Privacy Statement
Kindling Co-operative Ltd holds data on current and prospective members as well as people who have signed up to our mailing list or otherwise asked to support the Co-op; also note that we are required by law to keep accurate records where we have financial contracts, e.g. loanstock. We only hold this data as long as required by contractual relationships (e.g. loanstock or membership) or while consent is given (e.g. email lists, where there is an opt-out box at the bottom of each email).
We do not share anyone’s data with third parties inside or outside the EU. We do not share information about loanstock providers or mailing lists with third parties (except in rare cases with explicit prior consent). Our lists of members (names) are required to be available on the statutory books and can be accessed by anyone on a valid request.
You have the legal right to access to, erasure and restriction of your data. You also have the right complain to the ICO if we have been unable to satisfy your query or request. You can contact Kindling Co-operative Ltd at info[at]kindlingcoop.org please use ‘Data Protection’ in the subject line for all queries pertaining to data protection.
What is a Housing Co-op?
Housing co-operatives are registered not-for-profit organisations. They allow people to control their own housing, without actually owning it personally. They are governed by their tenants/members. All tenants are members and all members need to be tenants or prospective tenants.
Housing co-ops thus allow grassroots control over housing, providing rented homes where the tenants are collectively their own landlord. The organisation is run according to co-operative principles, giving everyone an equal say – and an equal responsibility – in the management of the housing.
If the co-op should ever cease to exist, its assets have to stay within the co-operative movement; they cannot pass to the members or be used to invest outside the movement. Thus, by coming together and acting co-operatively, housing remains in common ownership.
By setting up a housing co-op, we aim to empower ourselves to take control over one of the most fundamental aspects of our lives and in the process transfer property from private ownership to common ownership. We aim to provide a safe and secure environment for people to live in the long term.
About Kindling
Kindling is a housing co-operative that bought a house in Rose Hill, Oxford in 2016.
The group is currently made up of eight full members, including campaigners, community organisers and researchers involved in a range of environmental and social justice causes. We aim to live in a non-hierarchical and ecologically sustainable way.
Kindling Housing Co-operative aims to provide a safe, stable and supportive environment for generations of politically and socially active individuals. We believe this is even more important at a time when other forms of housing are further out of reach. Oxford is now the least affordable city in the UK with rents and house prices continuing to escalate at unsustainable rates. In addition, cuts to housing support and the continued financialisation of housing, have all compounded the fact that many people like ourselves are struggling to find suitable accommodation. This house aims to provide a productive living space for a diverse group of individuals and help to ensure the continuation of vital social and ecological projects for a more equal society.
We hope to create a space that is low impact, consensually run, engaged with its local community, and actively working towards social change. In an urban location that has connection to a modest growing and green space, we want to demonstrate a different way of living: taking control of our infrastructure, connecting to the community and ecosystem, whilst being practical, empathic, active and egalitarian.
The House
Kindling Co-op bought a house in Rose Hill in 2016. Since then we have created a warm home together, including some substantial building work and making a beautiful kitchen and bike shelter. We are very grateful to our investors, Dragonfly Housing Coop and Ecology Building Society for our mortgage that allowed us to realise this dream. During Lockdown in 2020, we spent the spring turning our concrete yard into a lovely back garden with raised beds for vegetable growing, a lawn and various seating areas.
In September 2021 we will be renewing our loan stock offer. If you would like to invest in Kindling Coop, please get in touch at info@kindlingcoop.org.
Members and skills
Kindling is managed by its members. The individual members bring skills in accounting, experience of running Workers Co-operatives, project management, research, food growing, pasta-making, event management, design, architecture, property maintenance, low impact living, working in groups and collective decision making. These skills are spread across the group and will help ensure a well-run home and a healthy, happy and sustainable living environment for everyone.