Local groups
ECCR supports local groups of members in undertaking work on corporate and investor responsibility. Local ECCR groups have a 'federal' relationship to the organisation as a whole and are corporate associate members. They may act on their own authority as well as in concert with ECCR nationally. Local groups have tended to be concerned with one issue or one company.
Currently there are three local groups - the long-standing Oxford Group and the newly formed South West Group and West Midlands Group:
ECCR’s Oxford Group was the first formed. In 1997 it took the lead in sponsoring the first-ever shareholder resolution to a British company (Shell Transport & Trading Plc) on environmental and human rights issues. This arose from long-term work on Shell over several years and related to the company's activities in Ogoni, Nigeria. The group has continued to dialogue with Shell, with ECCR’s partner organisation in the Niger Delta, the Centre for Social and Corporate Responsibility, and with communities in County Mayo, Ireland, affected by Shell’s Corrib gas project. In 2006 the group worked with ECCR nationally to sponsor a further shareholder resolution at Shell’s AGM.
ECCR South West Group formed in February 2008 and will initially focus on encouraging large companies in the South West to increase their responsible management of supply chains, with particular regard to mainstreaming Fair Trade, focusing first on supermarket own-brand products and on Cadbury Schweppes, which has a key regional presence, and highlighting bottom-line reputational and market share issues. Group contacts: Matt Crossman (chair), Matt.Crossman@rathbones.com; Jonathan Seagrave (secretary), jon_seagrave@yahoo.co.uk.
ECCR West Midlands Group formed in September 2008. The
group plans to meet quarterly in the first instance to look together at
a topic of interest and to try to engage with local businesses and
business people. The group membership covers a wide geographical area
from Birmingham to Worcestershire. Group contact: Barbara Hayes, barbara.hayes@btinternet.com.
If you are interested in linking up with ECCR's Oxford Group, South West Group or West Midlands Group, or in
exploring the possibility of setting up a new group in your locality,
please contact ECCR's Church and Membership Relations Officer: helen.boothroyd@eccr.org.uk.
Past groups:
ECCR's Slough Group worked for several years on the activities of AstraZeneca Plc, whose agrochemicals business is based at Jealotts Hill, near Bracknell, not far from Slough. The group regularly attended AstraZeneca's AGMs and frequently raised questions of concern about the company's activities.
ECCR's Northern Group worked on ASDA, based in Leeds and now part of Wal-Mart. The group began work when the company was still independent.
