The launch of a new Co-operative Party campaign celebrating the positive role of communities has been welcomed by Douglas Alexander MP.

Community Britain highlights the role communities are already playing in solving our nation’s most pressing challenges and reclaims their role as a serious political and economic force – not just a feel-good afterthought.

At the launch of the campaign, the Co-operative Party has published Stories from Community Britain, an essay collection showcasing the communities across the country who are already pioneering solutions to important issues like climate change, economic stagnation and social cohesion.

Welcoming the new campaign, Douglas Alexander, who is a Scottish Labour and Co-operative Party MP, said:

“The story of Britain doesn’t need to be one of division, disillusionment, and decline. Community Britain is about giving power back to local people and rebuilding our country from the ground up in a co-operative way.

“It invites us to learn more about the communities who are already writing themselves a different future. I welcome the campaign and its positive message recognising the people and places that bring pride to communities, and the serious solutions they offer to our politics and our country.”

Joe Fortune, general secretary of the Co-operative Party, said:

“At a time when trust in politics is at an all-time low, these stories prove that real change isn’t just possible – it’s already happening in communities up and down the country. It’s time to learn from them, champion them, and demand a politics that empowers them. We need government at every level not to step back, but to step forward.

“Community has always been at the heart of the co-operative movement. Now, we’re on a mission to put it back at the heart of politics. Read these stories, share them, and join us in putting communities at the heart of our country’s future.”

Learn more about the campaign and its objectives at https://party.coop/community/.