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We’ve been running our Buy Social Corporate Challenge since 2016, supporting big companies across business sectors to bring social enterprises into their supply chains. Our latest annual report shows the Challenge had the most successful year ever, as our 30 corporate partners spent £99 million with social enterprise suppliers. In total, more than £350million has been spent with social enterprises in the seven years of the programme. The premise of the Challenge is simple: working with corporates to use their core business spend to create positive social and environmental impact. And that impact speaks for itself; supplying Challenge partners has enabled social enterprises to reinvest nearly £32m in their missions. Around 3,400 social enterprise jobs have been created thanks to contracts won through the Challenge, with 860 social enterprises supplying Challenge partners last year alone. The number of social enterprises involved in the Challenge rose 43 per cent in the last year, showing the rising interest in social procurement.   Peter Holbrook CBE, Chief Executive of Social Enterprise UK, said: “The world of procurement is changing. Companies big and small need to consider how they impact people and planet, and make sure they actively work in a way that benefits communities and helps tackle environmental concerns. With nearly £100 million spent on businesses doing just that in the last year, this evidence shows the global cross-sector appetite for unlocking social value in everyday organisational spend is incredibly strong.” Click here to read the Buy Social Corporate Challenge Year 7 Impact Report The Buy Social Corporate Challenge partners are Amey, AstraZeneca, AXA, Barclays, CBRE, Co-op, Compass/Foodbuy, Deloitte, Equans, John Sisk & Son Ltd, Johnson & Johnson, KPMG, Landmarc Support Services, Lendlease, Linklaters, LV=, Mitie, Motorola Solutions, Nationwide, Nestle, NFU Mutual, PwC, Robertson Group, SAP, Siemens, Sodexo, The Crown Estate, Wates Group, Willmott Dixon, and Zurich Insurance Group. Social Procurement Connect We aren’t currently recruiting partners for the Corporate Challenge, but our Social Procurement Connect service can support organisations of any size and sector to bring social enterprises into their supply chains. Find out more about Social Procurement Connect and get involved here.

This month the Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) team attended Construction News magazine’s CN Meetup event at JW Marriot Grosvenor House in London. The event brought together professionals from across the construction industry to discuss key issues and trends affecting the sector. We were there to show the benefits of working with social enterprise suppliers and how businesses can unlock social value in their everyday spending. Our business relationship executive Francesca Maines spoke at a roundtable about embedding social value and sustainability in procurement processes, supporting the construction sector to engage more with social enterprises. We were also joined by SEUK members including Tarem Services and Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company. SEUK has a strong track record of working with big businesses in the construction sector. Our work has helped embed social procurement, where buying organisations actively choose to work with social enterprise suppliers, into their practices. Our flagship Buy Social Corporate Challenge has seen more than £255 million spent by 30 corporate partners with social enterprises, and our new Social Procurement Connect service helps to bring social enterprises into cross-sector supply chains. We were also instrumental in passing the Social Value Act in 2012, which has helped transform the procurement and commissioning landscape – placing an obligation on public bodies to consider how the services they procure might improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of the areas they operate in. The Act is also increasingly changing how the private sector operates, especially for businesses that work on public sector contracts. Commenting on the event and the benefits of working with social enterprises, Francesca said: “Working with social enterprise suppliers allows businesses to use their everyday procurement spend to create positive social and environmental impact. It’s using money that would be spent anyway to transform lives and protect the planet. We have seen construction companies use their procurement function to create jobs for marginalised groups, increase supplier diversity and embed sustainable practices into their work. What’s more, social enterprises deliver on quality while being competitive on price. It was great to meet an engaged audience of construction professionals, have meaningful conversations around social value and spread the word about social enterprise.” Other speakers at the table discussion included Syreeta Bayne from Muse, Heather Bryant from Galliford Try, Robbie Blackhurst from Procure Partnerships Framework and Liz Lee from Advance Social Value To find out more about bringing social enterprises into your supply chains visit our Social Procurement Page.

Ten years ago, the small parish of Alston Moor in Cumbria became the UK’s first ever Social Enterprise Place, formally recognising it as an area where mission-led business is thriving. Since 2013, Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) has been recognising these hotspots of social enterprise activity by awarding them with the Social Enterprise Place badge. There are now more than 30 Social Enterprise Places across the UK, ranging from towns and cities to entire counties and regions, but it all started in Alston Moor.   Social enterprises are at the heart of Alston Moor, operating across the economy – from community owned and run snow ploughs and gritters to craft fairs, a pre-school nursery, a gym, specialist wholefood retailing, and a village shop with a post office. The area's three main tourist attractions, a narrow gauge railway, a motor museum and even the visitor centre for the local Roman Fort are all social enterprises. A social enterprise, Cybermoor, was even instrumental in improving internet connectivity in the town, working to provide residents with computers and internet access. The latest evaluation of social enterprises in Alston Moor showed that they have supported create 50 jobs, worked with 200 volunteers and have a combined turnover of £1.5 million. Following Alston Moor’s example, Cumbria itself was declared a Social Enterprise County in 2018, recognising the contribution of social enterprises to the entire region. To commemorate ten years of Alston Moor gaining Social Enterprise Place status, two special events took place last week, bringing together social enterprises and supporters from across Cumbria and beyond. On Thursday 13 July, a day-long event was held at the Rheged arts centre to celebrate a decade of the community-driven businesses that have put Alston Moor on the social enterprise map. Guests heard from three inspiring social enterprises all of which operate in Alston Moor – Cybermoor, Charge my Street and Cumbria Health on Call. Charge my Street install and operate community electric vehicle charge points to ensure every home in the town is within five minutes from a charging point, making it easier to operate electrical vehicles. Cumbria Health and Call are a social enterprise addressing the difficulty in accessing health services in rural areas with their in and out of hours services helping residents get the primary healthcare they need. These businesses were joined on a panel discussion by Cllr Virginia Taylor from Westmorland and Furness Council, Martin Allman Social Enterprise Manager at Cumberland Council and Clive Hirst from Social Enterprise Solutions who originally came up with the idea of the Social Enterprise Places programme in 2013. The discussion was chaired by Rob Randell the lead on the Cumbria Social Enterprise Partnership and also featured contributions from Peter Holbrook and Liz Minns from SEUK. The next day, guests took part in a Social Enterprise Safari around Alston Moor, which showcased the diversity of the town’s social enterprises. SEUK’s Chief Executive, Peter Holbrook said: “It was great to return to Alston Moor, ten years since it gained Social Enterprise Place status, to see how the town’s social enterprises have grown and developed. “Alston Moor shows how a town can use social enterprise to not only take on the challenges faced by many rural areas, such as isolation and digital connectivity - but also how social enterprises can bring a community together, creating shared spaces and a sense of pride. “Congratulations to Alston Moor, a true social enterprise trailblazer!” To find out more about the Social Enterprise Places programme click here. The events at Alston Moor are part of a series of events which will celebrate the ten year anniversary of the programme with other events being listed here.

Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) and representative bodies from across the healthcare sector have written to the Heath Secretary reiterating the need for central funding to ensure the new NHS pay deal includes the many social enterprise staff delivering NHS services. A crucial part of the NHS family, social enterprises deliver over £1bn of services and employ many thousands of staff while reinvesting any profits in communities. Despite this huge contribution, the Government has not included social enterprises in a new NHS ‘backlog bonus’ being awarded to recognise the intense pressures on these vital staff. Earlier this year, the Health Secretary promised a pay uplift for “all staff” on ‘Agenda for Change’ contracts – but his Department has still not found this money for those working in social enterprises under the same contractual terms and conditions. Without central funding to cover the uplift, thousands of social enterprise healthcare providers around the country will struggle to retain staff and sustain critical services.  This week’s letter builds on SEUK’s campaigning alongside healthcare members for Government funding to include social enterprises in the NHS pay deal. The letter warns the Health Secretary that he risks “treating many thousands of staff unfairly when they are just as skilled, committed and essential to the provision of NHS services as those employed by other providers”, creating “inequity of services and a two-tier healthcare workforce”. SEUK signed the letter alongside the British Dietetic Association, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Podiatry, UNISON and UNITE. Peter Holbrook CBE, chief executive of Social Enterprise UK, commented: “We expect the Department of Health to take urgent steps to solve this - as they did previously in 2018 - before staff, services and patients are adversely affected. The Government must deliver on the Health Secretary’s words.” Click here to read the full letter If you agree that social enterprises delivering vital NHS services should be included in the new pay deal, please sign this petition and join over 17,000 of us calling for urgent Government action.

The newly published Roadmap is the latest update from Social Value 2032, an innovative programme led by Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) in partnership with Jacobs, PwC, Shaw Trust, Siemens and SUEZ recycling and recovery. As the programme has ambitious goals to make social value cover all public sector procurement and influence spending in the largest private companies, the new Roadmap outlines the next steps needed on that journey. The programme was set up last year to mark the tenth anniversary of the Public Services (Social Value) Act, which places a legal obligation on public bodies to consider how the services they commission and procure might improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of the areas they operate in. While the Act has helped transform the UK’s procurement landscape - already changing ways of working across public, private and third sectors - its potential is not always understood and its implementation is inconsistent. From creating a consistent legal and regulatory framework with common measuring standards, to strengthening supply chains and changing workplace cultures, the Social Value 2032 Roadmap details short and long-term proposals to transform the system so that organisations’ everyday spending can actively benefit wider society. Peter Holbrook CBE, Chief Executive of Social Enterprise UK, said: “Our new Roadmap is ambitious, but we have no time to waste if we want to level up the country, achieve Net Zero, create a stronger and fairer society, and improve the health and wellbeing of millions of people. “Hundreds of billions of pounds of social value can potentially be generated over coming years – bringing tangible improvements to all our lives, the communities we live in and the planet we depend on. None of this can be achieved in isolation, but we have a growing movement of individuals and organisations who believe in social value, and working together we have a strong platform to drive real change over the next decade.” The Roadmap was launched at Programme partner PwC’s central London offices today (Tuesday 27 June) with a breakfast briefing that brought together social value leaders from across the private, public and third sectors. As well as a panel discussion by Programme partners, delegates heard from the Cabinet Office’s Deputy Director of Commercial Policy, Andy Williams. Discussing the UK Government’s commitment to social value and the changes needed to drive further progress, he commented: "I welcome the Roadmap – I think it’s a fantastic document for us to look at what we can do in future and how we can work together." Read the Roadmap at www.socialenterprise.org.uk/seuk-report/the-social-value-roadmap.

Social enterprises form a vital part of the NHS family, delivering health and care services all over the country while reinvesting profits in local communities. Despite this huge contribution, the Government has not provided funding for social enterprise staff in the recently negotiated NHS pay deal – treating many thousands of staff unfairly when they are just as committed and passionate as those working in any other NHS setting. We’ve been calling for change everywhere from Sky News and the Independent to the Health Service Journal and Nursing Standard but we need to make more noise. You can help us tackle this by adding your name to the petition for urgent Government action: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/638701 Health Secretary Steve Barclay pledged to implement the NHS pay deal for ‘all staff’ on Agenda for Change contracts, but his Department has not yet found this money for those working in social enterprises under the same contractual terms and conditions. We’ve asked the Secretary of State to meet with us - as well as the NHS Confederation, NHS Providers, the Local Government Association, the Association of Directors of Public Health and the Independent Healthcare Providers Network - so we can find practical solutions before staff, services and patients are put at risk. Peter Holbrook CBE, chief executive of Social Enterprise UK, said: “Social enterprises are a crucial part of the NHS family, delivering over a billion pounds of services and employing many thousands of staff while reinvesting any profits in communities. Health Secretary Steve Barclay recently said that he would implement the NHS pay deal for all staff on Agenda for Change – but he has yet to come up with the money, putting these organisations and their staff in an impossible position. “We still expect the Department to take urgent steps to solve this - as they did previously in 2018 - before staff, services and patients are adversely affected. Just the ten largest social enterprises delivering NHS services employ around 10,000 staff, who will be treated unfairly unless the Government acts now. Some of these employers will seek to pay the 22/23 ‘bonus’ their staff deserve, even if the Government doesn’t fund it – but some simply don’t have the money to do so, meaning this will put services and patients at risk. The Department must deliver on the Health Secretary’s words.”

On Wednesday 24 May Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) brought colleagues, partners, peers and collaborators from across the sector together with politicians and policymakers in the House of Lords to discuss how British business can deliver better for our economy and society. With a general election approaching, now is the time to push for progress and make the case for a different way of doing business - one that centres the incredible work being caried out by the tens of thousands of social enterprises, cooperatives, community companies and other purpose-led businesses which are delivering for Britain. Opening the event, SEUK’s chair Lord Victor Adebowale explained: “We are significant, and yet we don’t have the voice that we should have for the major contributions we make to the current economy and all we could do in the future.” He set the scene for the challenges facing the UK economy, as widening inequality and the climate crisis transcend political divisions, making a rallying cry for all parties to address the fundamental structures of how we do business in order to address these burning issues. He issued an invitation and a challenge to raise the profile of the transformative impact of social enterprises and other mission-led businesses, which renowned economist Kate Raworth then argued must be at the heart of political and economic discussions. Changing business structures ‘Doughnut Economics’ author Kate Raworth proposes a radically different way of approaching the economy, moving from a system based on endless growth to one that meets the needs of all people within the means of the living planet. She said: “The aim is to create a safe and just space in which humanity can thrive, and to get there requires a fundamental rewiring of the economy and the way in which businesses themselves are structured.” In conversation with Victor, Kate posed the question of how businesses should be owned and designed in order to serve the needs of people and planet – and, in many ways, the answer to this could be found in the organisations represented in the room. Social enterprises, co-operatives and other purpose-driven business models offer the proof of concept needed for a new economy. Presenting the ongoing crisis of inequality and climate breakdown as an opportunity to show people the possibility of a different future, Kate urged: “Let’s make this visible, seed it and spread it and help people see: this is a not just viable but a crucial way of redesigning our economy in service of the future.” Kate was joined by her Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL) colleague Erinch Sahan, whose work looks at challenging the deep design of business. He outlined how traditional models of ownership, governance and profit distribution place businesses in a straitjacket, with everything reliant on financial returns and maximising shareholder value – while social enterprise offers more diverse structures and innovative ways of working. He concluded that: “Social enterprise is the experimentation ground for those ideas that will hopefully take root in wider business and the future of the world economy.” Join the campaign This event kicks off a new campaign to shape the future of the British economy, bringing together champions of change from across business sectors and political spectrums, to elevate the profile of our growing movement through until the next election and beyond. As we get closer to 2023’s general election, we will ramp up activity to ensure that politicians, policy-makers and other key decision makers hear the voices of organisations that offer real solutions to build a fairer and more equitable country. Join our campaign and help us transform the potential of British business. More information can be found here >> https://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/business-plan-for-britain/ Thank you to all the organisations, MPs and Peers who attended this event and especially to our campaign partners:

Social Enterprise Barometer reports are published quarterly to provide a snapshot of social enterprise performance as well as how specific economic and political developments are affecting social enterprises. The April 2023 survey of 96 social enterprises found that overall, projected growth figures are up on last quarter. Projected turnover and profit figures are also positive, with 40% anticipating turnover will grow and 77% expecting to break even or make a profit this financial year. Compared with last quarter, the new report shows a significant decrease in the number of social enterprises expecting to contract and a modest increase in those expecting to grow. Social enterprise turnover positions remain more positive than for other forms of business, while growth expectations are less confident but slowly increasing toward mid-Covid 2021 levels. Although social enterprises are more resilient in crises than other forms of business, as shown in Covid lockdowns and the 2008 financial crash, recovery is also slower. Social enterprises cite a range of reasons for this, including uncertainty in funding and contract income, to ability to meet increased staffing costs. Rising operating costs in the ongoing economic crisis remain a concern, with more than half of social enterprises forecasting staff cost increases and 41% expecting bigger energy bills. Staff numbers have grown consistently over the last two quarters, despite most respondents reporting higher staff costs. Social enterprises report increasing their staff pay to match inflation as “critical” – but also note varying capacity to do so, minimal impact of pay increases to cover the full impact of cost increases, and pressure on staff due to rising demand when resources can’t keep pace. A few social enterprises reported that increased costs have impacted their delivery of goods or services. Other themes that emerged were the recognition of staff burnout, a reduction in profit and a reduction in investment. CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL REPORT