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title: About
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    <h1>Why co-ops?</h1>

    <p class="large">Co-operatives are businesses in many sectors and
    in many sizes, but with one crucial difference: they are owned and
    democratically controlled by their members. That means people in
    the business, not external shareholders, set the direction and
    share the value.</p>

    <p>CoTech coops are worker-owned co-operatives, meaning that the members are the workers. So the people delivering the projects co-own and control the business together.</p>
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    <p class="large">Cooperatives around the world are values-based
    organisations, committed to the seven cooperative principles.</p>

    <p class="intro">Learn more about the seven co-operative
    principles directly from Co-operatives UK.</p>

    <a class="btn" href="https://www.uk.coop/understanding-co-ops/what-co-op/co-op-values-and-principles">Co-op values and principles</a>
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  <h2>Advantages of working with our co-ops</h2>

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      <h3 class="title">Delivery over dividends</h3>
      <p>Decisions are made to deliver good projects, not to maximise
        shareholder profit.</p>
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      <h3 class="title">You work with the owners</h3>
      <p>The people delivering your project have a direct stake in the outcome, so quality and long-term fit matter.</p>
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      <h3 class="title">Budgets that go further</h3>
      <p>With fewer hierarchies, we can be transparent about costs and are able to design work around your budget.</p>
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      <h3 class="title">Ethical by design</h3>
      <p>We’re mission-led and worker-owned so your spend supports people, inherently delivering social value.</p>
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      <h3 class="title">Cutting edge, ethical tech</h3>
      <p>We have proven success with open-source and ethical tech. We’ll help you explore alternative options alongside mainstream tools.</p>
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      <h3 class="title">Long-term, user-centred relationships</h3>
      <p>We prioritise customer service and user needs, so you don’t just get a launch, you get people-centered support.</p>
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      <h3 class="title">Security and trust</h3>
      <p>We prioritise data security and responsible use of technology.</p>
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      <h3 class="title">Collaborative, low lock-in</h3>
      <p>We collaborate across co-ops, bringing in specialists for joint projects when you need them.</p>
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      <h3 class="title">UK-based network of SMEs</h3>
      <p>UK skills & communities with the responsiveness of small teams.</p>
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  <a class="btn" href="/hire">Hire our co-ops</a>
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