Thought Leadership

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. 

Plymouth’s socially beneficial businesses are gearing up for an inspiring 14th Annual Social Enterprise Festival, organised by Plymouth Social Enterprise Network (PSEN). This year's festival carries special significance as it marks a decade since Plymouth was designated as an official Social Enterprise Place by Social Enterprise UK. The festival, scheduled to take place from the 8th to the 17th of November 2023, promises an exciting lineup of events that celebrate the incredible contributions of social enterprises in driving positive change within Plymouth . Our festival opening event will be held on Wednesday 8th November, from 3pm to 9.30pm on University of Plymouth campus. Between our festival exhibition and opening party the conference section of the event will feature inspiring guest speakers from across the UK’s Places movement. We are thrilled to be bringing Clive Hirst to the city. He is the visionary founder of the Social Enterprise Places movement and will speak alongside SEUK representatives Peter Holbrook CBE CEO & Sarah Crawley-Beaumont OBE Places Champion, and thought leader Joyte Brown from Black Voices Cornwall. The local picture will come from PSEN’s newest Board member Cllr Pat Patel, founder of The Tamar View Community Centre which has been a key part of the social enterprise story in Plymouth over the past decade; as well as all of our exhibiting members and attendees. This will be followed by two days of Social Enterprise Safaris in and around Plymouth. Our themes are Thursday 9th - Empowering Communities and Friday 10th - Community Collaborators. This offers you an opportunity to meet the people who made it happen and see the projects they have created, in action. Lunch and accessible transport are provided. To book your place at the launch event, please follow THIS LINK to our Eventbrite page. To book your place on the Safaris, please contact our Network Coordinator & Activator Amerie Rose - amerie@plymsocent.org.uk

Unwritten social rules of corporate office culture and recruitment practices can present real barriers for neurodiverse people, both in finding employment and then thriving at work. Only 29% of autistic adults in the UK have paying jobs, compared with 80% of working-age people without a disability [i], despite research showing the vast majority want to work [ii]. The seemingly successful minority who do find work still face challenges, often struggling to be themselves in the workplace and not receiving the support they need. auticon is a social enterprise on a mission to change this and build a more inclusive world, by addressing inequalities in employment for neurodivergent adults and showcasing the strengths of neurodiversity in society. It was initially founded in Berlin in 2011 by Dirk Müller Remus, a father wanting better employment opportunities for his autistic son. The business model was simple: employing autistic adults as IT consultants, tapping into the STEM skills often associated with neurodiversity to help organisations in need of tech support. Following investment from Germany’s first social investment fund, the business grew to have six German offices, with large clients such as BMW and Allianz. Global expansion followed, with auticon UK opening in 2016. The company operates in 14 countries with two main workstreams: IT consulting (in data science, analytics, engineering, cyber-security and quality assurance) and offering EDI services on neuroinclusion. Creating jobs and changing lives auticon employs adults on the autism spectrum as technology consultants, supported by job coaches and project managers, who are matched with client organisations to suit their individual skills. Its innovation lab, auticon Labs, is where neurodivergent teams-members collaborate with clients and investors to develop technology solutions to the challenges of neurodivergent people in the workplace and in their day-to-day lives. Globally, auticon currently employs more than 450 autistic consultants on full-time contracts with big businesses including PwC, NatWest, Deloitte and Zurich among their many UK clients. 67% of auticon consultants had been unemployed for more than a year, despite 85% having a professional qualification or degree, and the impact of supportive employment has been transformative [iii]. 92% of consultants feel supported at work, 87% say their quality of life has improved since joining the organisation, and 91% believe they’re valued for who they are. auticon consultants Chris Lever said: “Before I joined auticon, I had been unemployed for 15 months, and was being treated for depression for the third time. auticon took me in and I’ve been working consistently for 3.5 years now. That is the power of a social enterprise.” Transforming business culture As well as directly supporting autistic people to build successful IT careers, auticon works with other employers to shift perceptions of neurodiversity in the world of work. auticon’s Neuroinclusion Services help organisations to become confident neuroinclusive employers through consultancy, training and support. 85% of clients report a greater understanding of neurodiversity as a result of working with auticon, and the same percentage say their team feels more confident working with autistic people. Furthermore, the skills and insights of auticon consultants are having a real positive impact on clients’ work; 93% reported that consultants made valuable professional contributions to projects, with increased accuracy and efficiency as well as more innovative approaches cited as benefits of their alternative perspectives. Gareth Crabtree, Head of Data Design Enablement at auticon client PwC UK, said: “Throughout my time working with auticon consultants, they have consistently demonstrated a range of technical skills that have allowed them to produce innovative and high quality work. Having autistic people on my team has led me to having a much better understanding of neurodiversity, helping to make me a more well-rounded leader. The support that auticon’s job coaches provide is highly valued, and it is very clear that the needs of their consultants are very much at the centre of everything that they do.” Shifting perceptions auticon works closely with customers, local communities and other partners to raise awareness across society of the benefits that autistic people can offer employers as well as the barriers they face. So far auticon has delivered more than 235 awareness events and trained 66 organisations. Last year, they also launched a podcast series, featuring leading voices on autism from around the world. auticon places neurodivergent people at the heart of its workforce. All consultants are on the autism spectrum and 78% of the workforce are neurodivergent, making it a majority autistic business. Its success shows how a social enterprise can transform the lives of people facing real barriers in the workplace, not only empowering individuals but changing the way they’re viewed by big businesses and wider society. In 2022, auticon’s incredible impact was formally recognised when it was named UK Social Enterprise of the Year at the UK Social Enterprise Awards, and since then the company has gone from strength to strength. This summer, auticon joined forces with a Norwegian social enterprise called Unicus that runs a similar model, making it the largest autistic-majority company in the world.   You can find out more about auticon's impact in their latest impact report auticon.com/uk [i] ONS statistics on outcomes for disabled people in the UK [ii] See the Autism Employment Gap Report from the National Autistic Society [iii] auticon Impact Report 2022