Continuous democratic renewal in co-operatives with new candidates standing for elected office is healthy and should be welcomed. Co-operatives with static boards of the same members who have served for long periods of time risk becoming resistant to change and risk losing the capacity to respond proactively to changes in their business environment. Standing for election against long serving members should not be seen as an implicit criticism or as undermining the status of incumbents, but rather a positive reflection of the desire of the co-operative's other members to contribute to its on-going success.

Open, contested election procedures should be fostered to encourage the most talented members to stand for election. Candidate election statements and hustings help evidence the skills and commitment candidates will bring to their office and will enable members to decide which candidate(s) to vote for.

Fixed terms of office of, say, three or four years with one third/one quarter of the elected board retiring and seeking re-election each year, are recommended to achieve a balance between democratic renewal and the retention of experience. To ensure democratic renewal occurs, it is good practice to set term limits for elected officers, which fix a maximum period of years that an elected member may serve. Such restrictions have become the norm for non-executive directors in publicly listed companies and co-operatives too should lead by example by adopting this as good democratic practice.