Pubs in Britain are closing at an alarming rate – several thousand a year. Yet up and down the country, pubs are starting to reopen on a co-operative basis.
Community-led cooperatives provide an alternative to the much criticised Pubco business model. "Public houses are a British institution, part of British cultural identity, but at the moment the market is very tough and one pub closes every few hours across the UK." says Co-operatives UK general secretary Ed Mayo. "Now pubs are reopening on a cooperative basis, using the power of shared ownership,"
Read the recent article from our network about co-operatives pubs
In this live Q&A, we'll ask how one great British institution - the local pub - can be saved by another - co-operation.
We'll cover:
• How to know whether a co-operative approach would work for your local pub
• Building support and raising money
• Different forms of ownership and management
• How co-op pubs can work in different communities
• Where to get advice
Do get in touch if you'd like to be a panellist – email David Mills for more details.
Also, if you'd like to leave a question, please do so in the comments section below, or come back to ask it live – and follow the debate – on Thursday 26 April, 1-3pm.
Remember - in order to be on the panel and also to participate, you need to register as a member of the Guardian social enterprise network, and log in. Click here to register.
Panel of experts
Julian Ross - The Old Crown at Hesket Newmarket
Julian Ross is chairman of The Old Crown co-operative in Hesket Newmarket, believed to be Britain's first co-operatively owned pub.
In his 'day job' he works from home as a full-time freelance translator. He has lived in Cumbria for 11 years with his wife Tori, who first introduced him to the delights of The Old Crown.
Peter Maher, Fox and Hounds co-operative pub, Ennerdale Bridge
(Cumbria)
The Fox and Hounds is a West Cumbria's Community Pub. 187 local people has raised over £84,500 worth of share pledges in the Fox and Hounds which has allowed The Community Hub Ltd to take on the lease and run the pub.
J Mark Dodds - The People's Pub Partnership
Mark is a publican and a well known advocate for employee and community ownership of pubs. A founder of the Fair Pint Campaign, Mark was leaseholder of a tied pub, The Sun and Doves in Camberwell, London SE5, for sixteen years. Currently he is researching for The People's Pub Partnership, a crowd funded, employee and consumer owned pub company being supported by CAMRA to back the community purchase of pubs on a large scale. He envisages a Co-operative pub chain that has the economy of scale of JD Wetherspoon's working with the ethos of the John Lewis Partnership.
Linda Barlow - legal officer, Co-operatives UK
Co-operatives UK is the national trade body that campaigns for co-operation and works to promote, develop and unite co-operative enterprises. Linda's work involves providing legal and governance advice to existing co‑operatives and assisting organisations and individuals that wish to form a co‑operative.
Ian Taylor - investment manager, Co-operative and Community Finance
Ian is Investment Manager at Co-operative and Community Finance. He is
responsible for lending across the UK to the co-operative and social enterprise sectors and for the maintenance of the lending portfolios. Ian's responsibilities include the assessment and management of financial risk and the development of new lending strategies. Ian was a founder member of a London based co-operative manufacturing garden products.
Mike Perry – Head of Information and Communication, Plunkett Foundation
Mike joined the Plunkett Foundation in May 2006. Mike previously worked for Oxford University Press before joining the Plunkett Foundation. He is a graduate in BA (Hons) Business Administration and grew up in a family run farm in Worcestershire. Mike leads on Plunkett communications and policy work. Mike is also an associate board member of the Community Land Trust Network. You can follow Mike on Twitter by following @Mike_Plunkett
Jonathan Mail – head of public affairs, CAMRA
CAMRA is a not-for-profit consumer group campaigning for good pubs and good beer. CAMRA currently has over 136,000 members and branches across the UK run active campaigns to support local pubs. CAMRA is keen to support community models of pub ownership.
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