PROFILE
Jo Bird is a popular independent councillor for Bromborough on the Wirral.
First elected in August 2018 and re-elected in May 2021. She is a high profile campaigner for fairness and justice for everyone. Jo has three decades of experience supporting democratic businesses of all kinds.
KEY CAMPAIGN SUCCESSES
Retrospectively expelled by Labour Party in November 2021 for speaking at a meeting in 2018.
Re-elected as local Labour councillor in May 2021, increased vote share by 13% to 61%.
Proven appeal to grassroots Labour members across the Party.
29% of Labour Councillors voted for Jo Bird in NEC elections in late 2020.
46,150 members voted for Jo Bird, in NEC by-elections in early 2020.
118 CLP nominations despite suspension and reinstatement. Champion of free and fair elections.
Successfully challenged unfair disciplinary action against myself and many members.
Uncovering Lord Leverhulme's hidden history of forced labour plantations in Congo.
Convinced Wirral Council to pay the real living wage for frontline care workers, working with Trade Unions.
Led successful campaign to re-open local NHS Walk-In Centre.
Secured justice for victims of major explosion disaster in 2017, including hardship payments and open scrutiny of lessons to be learned.
Candidate for safe LibDem ward, moving vote share to Labour from 24% to 36%.
Organised warm welcomes for refugees to Derry~Londonderry.
LABOUR MOVEMENT ROLES
Wirral Council committees: Pensions, Economy & Regeneration, Housing, Audit & Risk (2020-21)
Secretary of Birkenhead CLP (2021)
Candidate to represent local councillors on Labour's NEC (2020)
Socialist Councillors steering group (from 2020)
Chair of local Labour branch (from 2020)
Don't Leave Organise steering group (2020)
Candidate for Labour's National Executive Committee by-election, nominated by 118 CLPs and gaining votes from 46,150 members (2020)
Vice-chair Business scrutiny committee, Wirral Council (2019-20)
Secretary of Wirral Labour Group (2019-20)
Vice Chair Membership for Birkenhead CLP (2019)
Elected Labour/Co-op Councillor for Bromborough (from August 2018)
Candidate for Eastham ward, moving vote share to Labour from 24% to 36% (2018)
Secretary of Eastham Labour branch (2017-18)
Full and active member of Jewish Voice for Labour (from 2017)
Chair of Foyle Labour branch, Northern Ireland (2015-17)
Organiser of Co-op Ways Forward member democracy conferences (2013-2018)
REFUGEES AND THE MIDDLE EAST
In 2016, Jo helped mobilise a warm welcome for Syrian refugees to relative safety in Derry~Londonderry. She organised food welcome packs and a series of self-funded and publicly-funded Arabic language and culture courses, with over 300 people taking part in community and school settings.
Responding to requests from Syrian people, Jo managed the start up and development of the innovative Arabic Café. Through 18 pop up cafe events, this integration project was the catalyst for Syrian women and men to take part in training and employment, and the more established community to enjoy new friends as well as the best falafel for 100 miles.
Jo is a founder member of Jewish Voice for Just Peace – a group of Jewish people in Ireland who support the Palestinian struggle for human rights and justice. She campaigns for human rights and against antisemitism and other forms of racism. She wrote letters to the press shared over 700 times. She is at ease building bridges through difficult issues. More about Jo’s Jewish journeys may be found here www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/jewish-values/what-is-it-to-be-jew-ish
Jo co-founded Olive Co-operative, and as its Business Manager (2003-07), promoted responsible tourism and fair trade with the Middle East. She led 200 clients in nine study visits to Palestine~Israel. Study groups travelled to Bethlehem, Tel Aviv, Nablus, Jerusalem and elsewhere – meeting a wide range of groups such as Sindyanna of Galilee, Bereaved Families Forum, community and political activists, refusniks, Mordechai Vannunu, Alternative Tourism Group, Windows for Peace etc.
Jo worked with Zaytoun CIC to bring fairly traded Palestinian olive oil and other products to the UK market. She also crowd funded £30,000 from 400 donors to plant new olive trees in partnership with the Palestine Fair Trade Association.
COMMUNITY-LED HOUSING
When I was a young adult in Manchester, my friends and I met our needs for affordable, secure housing through a housing co-operative that we formed, bought and renovated together. Some community-led housing approaches rely on public funding and some are more financially innovative.
I have worked with dozens of sustainable community led housing projects including Homes for Change, Granby, Homebaked, Edinburgh students, Cloughjordan eco-village – and in the ward I am elected to represent, New Ferry Community Land Trust.
I am a Community-Led Homes accredited advisor with excellent working knowledge of all aspects of community-led homes including legal registrations, multiple regulatory requirements, land access and protection from the right to buy.
BOARD MEMBERSHIPS and equivalent
Socialist Campaign Group of Labour Councillors (from 2020)
Elected Wirral Councillor (from 2018)
Birkenhead CLP officer/executive committee (from 2019)
Co-operative Business Consultants Limited (2007-2019)
Co-operative Alternatives Development Society Limited (2014-2016)
Jewish Voice for Just Peace: Ireland (2014-2017)
Co-operatives North West Limited (2000-1, 2006-8 and 2010-2013)
Shared Interest Council (2009-2011)
Co-operatives UK’s Worker Co-op Council (2007-8)
Olive Co-operative Limited (2003-2007)
Equinox Housing Co-operative Limited (1993-1996)
Manchester University Students Union (1992-3)
CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT Jo has been a successful and practical co-operator since 1993 when she co-founded a housing co-operative. She was Director of Co-operative Business Consultants from 2007-2019, working freelance to help people take control through co-operative enterprise.
Jo organised pro-democracy responses to the crises at the Co-operative Bank and Group from 2013-2018, including six Ways Forward conferences, and Save Our Co-op petition. Jo became a high profile media voice promoting co-operative principles, democracy and identity. Jo chaired conference plenary sessions with key note speaker, John McDonnell, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer and Rebecca Long Bailey, shadow Business Secretary.
From 2014 to 2017, she lived in Derry~Londonderry and worked with co-ops and credit unions across the island of Ireland. She was chair of the development agency, Co-operative Alternatives NI (2014-16).
She is licensed to award the Community Shares Standard Mark, and has considerable experience in co-operative business advice, business and financial planning, crowd funding, board mentoring and governance, harnessing conflict in co-ops, membership policies, legal registrations and conversions, organising strategic events and study tours.
Jo was Business Development Manager for Co-operatives North West (2008-11), working across the co-operative sector to deliver high quality member services to over 350 co-operative enterprises in the region.
At the Co-operative Group (1999-2003), as Head of Co-operative Action (which became the Co-operative Enterprise Hub), Jo promoted co-operative solutions in every sector – from care co-ops to car clubs.
As a senior co-operative consultant, Jo is asked to promote, assess and deliver co-operative development through programmes such as Community-Led Housing, Community Shares Ready, the Plunkett Foundation, and the Co-operative Enterprise Hub (2007-14).
HIGH CLIENT SURVIVAL RATE
Since 2010, Jo has provided more than one day of advice for 58 groups that started, or continued, trading as a co-operative business during the advice. After three years, 75% of these co-operatives are still trading as a co-operative. By comparison, only 45% of companies survive this long. When necessary, Jo advises clients to not start trading. She also helps trading co-ops to wind up (or merge) while minimising damage to people, relationships and finances.
COMMUNITY SHARES
Experience includes: Northern Ireland Community Energy (£150,000 from 86 members), Boundary Brewing Belfast (£100,000 raised in ten days), Hayfield Sustainable Transport (£50,000), Village Greens (£100,000 from 400 members), Greater Manchester Tree Station (£140,000 raised from 200 members), FC United (£2m from 2,000 members), and Shared Interest Society (£29m raised from 9,000 members).
CLIENTS IN IRELAND
Include: Derry’s pop up Arabic Cafe, Media co-op (Dublin), St Columb’s College, The Raglan (Ballymena), Belfast’s Boundary Brewing, Northern Ireland Community Energy (NICE), Third Space Cafe (Dublin), Birr Community Growery (County Offaly), Cloughmills Community Action Team, Down to Earth NI, An Créggan (Sperrins), Templecrone aka The Cope (Donegal), Creggan Enterprises (Derry), Dublin Food Co-op.
CLIENTS IN ENGLAND
Include: Homebaked Community Land Trust and Bakery (Anfield), Your B (the UK’s first Shari’a compliant credit union), Sharenergy, Unicorn Grocery workers co-op, Students for Co-operation, Salford Credit Union, Arts Hub 47, Bankley Artists Studios, Busy Bee Toy Shop, The Kitchen, One Planet Shop.
RECENT COMMISSIONERS
Include: Breaking Ground (Liverpool city region community-led homes hub), Greater Manchester Combined Authority, North West Housing Services, University College Cork, Co-operative Alternatives NI, Cultivate.ie, The Plunkett Foundation, Building Change Trust, Derry & Strabane District Council, Sole Purpose Productions (L’Derry), the Co-operative Enterprise Hub, Co-operative Development Scotland, Co-operative & Mutual Solutions, Co-operatives UK, and Co-operatives North West.
WORK HISTORY
Elected Labour/Co-op Councillor, Wirral Council, from 2018
Secured some justice for victims of major explosion in 2017, including hardship payments. Led successful campaign to keep local NHS Walk-In Centre open. Secretary of Wirral Labour group, leading local manifesto development with hundreds of members, and ensuring Party rules are applied fairly to all members. Successfully promoted the real living wage for frontline care workers with Unison.
Director, Co-operative Business Consultants, 2007 – 2019
Built and sustained CBC as a co-operative consortium dedicated to helping democratic enterprises to start up, grow and thrive. CBC was active in finding new ways forward and challenging reactionary forces within the co-operative movement.
Chair, Co-operative Alternatives NI, 2014 – 2016
Developed good governance and strategy within new and rapidly changing organisation. Specialist adviser to Community Shares Ready programme. Published research Growing Community Shares: Infrastructure Support in NI and UK www.coopalternatives.coop/blog/community-shares-supported/.
Business Development Manager, Co-operatives North West, 2008 – 2011
Part time role delivering high quality member services to over 350 co-operatives in the region. Plus marketing and Board secretariat. Similar role for Co-operatives Yorkshire & the Humber from 2008 – 2009.
Group leader, Woodcraft Folk, 2006 – 2011
Responsible for weekly and residential activities to ‘span the world with friendship’, with co-leaders, children and young people, including child protection.
Business Manager, Olive Co-operative, 2003 – 2007
Founder member and Director of co-op business. Managed 200 clients in small study groups to Israel/Palestine. Raised £30,000 from 400 donors to plant 7,500 new olive trees in Palestine. Import, wholesale and retail of 100+ fairly traded Palestinian products. Ongoing development of all systems for growing business.
Co-op Strategy Manager & Head of Co-operative Action, the Co-operative Group, 1999 – 2003
Built and delivered Co-operative Action partnerships. Managed £2m+ grant program plus £1m+ Community Dividend scheme. Pioneered Group-wide community investment strategy – benchmarking business in top six most generous UK businesses.
Project Co-ordinator, Bully Free Zone, 1996 – 1999
Line manager of five-strong staff team with 200+ volunteers. Forged partnerships with sixteen schools to reduce bullying. Secured £1/2m government contract to combat social exclusion and expand the organisation.
Founder Member and Treasurer, Equinox Housing Co-operative, 1993 – 1996
Collectively identified, bought, renovated and managed 8-bed property in Manchester.
Co-ordinator, Underground Power, 1990 – 1995
Co-ordinator of England-wide campaign for young people’s rights and lowering the voting age.
Academic Affairs Officer, Manchester University Student Union, 1992 – 1993
Elected sabbatical officer at large, trading student union.
QUALIFICATIONS
Community Led Homes accredited advisor (2021)
Community Shares Standard Mark, Co-operatives UK, licensed practitioner (2015)
Sfedi Gold Standard, Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) accredited business advisor Level 5 (2011)
Food Hygiene Level 2 (2017)
Access NI enhanced clearance for working with children and vulnerable adults (2016)
Sociology Degree, Manchester University (1992)
LANGUAGES
Basic Arabic, Hebrew, French, Spanish and British Sign Language.