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Dan Gregory, Associate Director at Social Enterprise UK, reflects upon a trip to Plymouth - a hotspot of social enterprise activity with social enterprises running everything from generating energy and delivering dental care to running cherished local assets and driving innovation, including an idea for a new social enterprise fishfinger. Plymouth was the UK’s first official Social Enterprise City. While I hadn’t visited for ten years, I had followed progress and been in contact with Gareth Hart, Chair of the Plymouth Social Enterprise Network. Gareth is a fantastic advocate for the movement, both locally and more widely, and generously hosted a visit for four members of the Social Enterprise UK team to the city. What an absolute privilege to see such energetic social enterprises in action. A refreshing break from my usual trudge and drudge of drawing up policy briefings or government consultation responses, and being roundly ignored by NHS officials, to see real, actual social enterprise getting on with it. Let’s retread our steps! Here we are at Moments café, run by Memory Matters, a social enterprise that provides dedicated support to those affected by dementia. This is a warm and welcoming place, serving homemade comfort food, and at the same time, successfully competing with Costa just around the corner. Off to Union Street, where Nudge Community Builders’ dizzying ambition is renovating and unlocking empty buildings. The Plot hosts 18 small businesses, and hosts support for women starting their own enterprise - a SHE Plymouth programme delivered by Iridescent. The old Clipper pub is now home to Plymouth Jollof Kitchen CIC. We visited a mushroom farm in the basement of the old nightclub at C103. Space in Union Corner can be booked for £6 an hour. The Millennium building is opening up for young people and CNC machines to fit out new homes. By this time next week, Nudge will probably be turning half of Cornwall into a workshop for 3D printed specialist Korean salad leaves, creating jobs for ex-offenders in a hexagonal greenhouse literally made out of hope. Then we walked to Plymouth Energy Community, which combines a mix of fuel poverty alleviation and retrofit advice, powered by community shares and cross-subsidy from solar energy generation. A local power plan before the Local Power Plan. Over the bridge to Peninsula Dental, training the next generation of dental professionals, and treating vulnerable people in partnership with Plymouth University. Then to see old friends at Real Ideas Organisation in Devonport Market Hall, brought back from the dead to house the best immersive 360 degree auditorium in Europe, co-working spaces, a cafe and more. Here we heard from the diverse social enterprise community and two of the largest anchor organisations in the city. Plymouth Community Homes manages over 16,000 homes, while Livewell Southwest provides health and social care services for people across the city and beyond, employing 3,000 staff. Among old friends and established powerhouses, we also encountered start-ups and new ideas. Plymouth Fishing & Seafood Association and the University have “co-designed a Plymouth fishfinger” which is nearing production and sets out to solve about four local problems all at once. Making use of low-value fish, reducing waste, reopening the old fishing auction hall, generating income for the local fishing community, and healthier food in schools. The social enterprise fishfinger could be the answer! While the vibrancy of this Social Enterprise Place is first and foremost thanks to the hard work of each local social entrepreneur, of course, the enabling environment also helps. We explored how Rank Foundation has invested millions in this area. Status as the world’s first Social Enterprise City has helped attract attention and resources. The Council are onside. And the long-term commitment and expertise of local experts and enablers such as Gareth, and Lindsey and Ed from RIO are undeniable factors. Together, we discussed the challenges of business rates and the availability of appropriate funding and finance. Meanwhile, billions of pounds of investment is coming to the city over the next few decades, with Plymouth harbouring Britain’s continuous at sea nuclear deterrent. What is the relationship between investment in defence and social value? What are the ethics of working with defence companies? And more widely, how can we ensure social value isn’t just an accounting game to be played by corporates? The Government’s Pride in Place money is also coming to Plymouth. How do we ensure social enterprises, co-operatives and mutuals, community businesses (or even the impact economy or IDBMs if we really must) harness these opportunities to deliver change that communities feel? Finally, we get back on the train, more aware than ever of the importance of the fight for national changes that make this incredible local work more possible, everywhere. Thank you, Plymouth, for the inspiration.

The latest Barometer in our Social Enterprise Knowledge Centre depicts a sector broadly optimistic for the year ahead, persevering in the face of economic uncertainty despite gaps in local and national government support. Every quarter we publish new findings from our Social Enterprise Advisory Panel to give a snapshot of key sector issues and trends across the UK. This latest survey explored social enterprises’ overall expectations for 2024, from reserves and profit making to staff numbers, as well as the potential impact of ongoing economic uncertainty amid recession headlines and the cost of living crisis. Social enterprise business expectations for the year are broadly positive; 64% expect turnover and staff numbers to either grow or remain the same, compared to just 50% of small businesses as a whole, and the vast majority expect demand for their goods and services to rise. However, many social enterprises are experiencing uncertainty, with local and central government income highlighted as a significant factor affecting their growth expectations. Many are unaware of and ineligible for support provisions like the Community Organisation Cost of Living Fund or VCSE Energy Efficiency Fund, and around half say their local authority offers no support for their business. We know that social enterprise is more resilient than other forms of business, as demonstrated in recent economic crises – but they also contribute more to society, so they need to thrive, not just survive. We’re calling for targeted government support to help social enterprises develop and expand, generating economic growth and shared prosperity. Creating an environment for social enterprise to thrive requires appropriate policy development. As part of our work in the Future Economy Alliance, we’re campaigning for a dedicated minister to lead bold reform and join up relevant policy areas, so the government can better support social enterprises and unlock our full potential. Click here to read the full report

The social enterprise community was shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the death of Dai Powell OBE, who passed away earlier this month. Dai was a true social enterprise pioneer and is probably best known for his time heading up HCT Group as chief executive, transforming it from a small community transport provider to a national social enterprise running bus routes and accessible transport services across the country. A proud Welshman and former coal miner, Dai joined HCT as a bus cleaner and worked his way up through the business, which grew more than a hundredfold over his 29 years there. Dai helped to show how a social enterprise can deliver public services at scale without losing sight of the business’ mission to support the community. The revenue from HCT’s commercial routes was used to fund transport services for the elderly and those suffering from social isolation, as well as to provide training and work opportunities for the long-term unemployed and people at the margins of our society. Dai was heavily involved in our work at Social Enterprise UK as a passionate advocate for the social enterprise movement. He played an active and important role on our board for six years and, up until his death, was actively involved in our governance. He was the Chair of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee from 2009-2014 and also chaired the Community Transport Association. In 2006, he was awarded an OBE for services to disabled people. Commenting on Dai’s huge contribution to our sector, our chief executive Peter Holbrook said: “Dai was someone who was deeply invested in social enterprise, Social Enterprise UK and growing our movement into a global force. He exemplified the values of social enterprise throughout his long career in the sector. He was revered and will be remembered both as an icon and founding father of modern social enterprise. He will be celebrated, remembered and missed. He was a real friend to so many people and respected hugely by those he met. He was joyful, insightful, easy and witty company.” Our thoughts are with Kate Markey, Dai’s partner, who we know will be suffering terribly in the wake of Dai’s sudden and premature death. We are forever grateful to Dai for the contribution and inspiration he gave to our movement over so many years.

Our new research with the University of Worcester compares the registration and dissolution of Community Interest Companies over the last five years to other businesses, finding interesting differences. Community Interest Companies (CICs) are a legal form for businesses whose activity benefits the community rather than being purely for private gain. Most CICs are social enterprises, so can be a useful way to look at wider sector behaviour. We found that CICs were dissolved, on average, at a lower rate than other forms of registered businesses. CIC registration is growing significantly and proportionately more than other business models, but CICs tend to dissolve at a younger age. Since being created as a legal form in 2005, CIC registration now stands at over 31,500 businesses - with a spike in new CICs during the Covid-19 pandemic, when many were created to help communities manage the impact of the virus. However, as the economy re-opened following the peak of the pandemic, dissolution rates rose and registration rates leveled off across the UK overall, despite variation in English regions and devolved nations To discover more of our research visit our Social Enterprise Knowledge Centre

Our latest report reveals that the UK suffers from a business monoculture - an economy dominated by firms that primarily exist to maximise profits, which encourages a short-term focus that can be damaging economically as well as socially and environmentally. We reviewed evidence from the five largest economies in Europe and found that the UK is an outlier, with lower levels of investment and employment in the social economy. Social enterprises and cooperatives deliver 14% of GDP in the Netherlands, 12% in Germany and 10% in France, but our social economy is only worth around 3%.  The research shows that growing the social economy in Spain's Basque Country and the Emilia Romagna region of Italy has increased GDP per capita and reduced inequalities. Overall, the data suggests that investment in people and capital tends to increase productivity, which in turn improves wages and living conditions. This means our European peers with bigger social economies enjoy higher wages and greater representation at work, while the UK struggles with weaker economic performance and lower working standards. We can and must change this. Our calculations show that growing the UK social economy, from the current 3% of GDP to be more in line with neighbouring countries at 12%, could: boost UK investment by £14bn (around 1% of GDP per annum)  raise average wages by up to £2,640 per worker  secure the Living Wage for 400,000 more workers   enable 75,000 more employers to train their staff  give 4.2m workers a real say in how their employers operate  improve work quality by widening access to initiatives like 4-day weeks and flexible working  have significant spill-over effects longer-term on the wider national economy, such as boosting productivity and living standards.  Social Enterprise UK produced this report with support from the Alex Ferry Foundation.

At Social Enterprise UK we run the Secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Social Enterprise, encouraging politicians to explore the impact of social enterprises in addressing key national policy issues. On 16 January the APPG hosted a discussion on social enterprise solutions to challenges in the UK food system, facilitated by Jo Gideon MP, highlighting Middlesex University research on how the sector can improve access to healthy and sustainable food. The gathering of parliamentarians heard from Prof Fergus Lyon, Dr Anastasia Loukianov, Dr Ian Vickers and Dr Doirean Wilson about how existing approaches have been largely unsuccessful in addressing poor dietary health and unsustainable food production. Social enterprises grounded in local communities offer an alternative to top-down public health initiatives, which can come across as patronising and jar with lived experiences of food poverty. Social enterprises involved in the research also shared their experiences. The Selby Trust spoke about their food hub, global garden and community café that provide fresh food to the local community and a garden space where people can grow their own food. Showing the harsh reality of the food crisis, in the last year they delivered food to over 12,000 people. The Ubele Initiative discussed their work on food sovereignty; they support Black and Minoritised communities through social prescribing work focused on growing food -making the link between healthy eating, community activity and mental health. The research also involves London Early Years Foundation’s nursery chef programme, as well as a local food hub and therapeutic growing work by Social adVentures. From health and care to early years education, community hubs and transport providers – this research shows how diverse social enterprises are finding innovative, empowering ways to transform the food system. The project is ongoing but its resulting report will be published on our Social Enterprise Knowledge Centre later this year. Wider discussion included conversations on the role of procurement and social value in supporting social enterprises working in this space, the need for better support from government for local food initiatives, and calls to make grants and other funding options more accessible. Commenting on the roundtable discussion, Professor Fergus Lyon said: “It was an honour to be invited to present to MPs and there was lots of interest about the role that social enterprises can play in tackling the food issues. It was also a great opportunity to bring together a range of thinkers on food issues and discuss how social enterprises can be part of the solution”.

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.