Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to provide development support for co-operative businesses located in (i) Milton Keynes and (ii) Buckinghamshire.

The Government is committed to supporting diverse business models and doubling the size of the co-operative and mutual sector. We have received strong engagement from the sector through our Call for Evidence and are now analysing responses to shape future business support, including what can be achieved within existing support services such as the Business Growth Service and Growth Hubs.

Cooperatives play a vital role in Buckinghamshire’s agricultural sector and Government is developing the new Farmer Collaboration Fund to unlock the broader benefits of this sort of collaboration.