Thought Leadership

Public bodies are being urged to use their purchasing power to tackle poverty and inequality within local communities and create a good jobs industry in the UK in a new report ‘Public Good Procurement’ issued on behalf of the grassroots #BetterForUs campaign run by award-winning community enterprise, Aspire Community Works. Drawing on its own lived experience of the procurement process, the report argues that all too often public procurement pushes wages down, fails to address deep-rooted inequalities and puts pressure on the public purse through subsidising low paying employers who offer bad work detrimental to people’s health. This puts good employers who pay the Real Living Wage at a disadvantage within the procurement process, leading to a spiral of downward wages within the procurement process and negative public value. The report urges the UK Government to take the lead in delivering maximum public value across the country through raising the standards in how public authorities spend £390 billion every year as part of its national missions to promote growth and opportunity.  The report calls on the UK Government to: require the Real Living Wage as the default position for all public contracts irrespective of value, lifting thousands of people out of poverty; require good working conditions as the default position for all public contracts irrespective of value providing high quality and sustainable opportunities for people working on public contracts; particularly for those in traditionally low paying occupations; introduce a target to support Good Works organisations that work with people who are disadvantaged by the labour market to promote a more inclusive economy and bring more people back into the workforce; highlight the mission of public good procurement and links key objectives to the Sustainable Development Goals within its forthcoming National Procurement Policy Statement. Dr Katharine Sutton, author of the report said: “This is a once in a life-time opportunity for a new Government to stamp its authority on a new Procurement Act due to be introduced in February 2025. If only one percent of the procurement spend in the UK was reserved for positive action employment programmes this would generate £3.9 billion for local communities and Good Work organisations that aim to support and sustain people into and in employment. These programmes could take place within in-house delivery, under the auspices of private contractor or run by social enterprises themselves. Using public procurement to set the standards and act as an example for all employers is an economic imperative that will deliver inclusive growth that makes a real difference to people’s lives.” The report includes recommendations to other public bodies and practical guidance on how public procurement can be used for the public good. betterforus.org.uk Notes BetterForUs 2020-2024 is a campaign run on behalf of award-winning organisation Aspire Community Works that tackles labour market disadvantage through providing sustainable employment and training opportunities offering the Real Living Wage as a minimum,  good working conditions and promoting frontline employees’ voice in the design and delivery of services. The majority of its frontline work is obtained through the public procurement process. The Government has recently announced that the Procurement Act 2023 will come into force in February 2025. It has delayed its implementation to draw up a new National Procurement Policy Statement and is currently consulting on this issue. In the UK procurement is devolved  and the report outlines the differences in approach within the UK. It is calling on the UK Government to incorporate the Sustainable Development Goals as the golden thread to run through all procurement in the UK. BetterforUs is supported by Trust for London.

Social enterprise The Fair Tax Foundation has launched a community share offer on social investment platform Ethex looking to raise £450,000 to expand its operations and bring five times as many businesses into its progressive movement. Across the globe, 35% of multinational profits (£1trn) are artificially shifted to tax havens each year, robbing the public purse of funding for vital public services such as transport and healthcare. The UK suffers from a corporate tax shortfall of £12.5bn each year because of this multinational profit-shifting. Some 10 years ago the Fair Tax Foundation saw there was another way to do business. Since then, it has enjoyed a decade of steady income growth and seven consecutive years of surplus. With the Fair Tax Mark, the gold standard responsible tax accreditation, the Fair Tax Foundation is central to a movement of progressive businesses that are proud to pay their taxes and celebrate the enormous contribution this makes to public services. Some 250 distinct trading businesses are Fair Tax Mark accredited, including FTSE-listed companies such as SSE and Marshalls, and household names such as Lush, the Coop and Timpson. Collectively, Fair Tax businesses employ over 275,000 people and contribute more than £1.7bn in corporation tax annually. Co-operatives and social enterprises were early pioneers of the Fair Tax Mark, with Midcounties, Scotmid, Energy4All, Suma and the Co-op being amongst the first businesses to become certified. These have since followed by other well-known co-operatives and social enterprises such as Arup, Jerba Campervans and Lendology In order to increase its impact on creating a fairer society, the Fair Tax Foundation will use the new investment to: - Create a new sales and business development team, broaden its product offering, expand its back-office and recruit and train new technical staff - Increase its income from c.£500,000 to c.£2mn per year - Quintuple its corporate engagement in the UK and overseas, leading to hundreds more Fair Tax Mark accredited companies Fair Tax Foundation Chief Executive Paul Monaghan said: “This share offer is a rare opportunity to buy community shares in, and become a member of, the Fair Tax Foundation – with subscribers becoming shareholders in the Society alongside existing members. We believe the more businesses that stand up for responsible tax conduct, the more likely legislators are to create better laws, and the more likely regulators are to implement those laws robustly. Since our inception a decade ago, much has been achieved in reversing the global race to the bottom on corporation tax. But there is still so much more that needs to be achieved, both in the UK and across the globe. By supporting us to scale up our business, investors will help expand our influence, bolster public coffers and help steer the economy in a more enlightened direction at this critical moment in history.” Ethex CEO Lisa Ashford said: “We are very excited to offer our community of investors the opportunity to support this share offer. We see it as a great chance to use your money to help create a more just and equitable world where corporations pay their fair share of tax and everyone in society can reap the benefits." The offer opens on 2nd September for a period of three months - targeting an initial annual return of 6%, and UK base rate plus 1% thereafter. There is a minimum investment threshold of £200, and a maximum of £60,000 for individuals and £100,000 for organisations. As with all investments of this nature, capital is at risk and returns are not guaranteed. Investors can participate in the offer via the Ethex investing platform at https://www.ethex.org.uk/invest/fairtax Notes to editors: Fair Tax Foundation was established as a not-for-profit social enterprise in 2014, and is registered with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority as a Community Benefit Society. It’s rules incorporate a statutory “asset lock” to ensure that any retained surpluses are used solely for the promotion of good corporate tax conduct. Ethex aims to help everyday people make ethical investments that fund extraordinary organisations.” It is a not-for-profit with a mission to ‘make money do good’, and has spent the past ten years creating a vibrant marketplace for positive investment. Community shares are withdrawable shares that cannot be sold, traded or transferred between members, unlike shares in a typical company. Members are entitled to one vote, regardless of how many shares they hold. Members can be paid interest on their shares, and can withdraw their shareholding (along with any interest accrued) by selling shares back to the Society, subject to the board’s approval. Any money invested is fully at risk and is not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

In this blog Charlie Walker, Managing Director at Cleand for Good, looks into the Government's plan to scrap 'waiting days' and the need to transform sick pay. The Government have announced their new employment rights bill, something they promised within their manifesto. Within the raft of measures, ‘waiting days’ associated with Statutory Sick Pay will be removed. No idea what I am talking about? Nor did I, before joining Clean for Good. It probably means, like me, you have never had to worry about sick pay in your job. Grab a cuppa and let’s dive into the detail on all things Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). It’s more interesting than you might think! SSP is the minimum pay that employers have to pay staff when they fall ill. Currently it is £116.75 per week, or £23.35 per day, (so just over £3 per hour). You are only entitled to SSP if you earn a certain amount per week, more than £123 AND if you have been ill for more than 3 consecutive days. So, for the first 3 days you are off ill you get paid nothing. And it’s these 3 days that are known as ‘waiting days’. Still with me? Many (perhaps all?) of us will never have come into contact with ‘waiting days’. We have worked for good employers who have decided to run their own ‘Occupational Sick Pay’ scheme. These schemes go above and beyond SSP, often considerably so, and will pay staff (rightly) for every day they are off sick and most of the time at full pay. This is a wonderful benefit. In over 20 years of working, I have never had to worry about being off sick. So, what’s the issue? Well, picture a multi-storey building in the heart of London, every floor filled with different companies, lawyers, charity workers, insurers, bankers, engineers and more. One of the lawyers catches a bug and his lovely HR team tell him to go home, rest up and only come back when he is fully recovered. The lawyer agrees and after 2 days of bed, Netflix, and chicken soup he comes back to work, rested and recovered. Unfortunately, though, the bug has spread, and it takes down other members of the office and also Carol, the cleaner, who came to clean the building that evening. Carol is on SSP and is confronted with the reality of these ‘waiting days’. Does she stay at home and get paid nothing for 2 days or turn up to work ill. Terrible choice made worse by the fact that Carol earns less than the real living wage. Two days off genuinely puts at risk her ability to pay her mortgage, her bills and more. It’s not really a choice, she goes to work. As we take this further and begin to imagine Carol having to go to hospital and being forced off for a week earning just £46.70, what then? Lots of us, I suspect, would begin to struggle with our bills and payments that month. And maybe you could scramble through for a month, but after 10 years of the same thing? It’s like a repetitive kick to the face and it’s the horrible reality for Carol and thousands of cleaners, security guards, and others in low paid professions across the UK So, we will of course welcome the scrapping ‘waiting days’, whilst at the same time not pretending that getting by on £23.35 SSP per day, is anywhere near adequate. At Clean for Good we are one of the very few cleaning companies (and to date I have not come across any in London including some of the real biggies in the market) who run our own occupational sick pay scheme. From day 1 if cleaners are off sick, at Clean for Good, they are paid in full. One of the joys in the last couple of years was taking on a team of new cleaners from another cleaning company (this happens at the point that you take over a cleaning contract) and seeing one of our new cleaners, eyes bulging as we explained to her that CFG has its own sick pay scheme. She stopped me mid-sentence and exclaimed…What, you will pay me if I am sick? To which I replied Yes, we will! She had been a cleaner in London for over 15 years surviving on SSP. If you’re not sure what your employer pays you when you go off ill, you will find the policy lurking somewhere in the depths of your staff handbook. Do go and check it out, and if you are part of an organisation that has its own sick pay scheme go and encourage your HR team and tell them they are all wonderful today! Find out more? The centre for progressive change is running a national campaign on sick pay. If you want to find out more on the whole area of sick pay. Check the campaign out here.

Tarem Services is proud to announce the successful launch of its Mobile Foodbank initiative, which took place on Tuesday, 1st October 2024, at Selhurst Children’s Centre, Croydon. This initiative is a significant part of Tarem Services’ broader mission to tackle in-work poverty and food insecurity by providing essential supplies to vulnerable families and individuals experiencing financial hardship. Despite heavy rain, 103 of the 150 essential food bags were collected on the day, and the remaining bags have since been collected by those unable to attend. Each bag contains enough food to feed at least 2 people, meaning 300 individuals will ultimately benefit from this initiative. The event was supported by 12 volunteers from Zurich UK, CBRE and Tarem Services, who worked tirelessly to prepare the food bags and engage with the families in attendance. The launch event was highlighted by the attendance of Deputy Mayor, Councillor Lynne Hale, who showed her support for Tarem Services' continued efforts to address food insecurity and poverty within the local community. “We are deeply grateful to CBRE and Zurich UK for their financial support and volunteering efforts, as well as to our own team at Tarem Services for making this initiative possible,” said Titus Komolafe, Managing Director of Tarem Services. “Our mission goes beyond just providing food; it’s about tackling in-work poverty, addressing food insecurity, and empowering families to build more secure futures.” The Mobile Foodbank initiative is one of the many ways Tarem Services drives social change. As a social enterprise, Tarem Services is dedicated to reducing the pressures faced by low-wage workers and their families. Through partnerships, volunteer support, and sustainable initiatives, Tarem Services is committed to providing immediate relief while advocating for long-term solutions. Next Stop: Stay Tuned The Mobile Foodbank will continue its journey to reach other communities in need, with the next distribution event already in the planning stages. As Tarem Services expands its reach, more families and individuals will receive the support they need during these challenging times. Stay tuned for details on the next stop as we continue to offer hope and practical aid to those most in need. For more information on the Mobile Foodbank and how you can get involved, visit: www.taremservices.com/foodbank. About Tarem Services Tarem Services Limited is a social enterprise focused on tackling in-work poverty and food insecurity, especially among cleaners in the UK. Founded in 1999 with the support of a Prince’s Trust grant, Tarem Services has built a reputation for responsible business practices. The company provides office and school cleaning, construction labour supply, pest control, and waste management services, all while remaining committed to social responsibility and environmental sustainability. Media Contact:Email: community@taremservices.com Image Caption:Volunteers from Tarem Services, Zurich UK, and CBRE with Deputy Mayor, Councillor Lynne Hale, during the Mobile Foodbank launch at Selhurst Children’s Centre, Croydon.

The Sewing Rooms, an award-winning social enterprise based in Skelmersdale, West Lancashire, is addressing the critical shortage of skilled sewing technicians in the region. Securing funding from the UK Government, The Sewing Rooms is providing free skills training, leading to a recognised industry qualification. This initiative aims to empower local individuals with the expertise needed to pursue rewarding careers in the sewing and manufacturing industry. Paula Gamester MBE, Chief Executive of The Sewing Rooms, highlighted the pressing need for skilled sewing machinists: "Recognising the shortage in our community, we collaborated with Redwood TTM, a prominent local manufacturing company facing challenges in recruiting skilled sewing machinists. When we were approached, we were delighted to accept the initial challenge and to explore the further potential for other local businesses and the wider community.” The program encompasses a comprehensive curriculum to meet the specific demands of local manufacturing businesses. The training includes tutor-led sessions, self-directed online modules, and practice sessions tailored to Redwood's and industry quality standards and is available free to West Lancashire residents. Find out more about the amazing impact of the programme in this clip from BBC North West: https://vimeo.com/933004357/42dc5cd656?share=copy Rachel Idle – Group HR Manager for Redwood Group of Companies, explains the driver behind the initiative: “Redwood TTM relies on its skilled Industrial Sewing Machinists and post Brexit, it had become increasingly difficult to recruit in that area. I was aware of the great work that UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) do in looking to raise the profile of careers with the textiles industry and I reached out to Celia Thornley, their Skills and Training Manager. When Celia informed me of her collaboration with The Sewing Rooms to produce a formal industrial sewing qualification, it became apparent that we had a really exciting opportunity on our hands.”  Celia Thornley, Senior Skills, and Training Manager at UKFT, said: “This is great news for sewn product manufacturing businesses across the West Lancashire region. These businesses need serious backing when it comes to recruitment, tackling skills shortages and building a talent pipeline for future growth. This project will provide this much needed support, and it is inspiring and encouraging to see acknowledgement of these issues at the highest level within the local authority”. The program encompasses a comprehensive curriculum to meet the specific demands of local manufacturing businesses. The training includes tutor-led sessions, self-directed online modules, and practice sessions tailored to Redwood's and industry quality standards and is available free to West Lancashire residents. The UKFT “Licence to Sew” training course features contributions from industry insiders such as BBC’s The Great British Sewing Bee’s Patrick Grant. "We are thrilled to contribute to the growth of our local industry by training individuals who will become valuable assets to businesses like Redwood TTM. The 'Licence to Sew' qualification is a testament to our commitment to address workforce challenges and enhance the skill set of our community," Paula Gamester added. “We have over a dozen License to Sew graduates so far, some have gone on to work with Redwood TTM whereas others have found work elsewhere in the Sewing industry.” The Sewing Rooms invites interested individuals based in West Lancashire to take advantage of this unique opportunity for personal and professional development. For more information on how to enrol in the program, please contact paula@the-sewing-rooms.co.uk

Join us for an exclusive webinar on Tuesday 1 October at 12:30pm to find out how you can use your everyday spend to future-proof your business and create value for people and planet. We are hosting it together with our social enterprise members – three unique businesses with social and environmental purposes: Standing Tall - Ends homelessness one person at a time, supporting people experiencing homelessness into stable jobs and safe homes Nemi Teas - Delicious and premium tea products that create training and job opportunities for refugees Mediorite - Films that look good and do good - every job produced creates paid work for a young person Hear firsthand from social enterprise founders on how they work with businesses and buying organisations like yours and help them create social value and meet their ESG goals. You will also have a chance to learn about our growing network of buyers and suppliers and how our Social Procurement Connect service supports businesses by bringing social enterprises into their supply chain. Sign up here

Sarah Rial is the social outcomes lead at our Social Value 2032 programme partner Jacobs, and the lead author on a new report exploring how social value techniques can improve major project delivery. Infrastructure is the backbone of every country - providing connectivity, shaping places, and delivering vital services to citizens. At its core, infrastructure delivers undeniable value to society. However, budgetary constraints, competing political agendas and conflicting local and national priorities can often result in society feeling overlooked in the decision-making and delivery processes of major infrastructure projects. Speaking with professionals who work across major project delivery in a variety of roles, our research has revealed that projects often feel “inflicted” on communities, rather than being integrated into their regional and national ecosystems. This is leading to the rise of so-called “NIMBYism” (Not in My Back Yard) and criticism regarding the rising cost of major infrastructure programmes, hindering growth and equitable access to quality infrastructure in the UK. There remains an inherent tension in major infrastructure delivery. While projects aim to serve the needs of the nation, in doing so they often have profound impacts on local communities. While in some instances the national interest must be served and the price of the few may be deemed something we must bear; without a clearly articulated rationale for this decision and without carefully selected options and mitigation strategies; this adverse impact on the few can be detrimental to the project, with costs soaring and reputations irreparably damaged. So how do we overcome these challenges to unlock significant economic, environmental and social benefits and ensure these benefits are equitably distributed across society? The answer is simple: we must place people at the heart of infrastructure delivery and bring everyone on the journey with us, united by a common purpose. Infrastructure investments are often driven by societal needs. By conveying a cohesive purpose, companies can drive collective action to respond to customer and societal needs. It can support attraction and retention of high-quality talent and enhance customer loyalty. Purpose-driven companies often demonstrate better long-term performance as their sustainable practices can lead to more stable and predictable returns. As environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors become increasingly pivotal in investment decisions, purpose-driven companies can excel in ESG criteria, thereby attracting private investment. Major infrastructure delivery can benefit greatly from this approach. “Purpose-driven delivery” involves understanding the society our project serves, effectively communicating their value to stakeholders and actively listening while empathising and responding to the communities affected throughout the delivery process. Like purpose-driven organisations, this approach enhances project delivery, aids in making sound investment decisions and mitigates critical risks during execution. This concept isn’t new. The techniques and case studies are derived from established industry practices, tested on major projects in the UK. These methods are employed daily by social value and sustainability practitioners, yet many still limit “social value” to a mere question in public sector procurement. We recognise the potential of social value in achieving improved outcomes on major projects; it helps projects develop a clear “purpose” that resonates with communities, funders, staff and suppliers, uniting them behind a common mission and creating a cohesive approach that permeates every stage of the project lifecycle. Our research has confirmed that social value has been crucial in delivering project outcomes far beyond procurement. It has helped reduce risks, attract financing, foster a united culture and maximise the value delivered for every pound spent. This new publication serves as guidance, offering inspiration and lessons learned from over 40 organisations, demonstrating how social value techniques can benefit both society and projects. We aim to equip leaders, designers, commercial experts and all teams working on major projects with the tools and methodologies to adopt a “purpose-driven” approach to delivery across every project lifecycle stage. By doing so, projects will remain focused on the people they serve, creating a tangible golden thread that runs through every facet of the project and fostering a culture that prioritises doing things right for the benefit of all. This update is part of a series exploring the opportunities for social value to expand across public sector procurement and influence the spending of the UK’s largest companies. Find out more about the Social Value 2032 programme here.

We're deep into party conference season and working hard to push our message up the political agenda, so here are a few of our highlights so far...Since Keir Starmer has already set out the five missions he hopes will define his premiership, we’re urging our new mission-led government to work with mission-led businesses. Alongside our partners in the Future Economy Alliance, we’ve put together a paper making the case for how our movement can help deliver the changes needed, from making Britain a clean energy superpower to building public services fit for the future and breaking down barriers to opportunity.  We’ve already handed this to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Business Secretary Johnny Reynolds, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones, Business Minister Gareth Thomas and Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Housing, Communities and Local Government Alex Norris at conference this week - but we’re just getting started, and will be taking our message to many more political decision-makers. We also ran events including an insightful roundtable alongside Labour Business discussing the need for recognition, finance and government support to grow social enterprise. Our business breakfast at Baltic Creative CIC brought people who've started and supported social enterprises together to explore how the new government can unleash our sector's full potential. We convened a lively panel with Future Economy Alliance partners, chaired by our patron Baroness Glenys Thornton, and attended lots of other events with encouraging conversations about supporting our mission-led movement. With the Liberal Democrats now a renewed force in national politics, we also attended their conference in Brighton this month. We met with several MPs - including former Social Enterprise UK member Josh Babarinde, who is now the party's justice spokesperson and a strong advocate for our sector in parliament. Alliance partners will be attending Conservative Party Conference this weekend, and we'll also have a presence at the Co-operative Party's annual gathering with an exhibition stall and sponsoring drinks at a networking reception. Conference season is all about getting our asks to those with the power to help our sector grow, and showing how we can help them solve problems. You are key to this, so if you’ve spoken to your local MP, engaged with government departments, have suggestions to share or would like to support our continued work raising the profile of our sector with political stakeholders, please contact the team on policy@socialenterprise.org.uk. CLICK HERE TO READ OUR PAPER