Even as debates rage about the future, there’s one thing we all agree on: that the status quo isn’t working. There’s a growing consensus that we need to change how our economy works so that employees, consumers, and communities receive their fair share of the wealth we create together.

We’re sick of the decisions that affect us being taken by people whose lives and interests are far removed from our own. We want to do business with companies who put their staff and customers first, and who work in the interests of the communities around them. We want services we can be proud of, which put the people who use and work in them at their heart.

‘Taking back control’ doesn’t mean shifting power from one set of politicians to another – it means a radical shift in power to people and communities. It means enabling people from Perth to Penzance to work together to build a better life.

Across the World and across Britain, hundreds of thousands of co-operatives, with billions of members, are showing that there is an alternative. They’re living proof that a better way isn’t just a dream – and that it works.

And as our country embarks on a new chapter, here’s how the Government can use Wednesday’s Budget to unleash our country’s potential– enabling us to work together to build a fairer, stronger, and hopeful future for all.