Interview with Martin Stott

Interview covers 1970s-2018.

[Track 1] [00:00:09] Martin Stott outlines how he first came to be involved in the worker co-op movement through The Political Ecology Research Group (PERG) and their involvement in the Public Inquiry on the Windscale (Sellafield). [04:43] Outlines the aims of PERG. [06:41] Discusses PERG in further detail including: member numbers, decision making, member relations. Talks about wider reactions to the work of PERG. [00:17:36] Talks about when and how PERG wrapped up. [00:21:09] Talks about work following PERG focusing on industrial democracy, worker co-op and trade union work including: TUIREG, the Trade Union International Research and Education Group at Ruskin College, Oxford; The Co-operative Research Unit at the Open University; and the Greater London Enterprise Board. [00:25:21] Mentions work sponsored by the Quaker Peace and Service in Bhopal, India, following the disaster at the Union Carbide plant. Talks about work with the Old Bakehouse Trust, a community workspace in Oxford. [00:28:44] Talks about work campaigning for the establishment of, and then working for Oxfordshire Co-operative Development Agency (CDA). [00:30:04] Outlines the reasons for Conservative support in establishing the CDA. [00:31:58] Discusses the presence of other CDA's within the UK. [00:33:20] Talks in more detail about work within the Oxfordshire CDA.

[Track 2] [00:00:00] Discusses the duration of Oxfordshire CDA.

[Track 3] [00:00:00] Discusses the winding up of Oxfordshire CDA. [00:02:37] Talks about differences in CDA's across the UK. [00:05:12] Talks about career following involvement in Oxfordshire CDA including urban regeneration and economic development for Oxfordshire County Council; and Environment Director in Warwickshire. Also discusses freelance writing. [00:07:56] Discusses work with the Greater London Enterprise Board. [00:16:09] Briefly mentions work conducted with the University of Bremen, Germany.

Martin Stott was a member of the workers' co-operative The Political Ecology Research Group, in the 1970s. Following this he worked for organisations including TUIREG, the Trade Union International Research and Education Group at Ruskin College, Oxford; The Co-operative Research Unit at the Open University, Milton Keynes; and the Greater London Enterprise Board. Martin later worked on a project sponsored by the Quaker Peace and Service in Bhopal India, following the disaster at the Union Carbide Plant. Martin also worked with the Old Bakehouse Trust, a community workspace in Oxford, before working for the Oxfordshire Co-operative Development Agency. Martin later worked for Oxfordshire County Council and was Environment Director in Warwickshire. Throughout his career he has worked doing freelance research and writing.

(Interviewer) Philippa Lewis worked as the Project Archivist for the Working Together Project (2017-2018) based at the National Co-operative Archive.

Some parts of interview redacted due to personal data.

In October 2017 the National Co-operative Archive sent out a request for interview participants from the wider workers' co-operative community to take part in Working Together, a Heritage Lottery Funded project seeking to record and preserve the heritage of the workers' co-operative movement. This interview was recorded in response to this request. The interview was conducted at Oxfordshire History Centre.

Length of interview: 01:06:51

(Track 1 00:46:31 Track 2 00:03:20 Track 3 00:17:00)

Recording Equipment: Zoom H2 Handy recorder

Recording Note: Original audio file - WAV 48kHz/16 bit Copy audio file - Mp3

This interview is licensed under a Creative Commons license (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives)

Transcript and summary of interview.

Material related to the Political Ecology Research Group referred to in the interview - available for consultation at the National Co-operative Archive. Ref: GB 1499 PERG

Original recording and transcript held at the National Co-operative Archive.