Radical Routes is a United Kingdom-based co-operative federation. The organisation provides support to housing and worker co-operatives as well as social centres. This support is given in the form of mutual aid. As members of the network are all doing similar work in different parts of the country they are able to share experience and information for the benefit of all.
Radical Routes provides small loans (up to about £50,000) to member co-operatives. Decisions on making loans are made by other member co-operatives (this is described as "peer-group loan appraisal").
Radical Routes publishes booklets on subjects such as how to set up a housing co-operative, how to set up a worker co-operative and how to work out your ecological footprint (all of which are available to download for free from their website or in print for a fee).
Member co-operatives are expected to commit to a share of Radical Routes' workload, to live sustainable lifestyles and to work for positive social change.
Radical Routes has an ethical investment arm called Rootstock. In the summer of 2011 Radical Routes agreed to join the federation of UK co-operatives called Cooperatives UK, with whom they launched proposals for an Independent Cooperative Regulator after the government announced that it would be abolished the FSA which had previously regulated Co-operatives registered as Industrial and Provident Societies.
Famous quotes containing the words radical and/or routes:
“The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution.”
—Hannah Arendt (1906–1975)
“The myth of independence from the mother is abandoned in mid- life as women learn new routes around the mother—both the mother without and the mother within. A mid-life daughter may reengage with a mother or put new controls on care and set limits to love. But whatever she does, her child’s history is never finished.”
—Terri Apter (20th century)