CDS Co-operatives is a co-operative controlled by its members

We call ourselves a secondary co-operative because the majority of our members are the primary housing co-operatives we serve.

Membership of CDS Co-operatives is open to three groups:

• Primary housing co-operatives who are clients or potential clients.
• Individuals who have a special interest in supporting housing co-operatives or in contributing their expertise to our work.
• Community organisations intending to promote or support the development of housing co-operatives.

More information is contained in our Membership Policy.

Applications for membership should be addressed to the Secretary at our registered office and should be accompanied by a cheque for the £5 membership share. Membership shares carry no right to interest or dividend payments and, once admitted into membership, shares are not refundable.

We are controlled by an elected Board of Management which has ultimate responsibility for the governance of CDS Co-operatives. The Board of Management is responsible for ensuring that our work is carried out within the framework of our registered rules click here, the law that applies to registered social landlords and the regulatory requirements of and guidance issued by The Housing Corporation (now the Tenant Services Authority). It is the Board of Management's responsibility to set the policies and procedures within which we work, our strategic direction and business plan, and to monitor our performance against our business plan targets.

CDS Co-operatives is a member of the National Housing Federation. We subscribe to its code of governance, the principles of which are incorporated in our registered rules.

There are four permanent sub committees of the Board of Management. These are:

• Finance and Administration
• Internal Control
• Housing Services
• Joint Staff/Management Consultative Committee

In addition an Employment Sub Committee may be convened to deal with specific employment matters.

Board members and members of sub committees serve in a voluntary capacity. They receive no payment for the work they do in governing us, other than reimbursement of out of pocket expenses. If you are interested in offering your time and skills to serve on our Board of Management or any of our sub committees please contact our Administration Manager & Society Secretary

The day to day responsibility for managing CDS Co-operatives within the policies and objectives set by the Board of Management rests with the Executive Director and the senior management team. For information about our board, the Executive Director and the senior management team click here.