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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.”

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.

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: