Thought Leadership

As thousands of people prepare to attend Labour Party Conference, Social Enterprise UK has been working with its venue ACC Liverpool and catering contractors Sodexo to maximise the event’s positive impact by bringing social enterprises into its supply chain. 40% of conference suppliers are social enterprises, with plans to increase this further next year. All the coffee at the event will be supplied by social enterprises, and a quarter of the total catering spend is with social enterprises. Overall, event organisers estimate it will generate hundreds of thousands of pounds in social value through its diverse supply chain, including: Belu invest 100% of their profit in pursuit of their purpose: to change the way the world sees water and have given £5.8m to WaterAid. The water supplied to the conference will fuel their ‘Purpose P&L’ with £7,400.  Change Please coffee will enable hundreds of people experiencing homelessness to access housing, training and living wage jobs as baristas Half the Story biscuits will provide 75 hours of employment for homeless people Homebaked will generate £93,500 in social value by providing jobs, training, community engagement and regeneration in the local Anfield area – one of the most socioeconomically deprived regions of the UK Nemi Tea will help create stable work for refugees at TRAMPOLINE Café to support them on their upward journey Spare Snacks will keep conference attendees fed using thousands of ‘wonky’ or surplus apples that would otherwise be wasted Fruitful Office, to help local communities and address deforestation. This event coincides with Liverpool winning formal recognition as a Social Enterprise City, which means it’s a hotspot for purpose-led business with a clear plan to support this growing strength in its local economy. Liverpool is the 36th accredited Social Enterprise Place in the UK, ranging from small towns to whole counties united in dedication to mission-led business. As the first time a political party conference has made such a significant financial investment in its wider social and environmental impact, event organisers encourage others to follow suit. There’s a growing trend in public and private sector procurement to ‘buy social’, supported by the Public Services Act (2012), but understanding and implementation still varies widely across the country. Jonathan Reynolds MP, shadow Secretary of State for business, energy and industrial strategy, commented: “Labour backs small businesses and our Annual Conference is a great opportunity to champion the good business practice we see here in the UK. Labour supports businesses of all sizes, and it is fantastic to see the growing social enterprise market showcased here in Liverpool. Labour knows the value of business to communities and our economy that's why we will give firms of all sizes the strong economic foundations they need to prosper.” Peter Holbrook CBE, chief executive of national sector body Social Enterprise UK, added: “It’s great to see the Labour Party recognising the value of social enterprise in our economy, transitioning its annual conference to do less harm and create more benefit for people and planet. Integrating social enterprises into the conference’s supply chain gives a glimpse of how business can be done better, and how we can build an economy where all of society profits – so we hope other major events take inspiration from this and follow suit.” Rebecca Kane Burton, CEO Sodexo Live! UK & Ireland, said: “Social impact is at the beating heart of Sodexo; it’s a core value upon which our founder Pierre Bellon built the business back in 1966. Working with the Labour Party and the ACC Liverpool Group therefore provides the ideal backdrop to showcase the social enterprises and diverse supply chain we partner with. “For many years we have welcomed SMEs and VCSEs into our business, and worked to reduce our impact on the environment and create social impact. We also continue to partner with local colleges and other organisations to offer career opportunities to individuals struggling to find employment for whatever reason. I am delighted our team is able to play its part in connecting with and benefiting the communities we serve.” Faye Dyer, chief executive of The ACC Liverpool Group, concluded: “Social value is at the heart of The ACC Liverpool Group and we are delighted to work with Sodexo Live! and the Labour Party to further our shared values and commitments. The Labour Party conference provides us all with a valuable platform to showcase these important organisations and their initiatives, which are making a real positive difference.”

Social enterprises, by their very nature, have social change embedded into their mission statement. This presents a clear opportunity to address issues of racial, cultural and professional inequality through the lens of business.  We spoke to Black women inspiring change through their purpose-led approach, highlighting this Black History Month’s apt theme “saluting our sisters”.  Soul Purpose 360 Soul Purpose 360 is a Black women's empowerment social enterprise, tackling patterns of discrimination by offering personal and community development services to members and clients including housing associations, local authorities and health agencies. Founder and Director Palma Black said: “Soul Purpose 360 is a democratically run, Black women-led social business blending community and personal development. “Our raison d' être is to help Black women to build confidence, and support them to contribute to community life.  Being the most oppressed group in society, the social enterprise legal form gives us freedom and flexibility to determine what is right for us.” Find out more about Soul Purpose 360’s work Equality 4 Black Nurses This nurse-led social enterprise’s aim is to bring about positive change by lobbying employers and government to reduce and eradicate racial discrimination in the healthcare sector. Founder and CEO Neomi Bennett said: “Being a Black social enterprise is a commitment to positive change, social justice, and a belief in the power of collective action. “It means harnessing the power of business and activism to advance economic, social, and racial justice within the healthcare industry. We are committed to empowering Black nurses, eliminating systemic barriers and promoting equitable healthcare.” Find out more about Equality 4 Black Nurses’ work Earth Sea Love Earth Sea Love provides opportunities in nature for People of Colour in north-east England. It also offers anti-racism training and education to individuals, groups and organisations within the natural environment, where difficult and challenging conversations can happen with more ease and real growth and understanding develops. Director Dr Sheree Mack said: “We have worked with National Parks, Wildlife Trusts, the National Trust and Forestry England, bringing initiative, creative projects to the North-East countryside. We are proud to say that these trailblazing programmes have been Black-led. “Within the environmental, conservationist, outdoors sector - which is predominantly white - being a Black-led social enterprise means we can enter these spaces and be legitimately recognised as not just ‘taking up space’ but leading the way in making sure that the British countryside is welcoming to all.”  Find out more about Earth Sea Love’s work

Oldham has secured its status as a ‘Social Enterprise Place’ cementing its commitment to purpose-led business in the local economy. The Social Enterprise Places scheme, set up by Social Enterprise UK (SEUK), involves areas of the country where social enterprises and key regional stakeholders have come together to form thriving areas of social enterprise activity. Oldham is now the 35th Social Enterprise Place in the UK. The bid to become a Social Enterprise Place was coordinated by Oldham-based award-winning social enterprise Upturn together with Oldham Council. Anwar Ali OBE, Oldham’s Social Enterprise Business Ambassador and Co-founder of Upturn, said: “Oldham has a thriving, innovative and passionate social enterprise community. We want to do more to help them scale while also working with the wider business community to think about how they can use their business to do more good. “Social enterprises have a crucial part to play in the town to help address challenges around inequality and building an economy that benefits everyone. “We know businesses with a social purpose can contribute to an inclusive economy. They are providing jobs for local people through inclusive employment practices and becoming living wage employers, and they are providing essential services to their local communities. “Securing Oldham’s status as a Social Enterprise Place provides an opportunity to build on the town’s culture of entrepreneurism and strong voluntary, community, and faith sector to create a more social economy.” Councillor Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Council, said: “Oldham has a distinguished history as a cooperative place where people work together to improve the lives of everyone. So it’s unsurprising but it’s a hugely proud moment to receive this formal recognition as a Social Enterprise UK place! “This demonstrates that we are somewhere that social enterprises – organisations that demonstrably better our communities – can establish themselves, grow and thrive. “Being a Social Enterprise UK place also acknowledges the vision and plans we have in place to grow in a way that is inclusive and takes everyone in the borough with us. “We are one of only three places in Greater Manchester to be recognised as a SEUK place so far and it is very exciting to be leading the way in formalising our network of social enterprises, raising the profile of these organisations, and supporting them to succeed.” SEUK Chief Executive Peter Holbrook said: “Congratulations to Oldham on being named a Social Enterprise Place! Social enterprises make a huge contribution to the town from providing community energy and affordable housing to running leisure centres, creative projects, workspaces, credit unions and social care. “Addressing growing inequalities, the cost-of-living crisis, housing and work insecurity - the role of social enterprises has never been more important, and Oldham’s social enterprises are already playing an incredibly important role in supporting communities, providing critical services to the public, improving the environment, and helping to grow the local economy. “We hope that getting Social Enterprise Place status will help act as a lightning rod to galvanise the social enterprise community, supercharge the sectors growth and deliver the economic transformation needed for the communities of Oldham so that they can realise their full potential.” Accredited Social Enterprise Places have to set out a three-year plan for the future of social enterprise in their area. These plans must contain a series of specific aims and ambitions to support and sustain the structure and function of the Social Enterprise Place as well as detailed plans and actions to boost each area’s social enterprise community. To find out more about Social Enterprise Places click here. To find out more about Upturn visit upturn.org.uk.

Stockport has been recognised by an expert judging panel as a Social Enterprise Place, meaning the area is committed to purpose-led business and the local economy is thriving. Stockport is one of the fastest growing northwest economies, placed in the UK top 20 for productivity growth. The status is a further welcome addition to the area’s achievements on top of it being ‘one of the top places to invest in 2022’ and affectionately dubbed ‘the new Berlin’ due it’s blossoming arts & culture scene. Jo McGrath, Chief Executive of Sector3, Stockport’s VCFSE infrastructure support organisation says of the status: ‘We see gaining social enterprise place status as another way for us to get focused on what we want and need to create and get our Social Enterprise community noticed for all the wonderful positive impact it has locally as well as the strong social economy we are part of building. The social enterprise community deserve to be recognised for the outstanding contribution they make to society and the economic progress has been made but there is still a way to go. We’ve taken heed of the recommendations from the last State of the Sector report, calling for greater collaboration within the sector and cross-sector, with more partnership opportunities established such as the Proper Good Business Conference.’ Over the past three years Stockport has invested time and resource into its social enterprise community with the creation of a steering group and commencement of investment and support programme, ‘Proper Good’, (funded by Access, the Foundation for Social Investment and Better Society Capital) - both driven by Sector3 and The Goodness Collective. Stockport sees Social Enterprise as a vital part of the economy, having incorporated it into the borough’s economic plan. Furthermore, Social Enterprises can play an important role in addressing and tackling inequalities. Stockport is the 8th most polarised borough in England and the deprived areas have lower education and life expectancy outcomes than comparators. In recent years more social enterprise and third sector organisations have been created to meet these changing communities and local need. Cllr Frankie Singleton, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Hazel Grove and Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Sport says: ‘I’m delighted that Stockport has been named as a registered Social Enterprise Place by Social Enterprise UK. We have so many thriving organisations here in the borough and a real sense of community that is something to be proud of. Social enterprises are good news for everyone: they create positive social change by investing in our communities and third sector organisations. Being officially recognised as a hotspot on a national scale is great news for Stockport, and I look forward to working closely with businesses and the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector to deliver the best outcomes for everyone who lives, works and spends time in the borough.’ The recognition is the result of co-ordinated activity between Stockport’s VCFSE infrastructure support organisation, Sector3, the Stockport Council and social enterprises across the borough via a steering group. Simone Callaghan, director of Social Enterprise The Goodness Collective CIC and leader of Stockport’s Proper Good programme says: ‘Stockport is home to an abundance of enthusiastic people with ideas and passion to support their communities through a different way of doing business that has a positive impact. We have 270 Social Enterprises registered here and counting, working in healthcare and wellness, education and skills development, digital, personal development, financial inclusion, arts and culture sectors and more.’ ‘We’ve got to this stage by supporting each other, working together and challenging the status quo. Those new to the sector in Stockport comment how well-connected, supportive and giving we are as a community.’ Social Enterprise UK’s CEO Peter Holbrook said: “With growing inequalities and the cost-of-living crisis adding to major challenges like housing and work insecurity, social enterprises have never been more important in our society – and Stockport’s social enterprises are already playing a key role in the local economy, not only providing vital services but supporting the community and improving the environment. “We hope that getting Social Enterprise Place status will help act as a lightning rod to galvanise the social enterprise community, supercharge the sectors growth and deliver the economic transformation needed for the communities of Stockport so that they can realise their full potential.” To find out more about Social Enterprise Places click here.

Our Chair, Lord Victor Adebowale CBE, has written to the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and to the leader of the Labour Party, Kier Starmer, urging them both to help bring justice for Professor Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Laureate and founder of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. Professor Yunus is a true hero to the social enterprise movement, both in the UK and around the world. His work has inspired millions, showing how enterprise can fight poverty, how business can be a force for good, and how finance can serve society. In August this year, 188 global leaders - including over 100 Nobel laureates, Barack Obama, and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon - signed an urgent letter calling on the government of Bangladesh under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to stop the “continuous judicial harassment” of Yunus and end his persecution. We encourage our members, friends and supporters of social enterprises everywhere to consider adding their names to the open letter, also signed by our Chief Executive Peter Holbrook. Click here to read the open letter To sign the letter you will need to email protectmdyunus@gmail.com. More information about the campaign to protect Professor Yunus can be found here.

Competition lies at the heart of our economic system, purportedly driving businesses to innovate, allowing the best to flourish. Social enterprises on the other hand like to do things differently, and in the Midlands five businesses have taken a new and exciting approach to collaborate in order to win new business and increase their social impact. What’s more they are all working within a sector that is not particularly well known for its ethical practices – the cleaning industry. Argonaut Community Enterprises, Jericho Cleaning, Radiant Cleaners and Upbeat Clean are all social enterprise cleaning companies dedicated to creating job opportunities for marginalised groups. Whilst each have specific social missions (Argonaut trains and employs deaf people, Upbeat works with refugee mums and Jericho and Radiant both support anyone facing major barriers to work) they are all dedicated to using cleaning as a means to help people into secure employment, earn a good wage and increase their confidence. Each business operates in a different area of the Midlands, with a bit of crossover around Birmingham, and for a while they all worked in isolation. This started to change following a meeting between Amie Grice, Business Development at Argonaut, and Nigel Lawrence, Senior Social Enterprise Manager at Jericho, where they realised the similarities in their work and that they were talking to the same people regarding future work opportunities. Following this meeting Argonaut and Jericho decided to collaborate more, attending the same events and even pitching each other’s services – Argonaut in North Birmingham and Jericho in the South. According to Amie,through catching up and chatting at events “we saw the opportunity of working together would expand our coverage and strengthen our businesses. Opening doors that were previously closed to small Social Enterprises.” At the same time Nigel was in contact with Matt Parfitt, founder of Radiant Cleaners and both of them were also helping out Upbeat Clean, the newest of the businesses involved. Working together to find opportunities and increase impact All four organisations met at Jericho’s offices on 6 February 2023 and decided to support each other through finding potential opportunities and sharing learning, information and resources – this could be identifying new work or sharing information on what’s working and what’s not. Sharing learning has been one of the key benefits of collaborating, as Michael Gladwell, Head of Enterprise at Upbeat Clean put it: “It's been so helpful for Upbeat Clean to be part of this group and learn with these really experienced social enterprise cleaning businesses. Everyone has been so open to share what they have learned and developed over the years so that we can all maximise our social impact!” All four businesses agree that operating as a social enterprise has been a key part in fostering their collaborative approach, Nigel Lawrence stating that: “Social enterprises are united by their 'why'. We've got so much in common - we're about seeing problems in society solved. So, sharing ideas and best practice - to have more impact together - makes sense.” Where opportunities arise all four social enterprises are looking to put together joint proposals to allow them to work on bigger contracts, increasing the social value and impact of the services provided. Recently the group have submitted a proposal to a client to deliver cleaning services in a standard, uniform manner across the whole of the Midlands region. Watch this space Argonaut, Jericho, Radiant Cleaners and Upbeat Communities are showing that collaboration can work better than competition and, what’s more, another Midlands based cleaning social enterprise – Rising Stars Property Solutions has recently joined the four original businesses. Not only is working together helping each business to find new opportunities and raise each other’s profiles it has also got the potential to really help those marginalised groups which each social enterprise supports. As Matt Parfitt puts it: “Individually each of our companies is too small for some contracts. We are demonstrating to large companies that we have heard them, we are collaborating and we are offering them what they want and need. We solve a cleaning and social value problem for them – working together creates the social value they want, delivers the excellent cleaning they need and changes the lives of people across the Midlands. So if you need cleaning anywhere in the Midlands get in touch!’ It’s still early days for this new collaboration and all five involved have exciting plans for the future. Watch this space.

We believe that profits must also benefit people and planet – and research published today shows the majority of the UK public agrees – so we’ve joined forces with dozens of partners in the Future Economy Alliance to campaign for change. We know that business with a purpose beyond profit can help tackle some of the biggest challenges facing our country and our economy, from deep social inequalities and struggling public services to the cost of living crisis and the climate emergency. The Future Economy Alliance unites activists, entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders who can drive real solutions to these issues. Research we published today* shows the UK public wants business to deliver more. Only 1 in 3 people said business has a positive impact on the national economy, and just a quarter think it’s positive for wider society, while many feel it has no effect at all or is actively negative. The findings also highlight widespread support for purpose-driven business models, with just 2% saying profit should always come first, and most people (60%) calling for businesses to give social or environmental concerns equal or higher priority to profits. Commenting on the findings, our CEO Peter Holbrook said: “These findings make it very clear that people are no longer happy with ‘business as usual’; there is real appetite to challenge the status quo and build an economy where our entire society profits. “Business can and must work in a way that actively benefits people and planet, sharing profit and power to drive real change. The UK’s pioneering minority of purpose-driven businesses that we represent in the Future Economy Alliance need to become the norm.” With a General Election approaching, the Future Economy Alliance stands ready to guide our next Government in the bold policy reforms needed to build a new business plan for Britain – one in which business helps to build a stronger, fairer, greener economy. This growing partnership brings together social enterprises, co-operatives, mutuals, employee-owned businesses, social investors, community-led organisations, fundraisers and third sector experts united in the vision of an economy where our entire society profits. Our Chair, cross-bench peer and social entrepreneur Lord Victor Adebowale, commented: “With the UK economy facing significant challenges, our country needs a bold and ambitious vision: a new business plan for Britain. Sadly, this is not forthcoming at present, so the Future Economy Alliance has been established to drive the business of change. “Our partnership of cross-sector business experts will assemble the best examples from across the UK of what’s working well but also how and where business can do better. We can transform the UK economy, enhance our nation’s prospects, and restore a sense of hope and pride – within public services, within communities and within us all.” The Alliance will form the core of our campaigning in the run up to the General Election and beyond. We will work to lobby parliamentary candidates, propose detailed policy solutions and highlight the best examples of purpose-driven businesses driving positive impact across the UK. We want social enterprise solutions to be at the heart of the policy agenda for the next Government and show that successful business goes beyond profit. We’re stronger together and it’s vital that your voices are heard, so there will be plenty of ways to get involved as the campaign progresses. Go to www.futureeconomyalliance.co.uk and follow @FutureEconomyUK on X. * All figures are from a survey by YouGov Plc, commissioned by Social Enterprise UK, carried out online between 2nd - 3rd September 2023 with a total sample size of 2,036 adults. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+). Data tables available on request.

A new social enterprise developed by Social Enterprise UK, Telos, aims to help global corporations drive positive impact through core business activity.   Telos will combine the pioneering Buy Social Europe procurement programme with advocacy and advisory work to help maximise the social, economic and environmental impact of corporate supply chains internationally.  Building on the success of our Buy Social Corporate Challenge in the UK and a two-year international pilot, Buy Social Europe aims to see €5 billion of procurement spend going to social economy businesses across the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region by 2030. This will involve engaging at least 50 global companies to bring social economy businesses into their supply chains.   AstraZeneca, CBRE, Johnson & Johnson, SAP, Siemens and Zurich Insurance Group are already signed up to work with Telos on the Buy Social Europe initiative. The Telos team has also supported government bodies to embed social, economic and environmental metrics across more than €20bn of tenders.  Charlie Wigglesworth, managing director of Telos and deputy chief executive of Social Enterprise UK, said: “With social enterprises increasingly operating in a global economy, sharing our expertise more widely is vital to support the growth of the worldwide movement. We’re committed to working in partnership with social economy organisations across EMEA to ensure this opportunity is realised.  “Global corporations must ensure their core business creates value, not just for the economy but also the society and environment they’re working in, which we can now help them deliver through Telos and Buy Social Europe. Supply chains represent a significant opportunity for big businesses to work with social economy enterprises and unlock greater value through everyday procurement spending.”  Social Enterprise UK’s chief executive Peter Holbrook CBE added: “Telos realises the SEUK board’s long-term ambition to help drive the success of the social enterprise movement globally. The work of Telos will be extremely complementary to SEUK’s core mission of creating an environment in which social enterprise can thrive – not just in the UK, but around the world.”  Telos invites forward-thinking companies to join the Buy Social Europe initiative and unlock the potential for positive social and environmental impact within their supply chains.  Visit telosglobal.org to find out more.