The UK's mutual housing sector is diverse comprising organisations of various sizes, locations, objectives and activities:

• par value housing co-operatives;
• tenant management organisations (TMOs);
• co-ownership housing societies; and
• community gateway associations of varying sizes and locations.

The sector is larger than was thought at the outset of the Commission's research with approaching 1,000 organisations managing 100,000 homes.

The Commission database now includes information about 677 mutual housing organisations across the UK. Of these, 607 are in England, 41 in Scotland, 26 in Wales and 3 in Northern Ireland.

It is estimated that the annual turnover of the mutual housing sector in the UK is at least £162 million with shareholding capital amounting to at least £230 million. The total stock owned and managed is estimated at more than 45,000 housing units of which approximately 35,000 (or 77 percent) are owned.

In England, there are at least 36,000 homes in the mutual housing sector of which just over 30,000 (or 83 percent) are owned. English mutual housing organisations included on the database can be split into:

• 539 par value housing co-operatives
• 41 tenant management organisations
• 4 community gateway associations
• 2 federations (the Confederation of Co-operative Housing and the London Federation of Housing Co-operatives)
• 22 co-ownership housing societies

Although there are co-operatives in most parts of England, there is a clearly definable clustering in 4 locations: London, Merseyside and the West Midlands. Some 46 percent of the stockholding is located in London, managed by 311 mutual housing organisations. A further 31 percent of the stockholding is in the North-West managed by 73 organisations. Eight percent of stockholding is in the West Midlands managed by 53 organisations. Perhaps unsurprisingly this pattern mirrors the location of the established secondary co-operatives and support agencies that have continued to exist.

The Co-operative Economy

Co-operatives are autonomous associations of people untied voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprises.

The co-operative economy covers consumer-owned, retail, agricultural, financial, worker-owned, and housing organisations with an annual turnover of more than £27 billion. They have 11,000 members and employ 240,000 people.

Confederation of Co-operative Housing

Established in 1993, CCH aims to promote co-operative and tenant-controlled housing as a viable alternative form of tenure; to represent the inter4est of housing co-operatives and other tenant-controlled housing groups; and to provide a forum for networking between housing co-operatives nationally.

CCH recognises the diversity of its membership and views but seeks to reach a broad consensus. CCH is a campaigning organisation although non-party political, promoting mutual housing across the country, supporting genuine ‘stakeholding' as a guiding principle.

Co-operatives UK

Co-operatives was launched in January 2003 when the Co-operative Union, the Industrial and Common Ownership Movement (ICOM), and the United Kingdom Co-operative Council (UKCC) were brought together in a single organisation.

Co-operatives UK in independent and autonomous co-operative organisation, owned and democratically controlled by its members, but the work that we do benefits all co-operative enterprises in the United Kingdom. We also work closely with the independent co-operative networks throughout the UK.

It works towards the creation of an increasingly successful and sustainable co-operative economy by promoting the interests of co-operatives, increasing awareness and understanding of co-operative values and principles, and supporting the growth and development of new and existing co-operatives.

A diverse and growing membership comprises co-operative and mutual enterprises in all sectors of the economy, federations and associations that represent distinct co-operative sectors, and organisations that the start up and development of new co-operative and mutual enterprises.

International Co-operative Alliance - Housing

ICA Housing is the apex body of the worldwide co-operative housing movement and a properly constituted sectoral body of the International Co-operative Alliance. Through ICA Housing's efforts, co-operative and mutual housing is winning recognition and respect throughout the world for is unlimited potential and practical achievement in providing secure, affordable, shelter controlled by those who call it home.

ICA Housing supports its members' local efforts to secure legal, financial and management arrangements for their housing within the context of working regionally and internationally to bring about conditions favourable to the growth of co-operative and mutual housing.

Joining the other branches of the international co-operative movement and disseminating information about successes, achievements and barriers to growth are two of the key ways in which ICA housing achieves its mission.