Admitting it had “lost touch with its customers”, the Group is asking the public for its views on a wide range of topics, from whether it should make political donations to what it can do to improve its goods and services

The views from the ‘Have Your Say’ online survey – which is open from today until 24 March 2014 – will feed directly into the results of a wider strategic review, which will be unveiled in May.

The Group is currently subject to a raft of inquiries, including a probe by the regulator into failures at the Co-operative Bank which led to it receiving a rescue package of £1.5bn from its parent company.

The police have also launched a separate investigation into former Co-op Bank chairman Reverend Paul Flowers who is accused of taking class A drugs.

The bank itself has launched an internal review of its governance to be led by former Treasury financial secretary Lord Paul Myners.

Euan Sutherland, group chief executive of The Co-operative Group said: “In recent years The Co-operative has lost touch with its customers and members and with the communities in which it operates – we haven’t been listening. As a new management team we are focused on renewing The Co-operative and the UK public will be vital to that process.

“If we are to successfully serve the communities in which we operate, to become as relevant today as we were in the past, we need to hear directly from the communities and the people we serve. We have seen incredible loyalty from our customers, colleagues and members in recent months – now we want to reward that loyalty.”