
• How to find and keep customers, and deliver products or services efficiently;
• How to keep adapting and innovating to meet new challenges.

The new era of co-operatives
1. Som Energia: the rise of Spain's first renewable energy co-operative
A look at how Spain's first renewable energy co-op is growing despite the country's financial crisis
"Som Energia is Spain's first renewable energy co-operative. We sell electricity to our members, competing with the big energy companies. We also produce our own renewable energy with relatively small projects, set up close to where our members live."

2. High-speed broadband: the next step for the co-operative movement
A look at the progress of community-owned ventures to improve internet access for areas otherwise poorly served

Two new tools developed by Locality, the organisation created through a merger of the Development Trust Association (DTA) in England and community development organisation, Bassac.
1. The Building Calculator
The Building Calculator offers communities the professional know-how to work out the long-term costs of a building. Using the most up-to-date building component data, and the whole life costing
methodology employed by surveyors and construction professionals, this easy-to-use tool enables communities to plan ahead for future building maintenance and replacement costs.

2. The Place Station
The Place Station is an innovative site which allows you to map land and buildings that are valued by local residents. It also invites you to add or find assets and encourages private sector professionals to offer their support to help get projects off the ground.