17 February 2010

The Social Enterprise Coalition has today urged the next government to support social enterprise to increase its contribution to the economy threefold by 2020.

Social enterprises are businesses driven by a social or environmental purpose. There are 62,000 social enterprises in the UK, contributing over £24bn to the economy and employing approximately 800,000 people.  

The ambitious target forms the central plank of ‘No More Business as Usual - a Manifesto for Social Enterprise' which was released today.  The manifesto aims to raise the profile of social enterprise in the run up to a general election and show how social enterprise can meet public demands for a more ethical approach to business.

The Manifesto states that social enterprises are critical to rebuild the economy, because "as businesses based on the principles of mutualism, coproduction and participation, social enterprises offer a more accountable and sustainable business model. They offer a model where people are given a direct voice in running their organisation; where public assets can be locked into community ownership; and where people can transform their lives and the lives of those around them."

Written by the Social Enterprise Coalition, the UK's national body for social enterprise, the Manifesto was developed in collaboration with social enterprises across the UK, and it details ways in which certain key policy changes could help social enterprise maximise its impact. 

Key asks include:

• Support for the development of social enterprise models across public sector agencies
• The introduction of legislation to help communities to buy and manage local assets
• A strong and clear package of tax incentives to encourage social investment
• Support for more locally tailored employment practices to build on the work of the Future Jobs Fund
• Routine collection of representative data on the social enterprise movement

Peter Holbrook, CEO of the Social Enterprise Coalition said:

"This is a crucial time for the social enterprise movement - as the UK emerges from recession the public demands, and deserves, a fairer and more sustainable economy. Social enterprise can help to achieve this, but we need the right support.

In this general election year the Social Enterprise Coalition Manifesto lays out a number of ways in which the next government can help social enterprise achieve its aim to significantly increase both its contribution to GDP and its impact on the lives of individuals and communities across the UK."

Read the full document here.

 

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Editors' notes

• For further information or interviews please contact Katherine Harvey, Press and Communications Officer at 020 7793 2286 katherine.harvey@socialenterprise.org.uk or Caroline Borge, Head of Communications at 020 7793 2318 (m 0774369 3040) or caroline.borge@socialenterprise.org.uk_

• The Social Enterprise Coalition is the UK's national body for social enterprise. As the voice for the sector, the Coalition provides a platform for showcasing the benefits of social enterprise while supporting and representing the work of its varied members, influencing national policy and promoting best practice. www.socialenterprise.org.uk

• This Social Enterprise Manifesto was written by the Social Enterprise Coalition and developed in collaboration with the social enterprise community across the UK. I

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