Call for Evidence: Share Your Employee Ownership Experiences with Government

We’re urging eoa members to support our response to the Department for Business and Trade’s call for evidence on business support for mutuals (which includes employee ownership).

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An Open Call for Evidence on Business Support for Co-operatives and Non-financial Mutuals has been launched by Government to help shape the response to its manifesto commitment to double the size of the sector.

We’re seeking input on key questions from members in the eo Hub and directly, as well as providing a template to member businesses to adapt and make their own submissions.

“We have a clear opening to elevate employee ownership within Government’s mutual thinking and its growth ambitions,” said James de le Vingne, Chief Executive of the eoa.

“We’re channelling the collective influence of our member and advisor community and building on the positive relationship we’ve built with Government to call for a full consideration of the policy asks outlined in the UK Employee Ownership Growth Strategy.”

What about CGT Relief on EOTs?

Over the past two weeks, our focus has been on the tax relief reduction on Capital Gains Tax (CGT) for EOTs introduced in the Autumn Budget 2025 with immediate effect. 

This has generated much debate and discussion across our member community and the wider EO sector which we’ve fed back to Government teams at the Department of Business and Trade (DBT), HM Treasury (HMT), and HMRC.

We’re grateful to our advisor community and Specialist Advisors for helping us shape and prioritise the key asks to keep Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) deals moving. 

These asks will be represented in upcoming meetings to three Government teams including the Minister for Small Business and Enterprise, Blair MacDougall, and the Director for Personal Tax, Pensions, Tax Administration & HMRC Spending at HMT. 

We’ll update you on their response. In the meantime, you can join the conversation in the eo Hub.

The Call for Evidence and why it’s Important

To help the government meet its manifesto pledge to double the mutuals and co-operatives economy, the Mutuals and Co-operatives Sector Business Council (MCSBC) was formed. 

The eoa sits on this group alongside leading EO businesses (EOBs) Arup and John Lewis Partnership, as well as other sector trade bodies. Back in June, Government reaffirmed its commitment to our sector by announcing a call for evidence at a reception hosted at No. 10. 

“This is a rare and important opportunity to shape how Government thinks about employee ownership and its place in the wider mutuals and economic policy agenda,” said James.

“Our recent experience on the Capital Gains Tax relief emphasises the importance of getting this right, and our voice heard.”

How the eoa is Going to Respond

We’ll be drafting our submission ahead of the 18 February 2026 deadline, responding to key questions Government is asking for evidence on, including:

• The experiences of our members in transitioning to EO, and developing and growing as EOBs
• The policy asks in our newly launched UK Employee Ownership Growth Strategy
• Any unaddressed priorities linked to CGT changes
• Data and evidence including from the EO Knowledge Programme on the benefits of EO for businesses, employees, and the wider economy

We’ll publish our draft in the eo Hub, where members can feedback, add further insights and use in their own submissions, as all EOBs and professional advisers are invited to respond. 

To help capture member experiences, we’ll be posting questions in the eo Hub so you can provide input to inform our draft.

What Does Government Want to Hear About?

The Call for Evidence is structured around questions about data, startups, growing and sustaining a business, and business support.

You can read the full question set by clicking or tapping here.

Why is EO Part of the Mutuals & Co-ops Economy?

Mutuals and co-operatives are businesses run in the interests of their members, who may be employees, customers, suppliers, or tenants who use the services and products they provide. 

Although each model is structured to deliver its governance differently, they each offer ‘members’ a stake and a say in the business.

The UK is currently home to more than 9,500 active mutuals. As defined by the MCSBC, the term ‘mutual and co-operative’ includes co-ops, building societies, credit unions, financial mutuals, other mutual organisations, and employee owned businesses.

By working together with trade bodies and businesses, we can have a louder voice and influence better ways of doing business across the UK to create the market conditions for growth.

What’s Next?

Members can look out for our question prompts in the eo Hub over the next few days, and our draft submission which we’ll share in the New Year.

The Call for Evidence closes on 18 February 2026.