Thought Leadership

Clarion Housing Group, the UK’s largest housing association, announces the launch of the sixth William Sutton Prize, with the prize pot increased to mark the organisation’s 125th anniversary. A fund of £125,000 will be awarded to ideas and innovations that transform the lives of social housing residents. Named after the Victorian philanthropist whose legacy created Clarion Housing Group, The William Sutton Prize seeks innovative and bold solutions that will tackle some of society’s most urgent challenges. The £125,000 fund will be split between the winners of two categories focusing on sustainability and connected communities. Clarion Housing Group draws on its long heritage that goes back to 1900 when entrepreneur William Sutton left his fortune to create some of the first social housing in London. Along with contemporaries such as Joseph Rowntree and George Peabody, Sutton’s original bequest transformed the lives of so many Victorian workers in towns and cities. 125 years later, Clarion’s William Sutton Prize aims to honour that legacy by turning groundbreaking ideas into real-world solutions that make lasting improvements to the built environment and local communities. Clare Miller, Chief Executive of Clarion Housing Group, said: “Through The William Sutton Prize we are proud to collaborate with those who are pioneering new innovations and cutting-edge thinking. Kickstarting our 125th year anniversary celebrations, this year’s prize is our most ambitious to date and we are delighted to be able to increase the value of the funding thanks to the support of our partners. “We’re focusing our efforts on tackling two major societal issues – preserving and restoring nature, and the need for truly connected communities – and I can’t wait to see what innovative ideas are put forward.”  Several eminent judges have been chosen from the architectural, construction, design and academic sectors including Peter Murray OBE, Co-Founder of New London Architecture, Tara Gbolade, Co-Founding Director of Gbolade Design Studio, Matt Harvey-Agyemang, Co-Founder of The POoR Collective, and Greg Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of Vistry Group. The £125,000 prize fund, financed jointly by Clarion and corporate partners, will be awarded to the winners of two categories. The William Sutton Prize for Sustainability will be awarded to organisations or individuals bringing forward ideas that actively contribute to the restoration and preservation of our natural world. Applications are invited to tackle any issues in this space, with a particular interest in climate resilient design, retrofitting and renewable energy, resource efficiency, biodiversity and recovering nature, and wellbeing and placemaking.   New for 2025, The William Sutton Prize for Connected Communities aims to foster innovative solutions that enhance community ties, promote inclusion, and strengthen the social fabric of Clarion neighbourhoods. Developed in partnership with the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art (RCA), this new category will recognise impact-led ideas that improve social housing residents’ physical, emotional and social wellbeing, promoting a healthy and welcoming environment for all. In addition to funding, the winners will also receive a tailored package of business support and the chance to collaborate with Clarion and their partners and sector-leading experts to turn their boldest and brightest ideas into reality. Peter Murray OBE said: “It is an honour and privilege to be asked to judge The William Sutton Prize in Clarion’s 125th anniversary year. We need the best brains with the most ambition to match the transformative impact of Clarion’s founder, and I’m really looking forward to receiving the submissions and meeting the people behind them.” Past William Sutton Prize winners include well-known architecture practices including Bell Phillips Architects, Mole Architects and Jas Bhalla Works, alongside social enterprises and charities such as the Hackney School of Food and Pride of Place Living.   Tim Bell, Director of Bell Phillips Architects, said:  “Winning The William Sutton Prize has enabled Bell Phillips to expand our focus on reducing embodied carbon in all the buildings we design. The Prize has provided us with dedicated research and development time for our in-house carbon calculation tool and to implement the findings of that into live projects across a range of building types – it truly has been invaluable.” Applications close at midday on 8 April. To find out more about The William Sutton Prize or to apply, visit www.clarionhg.com/william-sutton-prize

The man who went up against Nigel Farage in the 2024 general election will now be making the case for social enterprise to politicians.  Taking on a media savvy political operator with more than twenty years experience in a general election when you’re just 27 years old is not for the faint-hearted. So it was no surprise that Jovan Owusu-Nepaul’s selection as the Labour candidate up against Nigel Farage for the Clacton seat raised a few eyebrows.   Perhaps unsurprisingly given his public profile and many years in politics, Farage won with 46% of the vote but for Owusu-Nepaul, it was an opportunity to add to his political experience.   Having joined the Labour Party whilst studying for his A Levels, he went onto become the youngest ever Chair of the Lewisham Deptford constituency Labour Party and then worked under Vidhya Alakeson, who is now Keir Starmer’s Chief of Staff. All of which will stand him in good stead as he takes on a new challenge of ensuring parliamentarians and policymakers are aware of the importance of social enterprise to British society as our new Head of Public Affairs.   “All the work that I've ever done has been about some form of social change or social impact. Working for the Labour Party was one way I could do that, and now this feels like a meaningful, tangible way in which I can try and advocate for a certain type of economy, making the case more concretely for an alternative way of business,” said Owusu-Nepaul.  He’s particularly eager for conversations about how government can better hold businesses to account, using the social enterprise sector as an example of an alternative way of doing business which can exist at a larger scale. As someone who has spent a lot of time thinking about what we value as a society and ways to embed a value structure into the economy (beyond the bottom line), he’s also looking forward to our forthcoming Social Value Leaders' Summit.  Owusu-Nepaul sees social enterprises as a tool to achieve social justice because he believes they give people agency in society, are nurturing to their communities and create beneficial social outcomes.   He added: “Social enterprises are so much more effective than just having business as a kind of raw parasitic form. They’re demonstrating an alternative value system within the context of a more inclusive model of capitalism, and that is exactly where political parties should be focusing because it integrates economic interests alongside social and cultural interests.”  As someone who was the exact opposite to Farage in so many ways, not only on policy but as the only black candidate under 30 in the election, his selection was irresistible to the media. It’s lead to invitations to appear on LBC, ITV’s Good Morning Britain and Channel 5’s The Jeremy Vine Show, and he’s enjoying having a platform.   “You can engage in kind of a national conversation, and you can plant ideas in people's heads as to how an alternative society could look. It's really important to demonstrate to people that the way things are today, that doesn't mean that's how it always has to be. The media's allowed me to do that,” said Owusu-Nepaul. 

Better leisure centres across the UK are partnering with the Department for Education’s Skills for Life campaign.  The initiative aims to encourage people not only to focus on health and fitness goals this January but take a more comprehensive approach to personal development. Specialist advisers from the Government’s National Careers Service will be based at Better leisure centres across England, offering free and impartial careers advice to leisure centre visitors. A poll of 2,000 adults, commissioned by Skills for Life, shows most people (96%) want to achieve some kind of personal growth in 2025 and 57% plan to set themselves a professional goal for the year ahead, such as switching jobs, getting a pay rise or working towards a promotion. Of those surveyed, more than two thirds (67%) said they think it is easier to commit to a physical goal – such as losing weight, going to a gym or taking up running – than it is to commit to learning a new skill. When asked why, they said they felt physical goals were “more attainable” (35%) and learning something new was too expensive (23%).  Customer & Communities Director for Better leisure centres, Joseph Rham, says: “Prioritising our physical, mental and learning health are all things we should be focussing on in the 2025.  We aim to support as many people as possible to get active and experience the huge benefits of improved health and wellbeing. Likewise, learning a new skill can not only be empowering but also offer real opportunities for employment and career development. “We are therefore delighted to be supporting Skills for Life with several of our leisure centres across the country hosting free personal development - or ‘PD’ sessions - with career advisers from the National Careers Service.” Steve Hanley, a careers adviser at the National Careers Service, says: “There’s no better time to take stock and review your skillset than at the start of a new year. But taking that first step can sometimes feel really daunting. “I know from my experience as a careers adviser that there are lots of reasons why people can put off learning new skills – whether that’s the perceived cost of courses or people simply thinking they’re too old to learn something new. But we would encourage people to look again. Learning new skills doesn’t always mean you have to spend money and is for everyone. “We hope this exciting partnership with Better will inspire people across the country to also think about their learning health this January. With so many free and flexible training opportunities available, it’s never been easier to get started. Search Skills for Life to find out more.” Skills for Life is encouraging adults to explore the various government-funded courses available. From short courses like Skills Bootcamps, available in a range of subjects, to apprenticeships or Higher Technical Qualifications. For more information and a list of participating Better leisure centres visit: https://www.better.org.uk/healthy-communities/skills-for-life

When you become a Social Enterprise UK member, you’re joining the world’s largest social enterprise network! You can join us either as a social enterprise or as an organisation that supports them. We’re running an introductory webinar three times in the year, where you can find out how membership can add value to your business. We’ve sessions dedicated to organisations that are social enterprises and those looking to partner with them to build on their ESG goals and enhance their procurement strategy. Each session is only 15 minutes long, giving you a brief but insightful overview of why your business should join our ever-growing movement. Webinars for social enterprises Find out the three main reasons why your social enterprise should join us. 25 February, 10am – REGISTER HERE 3 June, 10am – REGISTER HERE 9 September, 10am – REGISTER HERE Webinars for organisations who support social enterprises Discover how joining our network can help you build on your ESG goals. 27 February, 10am – REGISTER HERE 5 June, 10am – REGISTER HERE 11 Sept, 10am – REGISTER HERE

More diversity at leadership level could mean more money for the economy. Our latest report found that social enterprises are playing their part – particularly those led by women.  Whatever your views on the diversity of Britain's workforce, there's a good reason to consider the findings from our last State of Social Enterprise report: it's been estimated that better gender and ethnic diversity in executive teams would be good for the economy.  For example, the business charity Business in the Community has worked out that race equality could boost the UK economy by £24 billion per year, which works out at an incredible £481 million a week. For anyone interested in economic growth like this, our deep dive into diversity amongst social enterprises should make for interesting reading.   Beyond the bottom line, more diversity can help stimulate a culture that draws on the experiences, perspectives and knowledge of different groups. Embracing different views and nurturing talent, while combatting biases and prejudices that can hold a business back, can contribute to a better business culture and enhance performance. When we interviewed more than 700 social entrepreneurs, their answers around the diversity of their businesses were incredibly revealing.  Social enterprises lead the way when it comes to representation on staff and leadership teams. More social enterprises are led by women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds than is the case for the wider business community. More than half of social enterprises are run by women (59%) and they’re making more than double the money of their male counterparts; average reported profits among women-led social enterprises are £160,000 compared to £70,000 by those led by men. For comparison, in the wider business community, just 18% of SMEs are run by women.   Another result that leaped out from the report is that one in every 20 businesses run by someone from an ethnic minority background in the UK is a social enterprise. Social enterprise leadership is closer to representing the national ethnicity makeup of the UK than the rest of the business world. The UK’s last census (in 2021) found that 18% of the population is from an ethnic minority background and our research found that 13% of social enterprise leaders identify as being so. In the wider business community, just 6% of leaders are from an ethnic minority background.  Social enterprises strive to address different social challenges and lead the way when it comes to representation on staff and leadership teams. Further, a substantial proportion actively tackle issues of gender and racial discrimination as their core social mission.  While there are several reasons to be optimistic about the contribution social enterprises make to a more diverse and representative workforce, challenges remain. As with all businesses led by women and people from minoritised groups, there remain concerns that certain social enterprises can face persistent barriers that hold their business back. The Adebowale Commission on Social Investment, for example, found that Black-led social enterprises faced a disproportionate struggle to access and secure financial support from social investment firms.  Black female-led social enterprises are significantly less likely to raise finance sought than the average, and female-led social enterprises are less confident that their organisations have the required skills to secure finance and investment.  It is critical that we improve our understanding of the challenges experienced by different groups within the social enterprise community. Through improving diversity and representation across social enterprise, economic gains can be made, and the ability of social enterprises to recognise and meet the needs of the communities they serve can be strengthened.   This report explores data collected by the Social Enterprise Knowledge Centre – in particular the State of Social Enterprise, the largest UK survey of social enterprises. It maps the demographic profile of social enterprises and explores differences in performance and experiences for women-led and ethnic minority-led businesses.  We’d really love your help with the next State of Social Enterprise, which we’ll be compiling this year. In February we’ll be launching our biannual survey, which is open to all social enterprises. It will give us more valuable data to help showcase the difference social enterprises are making. If you’d like us to send you the survey, let us know here.  

Towards mission-driven procurement systems Our Social Value Leaders’ Summit on Wednesday 26 March in central London, brings together senior leaders and decision-makers from across the public, private and social enterprise sectors to discuss, debate and shape the future of social value. With the Procurement Act coming into effect on 24 February and the new National Procurement Statement set to give social value an important role in the contracting process, this year will see the biggest changes to how government spends its money in a generation. This ninth Social Value Leaders’ Summit will look at how we make the most of this opportunity focusing on: The role of voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs) in delivering mission-driven procurement How social value can deliver economic growth Improving public services Tackling regional inequalities Keynote speakers will be announced soon. The Summit is an invite-only event for leaders in the social value space. If you’re looking to increase the positive social and environmental impact of the goods and services you procure, or are a VCSE with a track record of social value delivery you can express your interest in attending by filling out this form. The Summit forms part of our Social Value 2032 programme and is supported by our Partners: Anthony Collins, Jacobs and PwC. This ambitious project looks at how we can embed social value across all public sector procurement and influence the spending of the UK’s largest companies. If you are interested to know more about the partnership or Summit sponsorship please contact jennifer.exon@socialenterprise.org.uk

Katharine Sutton is Chief Executive of Aspire Community Works, a social enterprise provider of public services whose #BetterForUs campaign advocates a wellbeing approach to the economy. The vast amounts of public funds allocated through procurement can shape community well-being, support fair employment and strengthen local economies – yet all too often, this potentially transformative spending is reduced to a technical purchasing process. At best, the cheapest price is prioritised over the quality of public services, but at worst it can mean large-scale corruption and the collapse of get-rich-quick companies such as Carillion. A new mission-led government, a new Procurement Act (due to take effect in February 2025) and new National Procurement Policy Statements (in England and Wales) provide opportunity for bold reform to ensure the system is people-led rather than profit-led. This blog explores various practical ways in which public procurement can be made to work for the public, not against it. Make fair wages and good working conditions the standard Every public contract should include a commitment to paying the Real Living Wage. Workers deserve fair compensation that enables them to support themselves and their families. Setting fair wages as a standard can reduce poverty, lessening reliance on health and welfare services. Fair pay fosters health, stability and productivity, creating a more resilient and engaged society. All public contracts should also promote decent working conditions through the inclusion of Good Work standards certified by independent bodies. This will ensure workers have security, dignity and opportunities to develop, ultimately supporting the well-being of employees and wider communities. This is particularly important in sectors with low pay and high turnover to improve staff satisfaction and retention,  in turn generating higher quality services that the race to the bottom simply cannot sustain. Support local economies with targeted investment At least 1% of public procurement budgets should be allocated to organisations committed to supporting people facing barriers and disadvantage in the labour market. Directing procurement funds towards these “Good Works” organisations could help stimulate alternate local economies, create sustainable employment for individuals who might otherwise be excluded from the workforce, and tackle existing labour shortages. Aspire estimates that such an investment could generate over £3.9 billion for local economies, strengthening communities and fostering inclusion. Align procurement with wider values and goals Public procurement can and should be aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), leveraging each contract as an opportunity to support sustainable development and addressing issues such as inequality, inclusive growth and climate change. We consider these to be the golden thread linking procurement to community, domestic, international and corporate goals. While social value is an increasingly common part of procurement, we recommend a shift towards public value - linked to the SDGs - with the purpose of maximising public benefit. Social value often becomes a checklist, narrowly focused on short-term results, whereas public value encompasses a commitment to addressing long-term issues like inequality and resilience as well as mission-led public policy. Reframing procurement with a public value approach would enable public funds to support sustainable, community-centred, people-led goals. Such a shift would require contractors to align their objectives with government priorities, creating a more cohesive and impactful procurement strategy both at a national and local level. Put the public back in public procurement We must move beyond just listening to really actively involving local communities in the commissioning and procurement process, using the voice of lived experience to co-create services that are relevant and resonate with the people who will be relying on them. Investing in people-led procurement is a crucial part of investing for our future. Inclusive growth may be a buzzword for those who have wealth – but for those of us without, it is a necessity. As businesses and investors look for models of sustainable growth, the principles of social procurement align with a growing demand for economic resilience and accountability. This is an opportunity for the UK to lead, not just in fiscal responsibility but in responsible, impact-driven investment of public funds. At a time when economic value and social value need not be mutually exclusive, public procurement could become a cornerstone of the UK’s economic renewal. Over the next couple of months, our new government has the opportunity to direct public procurement to work for the public benefit and not against it. Will it seize the opportunity? We can only hope so.

Groundwork is a federation of 15 charitable organisations operating across the UK. It runs programmes and activities to help people improve their prospects, working with communities facing multiple challenges, in places that lack social infrastructure and economic opportunities. It combines environmental and social impact, building the green economy while supporting communities to connect with nature and adapt to the climate crisis. From creating green jobs to supporting people with energy bills and retrofitting homes, it works to build a fairer and greener future in which people, places and nature can thrive. Working with government departments Groundwork UK (the national body of the federation) distributes grant funding for the UK Government, acting as an intermediary to make sure public money is invested in communities at a grassroots level. This involves bidding for contracts with central government departments and acting as an outsourced intermediary provider of grant management services. It’s worked with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to get groups  such as parish councils involved in local planning, and with the Home Office to support charities tackling extremism. It’s also been contracted by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to run the Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Energy Efficiency Scheme - a £25m programme, largely distributed through grants. So far it has funded 1,100 organisations to carry out energy assessments to help them improve the efficiency of their buildings. The benefits of working with a VCSE organisation Groundwork UK’s position of having national grant management capability but also being able to leverage connections through its federation members allows it to promote grant programmes at a local level, supporting organisations to navigate through complexity and access funding they may not have been aware of. Chief executive Graham Duxbury states that government outsourcing this kind of work aims to ensure grants are accessible to smaller, local organisations that are often volunteer-run. He said: “Having knowledge of that sector and that space is hugely important in terms of designing the service. You’ve got to be aware of capacity restraints and limitations, you’ve got to understand how volunteer-led organisations work and how to communicate with them as well as what to expect in terms of their capability to manage due diligence processes.” This close knowledge of the VCSE sector has allowed Groundwork UK to develop a good understanding of what’s proportional when it comes to distributing money, which means it can give the contracting body a clearer idea of what money can deliver when directed to organisations of various sizes and capacities. The second major benefit of working with Groundwork is that it’s “really good at bringing together partnerships”, as it knows where the “deep pockets of expertise are in the sector”. Graham points out that the energy efficiency programme would not have been possible without the support of specialist organisations such as the Centre for Sustainable Energy, the Energy Saving Trust and Locality. Thirdly, working with a VCSE provider helps create broader impact, with “cross fertilisation being what you get from the sector”. Combining the social and the environmental is at the heart of Groundwork’s ethos, and the funding it distributes  can create other opportunities for VCSE organisations. As Graham phrases it: “A grant programme may allow them to do one thing, but we may be able to communicate to them other opportunities and provide them with added value; so when we’re managing grants focused on a social issue we can signpost local grantees to other forms of funding and provide advice that might encourage them to think about their environmental impact too.” What were the main challenges in applying for a central government contract? One of the main challenges Graham identified was bidding timescales, with it being tricky to “be able to drop everything and jump on a bidding process for sometimes as little as three weeks”. This can make forming partnerships to deliver contracts difficult because “partnerships take time to develop, build and form - and very few VCSEs have those bidding resources, even relatively large ones like us”. Other challenges identified are issues around negotiating risk levels on contracts, as government contracts involve public money, with Treasury rules to “rightly focus on money being sensibly spent and looked after”. When it comes to grant management services, like those managed by Groundwork UK, these can lead to there being an over-specification on the part of the ultimate recipient of the money: “We’re sometimes caught between government machinery which wants all this assurance and protection and risk management, and a small voluntary sector organisation which doesn’t have the capacity to do that. If you put too much on them, they won’t engage - and that’s counter to the purpose of the grant programme, which is to get small-scale voluntary organisations funded to deliver.” The biggest challenge Groundwork faces on some grant programmes is down to annualised budgeting within Government, which can affect frontline organisations if delivery time slips and “potentially means that money disappears if delivery needs to extend into the next financial year”. Before VCSE organisations even get to bid to run a government service, the department in question has to bid to the Treasury as part of a Budget or Spending Review process. Once granted, “there’s a clock ticking”, with the design work and procurement exercise needing to be carried out - so the actual window for the delivery of the services can be “really concertinaed at the back end”, especially if the funding is only secured for a year.  As Graham puts it: “As an intermediary in the process you know sometimes you’ll have to put pressure on organisations to deliver in a less than ideal timeframe because funds can’t easily be moved from one year to the next.” Graham acknowledges that it is “hard to get the right balance between due diligence and not overburdening VCSEs”, but feels there could be solutions around “expanding those timeframes; thinking about multi-year commissioning processes to bring about more long-term certainty.” Another challenge faced by VCSEs is the still significant weighting on price as a deciding factor in who is awarded a contract, which can skew the process towards organisations able to offer the biggest discount, which may not be beneficial to the service being delivered. Graham asks: “If a department has secured funding from the Treasury for a particular piece of work, they’ve secured the money, so why put the additional stretch in there in terms of who can do it the cheapest?” Based on a conversation with Graham Duxbury, chief executive at Groundwork UK groundwork.org.uk