We like to think that there are lots of differences between The Intermediary Cooperative and others who provide intermediary services to the justice system.
One of the more eye-catching differences is that we are a cooperative as opposed to your more traditional type of business.
It is something we are incredibly proud of and, over the three and a half years since we were established, continues to evolve and go from strength to strength.
Although less than one per cent of UK businesses are cooperatives, around the world there are over three million co-ops with 1.2 billion members.
Co-operatives UK, the voice of co-ops in the UK, defines a cooperative as “a business or organisation that is democratically owned and controlled by its members, to meet their shared needs. The members can be its customers, employees, residents or suppliers, who have a say in how the co-op is run.”
Nicola Lewis was one of TIC’s original founders and a former TIC Chair. Nicola was one of the driving forces behind the decision to establish the business as a cooperative.
Nicola says: “We looked at the various options including setting up as a commercial business, but the concept of a cooperative was something that really appealed to the founding members. In fact, I can say that we had 100% endorsement for setting up as a not-for-profit organisation.
“Many of us had a background working either for or with large organisations such as the NHS or the education system. Becoming a cooperative felt refreshing, working in an environment in which everyone has an equal voice and can speak up at any time.
“When we were creating our code of ethics, writing our guidance manual and other early documents, there was a genuinely collaborative approach. Everyone cared about what we were doing and wanted to have their say. There was a real sense that we wanted to be a different kind of business, one which truly put enabling vulnerable people to access justice ahead of making a profit.”
This ethos is underpinned by the values set that members developed in those early days and which continue to inform the way the cooperative operates. The five values are Integrity, Social Responsibility, Person Centred, Holistic and Excellence.
Nicola adds: “We are excited to be a different business model and over three and a half years on we have shown that it is possible to operate a good business that is both self-sustaining, ethical and where we focus on working collaboratively without the need to be focussed on shareholder profit.
“We are continually evolving and learning, but we are completely wedded to social responsibility being at the heart of everything we do.
“In a relatively short space of time, we have grown to over 50 members delivering communication support to service users across England and Wales.
“We know from the feedback we receive from solicitors, barristers and other partners in the justice system that they admire the approach we have taken, particularly against a backdrop in which the resources to support vulnerable people are limited. What we are doing feels right.”
The Intermediary Cooperative, led by its current Chair Nicky Tolley, fellow directors Lou Evans and Vicky Heron and supported by Managing Director Clare Thomas, has found the guidance of Co-operatives UK invaluable.
Nicola herself was invited to speak at last year’s Co-op Congress.
She says: “They have been incredibly supportive and so pleased to have TIC as part of their family. It is an amazing community to be a part of and the cooperative model is one that I would encourage other businesses to consider. In time, we hope that we can help others who are interested in going on the cooperative journey.”
Reflecting on the TIC story so far as a cooperative, Nicola says there have been several learnings.
She says: “One of the biggest ones is working in a truly democratic environment of one member, one vote. While this is naturally a more labour-intensive model, the value from getting the creative input from our members is invaluable.
“Another important thing to remember is that you don’t need to be an expert in everything. While our founder members did so much to get our cooperative off the ground, including crowdfunding ourselves, we have matured as a business in a relatively short period of time and have ensured we have the right professional support on board.
“I am so pleased we made the decision to become a cooperative, proud of what we have achieved as a membership since 2021 and excited to see what the future holds.”
To find out more about Co-operatives UK visit https://www.uk.coop/
Co-op Facts
- The UK’s 7,586 independent co-ops employ 249,142 people
- Co-ops contribute £40.9 billion to the UK economy
- 83.3% of co-operative new-starts survive the first five years compared to just 39% of other businesses
- The United Nations has declared 2025 the International Year of Co-operatives