Radical Routes
Encyclopedia
Radical Routes is a United Kingdom
-based co-operative federation. The organisation provides support to housing
and worker co-operatives as well as social centres
. This support is given in the form of mutual aid. As members of the network are all doing similar work in different parts of the country they are able to share experience and information for the benefit of all.
Radical Routes provides small loans (up to about £50,000) to member co-operatives. Decisions on making loans are made by other member co-operatives (this is described as "peer-group loan appraisal").
Radical Routes publishes booklets on subjects such as how to set up a housing co-operative, how to set up a worker co-operative and how to work out your ecological footprint
(all of which are available to download for free from their website or in print for a fee).
Member co-operatives are expected to commit to a share of Radical Routes' workload, to live sustainable lifestyles and to work for positive social change.
Radical Routes has an ethical investment arm called Rootstock. In the summer of 2011 Radical Routes agreed to join the federation of UK co-operatives called Cooperatives UK
, with whom they launched proposals for an Independent Cooperative Regulator after the government announced that it would be abolished the FSA
which had previously regulated Co-operatives registered as Industrial and Provident Societies.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based co-operative federation. The organisation provides support to housing
Housing cooperative
A housing cooperative is a legal entity—usually a corporation—that owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings. Each shareholder in the legal entity is granted the right to occupy one housing unit, sometimes subject to an occupancy agreement, which is similar to a lease. ...
and worker co-operatives as well as social centres
UK Social Centre Network
The UK Social Centre Network is a grass roots initiative to establish a network between self identified radical independent social and community centres in the United Kingdom. There is no single policy statement but clearly a general desire to improve communication and co-operation between the...
. This support is given in the form of mutual aid. As members of the network are all doing similar work in different parts of the country they are able to share experience and information for the benefit of all.
Radical Routes provides small loans (up to about £50,000) to member co-operatives. Decisions on making loans are made by other member co-operatives (this is described as "peer-group loan appraisal").
Radical Routes publishes booklets on subjects such as how to set up a housing co-operative, how to set up a worker co-operative and how to work out your ecological footprint
Ecological footprint
The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems. It is a standardized measure of demand for natural capital that may be contrasted with the planet's ecological capacity to regenerate. It represents the amount of biologically productive land and sea area necessary to...
(all of which are available to download for free from their website or in print for a fee).
Member co-operatives are expected to commit to a share of Radical Routes' workload, to live sustainable lifestyles and to work for positive social change.
Radical Routes has an ethical investment arm called Rootstock. In the summer of 2011 Radical Routes agreed to join the federation of UK co-operatives called Cooperatives UK
Cooperatives UK
Co-operatives UK is "the central membership organisation for co-operative enterprise throughout the UK", a co-operative federation founded in 1870 as the Co-operative Central Board, before changing its name to the Co-operative Union and finally becoming Co-operatives UK following its merger with...
, with whom they launched proposals for an Independent Cooperative Regulator after the government announced that it would be abolished the FSA
Financial Services Authority
The Financial Services Authority is a quasi-judicial body responsible for the regulation of the financial services industry in the United Kingdom. Its board is appointed by the Treasury and the organisation is structured as a company limited by guarantee and owned by the UK government. Its main...
which had previously regulated Co-operatives registered as Industrial and Provident Societies.