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Has the government got it right on social value? Fill in our short survey to tell policy makers what you think. The government has recently announced changes to the way it spends money on goods and services to create social value. We really do welcome Andy Burnham’s emphasis and dedication to social value, but alongside good policy changes such as doubling the social value weighting to 20% on contracts of £5 million or more, there are also some concerning aspects. There’s a new £1 million threshold below which social value requirements no longer apply, and the definition of social value itself has also been restricted to only look at jobs and skills. Social enterprises are set up to deliver social value; it’s in their DNA.  This narrowing of its definition and limitation of its scope could have a detrimental impact on those organisations who are best placed to deliver the PM’s promise of ‘growth in every postcode’. Let's show government why we must stand up for social value! Government has said it will publish technical guidance in autumn 2026 ahead of implementation in January 2027, and has left the door open for further evidence, which is why we need to hear what you think. We now have a narrow window of time to come together as a movement of businesses with social value at their heart to share our concerns and campaign for change. We’ve put together a short 5-10 min survey and will use responses to form a set of recommendations for the UK government while the guidance is still being finalised. Please complete the survey before 5pm on Monday 21 September. We'll publish the recommendations once all responses have been collated and considered TAKE THE SURVEY AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES Your responses will also form the basis of an letter to the PM, which we will open for signatures later this month. Let’s stand up for social value so that it lives up to its potential!

We’re proud to reveal the shortlist for the UK Social Enterprise Awards 2026! The Awards are a celebration of the pioneering social enterprise businesses which are transforming lives and empowering communities across the country. This year, we’re delighted to be co-producing the Awards with Co-operatives UK, recognising the vital role co-operatives have in shaping a fairer, more inclusive economy Across 15 different categories, the shortlist shows the strength, diversity, resilience and innovation of the social enterprise and co-operative movement across the economy. Whether it’s through delivering innovative public services, creating jobs and opportunities, embedding environmental sustainability into their work, breaking down barriers for marginalised groups, or selling outstanding products to the public - every one of the shortlist shows that another way of doing business is possible. We’ve also introduced a new category for 2026, The Co-op of the Year Award – shining a spotlight on the nation’s leading co-operative businesses. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS YEAR’S SHORTLIST Commenting on the announcement, Peter Holbrook our Chief Executive said: “Businesses usually only make headlines when they’ve been behaving badly or profiting at everyone else’s expense, so every year it’s a joy to celebrate those that are quietly getting on with the job of building a better Britain and providing a practical path to an economy that puts people and planet first. The UK Social Enterprise Awards celebrate the organisations focused on making communities healthier, happier and more environmentally friendly. They’re an inspiration to anyone looking for examples of ways to do business better.” ‌Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK, added: "It's brilliant to see so many outstanding co‑operatives on this year's shortlist, proof of the huge contribution member‑owned businesses make to communities right across the country. With our new Co‑op of the Year Award, we're able to shine a spotlight on that impact like never before. And as we prepare to bring the Awards to Manchester's co‑operative quarter, the birthplace of the co‑operative movement, it feels only right that we're celebrating the businesses carrying that legacy forward today." Taking the Awards to Manchester The winners will be announced at a ceremony on 12 November at New Century Hall, in the centre of Manchester’s co-operative quarter. This will be the first time the Awards have taken place outside of London, and will mark the social enterprise movement's future in a city steeped in its history. In 1844, just up the road in Rochdale, workers in the cotton mills pooled their resources to set up the first-ever consumer co-operative to combat the low pay and exploitative conditions of Victorian Britain. Now, in the spirit of these Rochdale Pioneers, we’ll be celebrating how far this movement of business for good has come. The theme of the Awards is ‘All Together Now ’, capturing the spirit of unity and co-operation that sits at the heart of the social enterprise community. Tickets are currently on sale, with members of Social Enterprise UK and Co-operatives UK being able to save nearly 50% in comparison to the full price tickets. Click here to get your tickets

Measuring the emissions of supply chains is complex and time-consuming, writes Andy Daly, Head of Procurement Programmes at SEUK. But simple changes can help give the climate the urgent action it needs now. If you've been thinking more about the environment and climate change recently, we're not surprised. With lawns, parks and fields the colour of straw and drought declared, the hottest summer on record has vividly illustrated how future seasons might feel. The UK Prime Minister has chaired emergency Cobra meetings in response to extreme heat, which brings into sharp focus that climate action is needed more urgently than ever. Along with government and citizens, the push to reach Net Zero needs business to step up to the challenge. It's under-reported that Net Zero strategy sits with two government departments: the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), as well as the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). For the private sector, Scope 1 and 2 emissions (internal emissions within a company's direct operational control) are crucial in effecting change, but holistic climate action can only come when a company looks to its supply chain and focuses on measuring and reducing Scope 3 emissions (indirect emissions across the company's value chain). For businesses, there is a tension between measuring and reducing Scope 3 emissions. As data ultimately drives change, measuring is important. However, it is also difficult and time-consuming, requiring the administration of supplier surveys, self-certification, benchmark estimation or a combination of all of the above. Unfortunately, measurement can become an end in itself, pulling resources away from activities which actually reduce emissions. To do that, companies need to take decisions even when the data is imperfect. They need to change purchasing behaviours, product/service specifications, and suppliers. How social enterprises can help Aggregate-level data for categories or business types can be useful in this context, and our research shows that about one in six social enterprises has a core mission addressing the climate emergency. We define social enterprises as businesses which trade for a social or environmental purpose, and many of them are already leading the way in helping businesses hit their Net Zero targets. If businesses are serious about actually moving the dial on carbon emissions in their supply chain, which social enterprise suppliers should they be engaging with? Opportunities are often closer to hand than businesses realise, and sometimes as unglamorous as the contents of a supply cupboard. Take the handwash in your bathrooms: Amplify Goods transforms this everyday essential into a low-carbon alternative, cutting emissions by 83% compared to conventional soap, while helping clients track and assess their savings along the way. Toilet paper is a less obvious target, but Serious Tissues makes the case for it too as a business founded on the startling fact that a million trees are felled every day just to make the stuff. Its planet-friendly toilet paper, laundry sheets and hygiene essentials are built for facilities managers and businesses that want a straightforward switch, with impact measurement handled for them rather than left as another task on the to-do list. The same logic extends to the promotional items that make up part of many marketing budgets. Eco Everyday helps organisations tackle their climate impact here too, providing ethical and sustainable promotional products and bespoke design work in place of the usual throwaway freebies. In the built environment, waste management is a particularly rich opportunity area. Oxford Wood Recycling works with businesses of all sizes across Oxfordshire, including large private sector companies, to collect waste wood and divert it into reuse or recycling routes such as biomass fuel, saving tonnes of CO2 in the process. And it's not just about what happens to waste today: Class Of Your Own is shaping the workforce of tomorrow, working with the same sector to educate young people on sustainability, net zero, biodiversity, carbon literacy and responsible design. Climate action doesn't have to stop at the office door, either. Mobilityways works with large employers to decarbonise something most businesses overlook entirely: the daily commute. They do it through an innovative climate-tech solution that contributes to real reductions in CO2 and air pollution. What unites these examples is that, as well as directly reducing their clients' carbon footprint, social enterprises can act as catalysts for more innovative, transformative change, going above and beyond minimum standards and pushing the boundaries of what's possible on climate action. Social Enterprise UK supports a wide range of businesses to leverage their everyday business spend for social and environmental benefit through programmes such as the Buy Social Corporate Challenge. To discuss how this could work for your business, contact us on socialprocurement@socialenterprise.org.uk. You can also browse a range of different social enterprises you could partner with in our Social Enterprise Directory.

Today's government announcement that public spending must back British jobs and skills in every postcode, set out in new Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 026, is another important step in Social Enterprise UK’s work to ensure public spending strengthens communities. We're especially pleased to see Andy Burnham's government putting social value at the heart of its agenda so early in his premiership.   Raising the minimum weighting for local social and economic benefit to 20% on contracts worth £5 million or more builds directly on the Public Services (Social Value) Act we proposed, helped pass in 2012, and have continued to champion and evolve since (and similarly with the Procurement Act that followed). We also welcome the stronger KPI reporting, including the new provision that poor performance against social value commitments can count against suppliers bidding for future contracts. For too long, social value has been a box to tick rather than a promise to keep, and government is right to say so. What’s changed?  Some of what’s been announced isn’t new. Procurement Policy Note 026 effectively supersedes PPN 002, which already covered fair work, skills for growth, employment for people facing barriers, and pipelines of opportunity for under-represented groups. What's genuinely new is narrower: jobs and skills are now the only route to meeting the weighting, whereas before, authorities could previously use climate, wellbeing or supply-chain outcomes instead. The weighting rises meaningfully at the top end; and the threshold rises to £1 million.   That £1 million threshold is our first concern. Raising it is framed as cutting red tape for small businesses, and easier routes for social enterprises bidding directly are welcome. But it also means social value requirements simply stop applying below that level - a tier where many social enterprises compete. A rule meant to open the door for small suppliers shouldn't quietly remove the lever that makes buyers choose them. It raises the prospect of a situation where a profit maximising private sector company with a large bid team outscores a social enterprise which focuses on job creation. We'd like a more proportionate approach below £1 million, rather than a blanket exemption.  It's also worth the government remembering who already delivers exactly these priorities. Our latest State of Social Enterprise research shows social enterprises employ an average of 72 people each across the UK's more than 100,000 social enterprises, with 43% specifically employing people from disadvantaged groups and 83% paying the Real Living Wage. Creating good jobs and routes into work for young people and those facing barriers isn't a new ask for social enterprises, it's what many were set up to do, and they should be direct beneficiaries of the new weighting, not just intermediaries helping larger contractors hit their targets.  Resilient supply chains  We’re also concerned about the loss of direction for commissioners that was in PPN 002: "Increase supply chain resilience". That rewarded suppliers for a diverse supply chain, including SMEs, VCSEs and mutuals: the closest thing the current model has to incentivising large contractors to buy from social enterprises.  PPN 026's Annex A contains only two outcomes, Good Jobs and Skills, and neither scores supply chain composition. The only remaining mention of VCSEs is a note about ensuring the criteria chosen are ones VCSEs can bid against, which gives accessibility for bidders, but doesn’t reward the larger organisations buying from them.  We know the alternative works. Amey, quoted in today's announcement, is a partner in our Buy Social Corporate Challenge, through which major businesses commit to spending on social enterprises rather than simply hiring directly. Amey's reported social value rose from £211 million to £248 million last year, plausibly reflecting the very outcome PPN 026 has now dropped.   If that route disappears, government risks removing the lever pulling large contractors towards social enterprises even as it raises the overall score; a contractor could hit the full 20% weighting through direct hiring alone, with no obligation to touch its supply chain. With this government’s focus on jobs, it’s pertinent that nearly 8,000 jobs have been created by corporates procuring from social enterprises through the Buy Social Corporate Challenge. That's our central ask for the autumn technical guidance: reinstate supply chain diversity, including VCSE participation, as a scored outcome, whether standalone or built into the Skills and Good Jobs criteria. We'd also like sub-contracting transparency, so buyers can see where social value spend actually lands, and independent verification of KPIs rather than self-reporting.  The opportunity ahead Public procurement is worth £90 billion a year. Getting this right could mean billions more reaching the organisations best placed to create good jobs and close skills gaps. Getting it wrong means large contractors meet the new weighting through direct hiring alone, while the route pulling spend towards social enterprises quietly closes.   We appreciate the new willingness of this government to engage with SEUK, which has led to meaningful dialogue with the Cabinet Office and No.10. We've spent over a decade proving what works, and we'd welcome the chance to bring that evidence into the guidance process before the rules take effect in January 2027. 5 August 2026

By Jovan Owusu-Nepaul - Head of Public Affairs at Social Enterprise UK Today (Monday 20 June) Andy Burnham entered Downing Street. With an already warm slogan shaping his world view, 'good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart', he marries together heart and head in hopes of re-casting the direction of British politics. In it, forging a new path for how we arrange our social and economic life. Despite the fact that he will inherit an economy still on a quest for growth and increasingly squeezed by a ballooning welfare state, Burnham sets to inherit greater economic stability, and one where interest rates have climbed down to more manageable levels. Albeit not the 2.5% BoE target. However, all of this is completely irrelevant if communities still feel far too disconnected from economic prosperity. After six previous Prime Ministers, Burnham's government will rightly be judged on whether it can deliver growth that reaches every part of the country. This isn't just growth in GDP, but growth in opportunity and wellbeing in a more resilient economy. Social enterprises are ready to deliver on this mission. In Britain today, there are around 100,000 social enterprises in the UK, with a collective turnover of £60 billion and employing around 2.3 million people. They provide childcare, health and social care, housing, education, culture, environmental services and reignite the high street with purpose. Unlike conventional businesses, their profits are reinvested into the communities they serve. Andy Burnham has long recognised the value of business with purpose. As Mayor of Greater Manchester, he championed the role of social value in procurement and demonstrated how economic development can be aligned with community benefit. His commitment to ensuring public contracts properly account for social value is an important foundation. But there is an opportunity now to build. If a Burnham government wants to build an economy that works for everyone, social enterprise must be at the heart of this economic and reindustrial strategy. This includes as part of government's public service reform and devolution agenda. Here are five actions that could be taken within the first 100 days. 1. Give social enterprise a seat at the table Establishing the Office for the Impact Economy was a great step for social enterprises but they have too often fallen between government departments, considered as neither wholly business nor wholly civil society. That must change. Government needs to formally recognise social enterprise as part of the UK's business economy, with ministerial responsibility sitting within the Department for Business and Trade, working in tandem with social enterprises on the ground and experts who work collaboratively with the Office for the Impact Economy. 2. Launch a cross-government social enterprise strategy The contribution social enterprises make to economic growth is outsized. Consider employment, health, housing, education, net zero and local regeneration, to name a few.  Yet policy affecting the sector remains fragmented. Within its first 100 days, government should commission a cross-government Social Enterprise Strategy, coordinated from the centre of government (No10 and the Cabinet Office) with clear responsibilities between departments and measurable outcomes, and working together with social enterprises, sector leaders and civil servants. This would ensure social enterprise becomes a delivery partner for the government's agenda rather than an afterthought. 3. Put social value at the heart of public spending Government spends hundreds of billions of pounds each year buying goods and services. Burnham has already committed to strengthening social value in procurement. The next step is implementation: ensuring every department measures social value consistently and equitably, whilst increasing opportunities for social enterprises to compete fairly, and removing unnecessary barriers that favour large incumbents over innovative local providers. Public money should create social value. 4. Make growth more inclusive Labour has committed to creating a stronger economy and supporting more diverse business models. Social enterprises already demonstrate that commercial success and social impact can go hand in hand. We do not need to farm our services and domestic assets (housing, children's care) to overseas private equity. Government should ensure social enterprises are fully included in business support programmes, regional growth funds, export support and innovation initiatives. They should not need separate programmes, they should have equal access to mainstream economic policy. It is time to support the British social entrepreneur who leads in their community and creates localised community prosperity. 5. Back community wealth building Economic growth is strongest when wealth stays within local communities. Government should work with mayoral authorities and local councils to expand community wealth building, supporting local procurement, employee ownership, community businesses and social enterprises as anchors of local economies. Greater Manchester has already demonstrated what is possible; the challenge now is to make this a national model. A different way of doing business Burnham has often spoken about building an economy that works for working-class people and communities across the UK. Social enterprises represent that ambition daily. They generate revenue, create jobs, innovate in public services and reinvest profits to tackle the very challenges government is trying to solve. The first 100 days of any government sets the tone for the years that follow. By recognising social enterprise as a central part of Britain's economy, Burnham could unlock billions in economic activity while strengthening communities across the country. The sector is ready to help. What it needs now is a government prepared to put it at the heart of its economic strategy.

Two new reports launched today set out recommendations for reforming NHS commissioning and public procurement to better support social enterprises, with Lord Victor Adebowale arguing the choice is "what kind of country we want to become". This morning, Social Enterprise UK launched two reports at the House of Lords containing recommendations for how the government can further support social enterprises to create fairer, more resilient, and healthier communities.  The British Government committed to using its supply chain to create social value back in 2012 with the Social Value Act. It then doubled down on that commitment in 2025, with the National Procurement Policy Statement stating that social enterprises “are more likely to generate diverse and thriving local economies, creating jobs and economic growth” and asking commissioners to maximise spending with them.    The legislation was an important step. But years after they’re first implemented, systems need updating to remain fit for purpose. By tackling issues such as too many short-term contracts, risk averse local government commissioners and lengthy, repetitive bidding processes, the potential of social enterprises - and the communities they work in - can be fully unleashed by the government.   And it’s the same in the NHS. 1,200 social enterprises deliver billions of pounds worth of vital NHS care across the country, employ tens of thousands of staff, and play a central role in community health, mental health and social care.   They got on with delivering the objectives of the recent NHS 10 Year Plan (from hospital to community; from sickness to prevention) for many years before it became policy. Yet social enterprises remain disadvantaged compared to other NHS service providers.  The All-Party Parliamentary Group of the Social Cooperative and Community Economy has been conducting a series of inquiries looking at the contribution to public services that social enterprises make, with many leaders attending meetings to provide that evidence. Mark Simms, CEO of P3, which works to prevent homelessness and support individuals with complex needs, was one of those who did so. As he put it at the launch of the reports today, “We have become very good at managing the consequences of social failure and far less ambitious about solving the causes.”   ‘Accelerating NHS reform: levelling the playing field to unlock social enterprises’ looks at the disadvantages that social enterprises encounter in delivering health and social care services. The report contains a number of recommendations for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) that doesn’t require new legislation – but does ask for parity when it comes to access to funding, capital and resources.  ‘A £400bn opportunity: unlocking social value for a fairer, more resilient UK’ is introduced by Patrick Hurley MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group of the Social Cooperative and Community Economy. It focuses on changes to procurement that could help the government achieve the kind of ‘good growth’ that raises living standards and reduces inequality.   “This is bigger than social enterprise,” said Lord Victor Adebowale, Chair of Social Enterprise UK at the launch of the reports.   “It is about what kind of country we want to become. A country that extracts value, or a country that creates value. A country that waits for problems to become crises, or a country that invests in prevention and people. A country that concentrates wealth and opportunity - or one that shares both more widely.  “Social enterprises have spent decades proving what works. The evidence, innovation and leadership is there; the communities are ready. The only question that remains is whether policy and politics can catch up with practice.”  Thank you to our partners Access – the Foundation for Social Investment, Better Society Capital, Baxendale, Fusion 21, GLL and Locala for their support in producing these reports.

Corporate spending by our Buy Social Corporate Challenge partners on goods and services supplied by social enterprises has now created nearly 8,000 jobs, according to the latest annual report looking at the impact of the programme. The Challenge, our flagship social procurement programme, is working with a group of 36 high-profile businesses with the aim of collectively spending £1 billion with social enterprise through their supply chains. In total, £864 million has been spent by corporate partners with social enterprise suppliers between 2016 and 2025, with £209 million being spent in the last year alone. If this trend continues, we are well on our way to hitting that ambitious £1 billion target! Since launching in 2016, more than 2,500 social enterprises have supplied services ranging from healthcare and facilities management to IT and catering.  Many of the jobs created have gone to people who faced barriers in finding work, including those who have a disability, have experienced homelessness, or been through the justice system.  “We’re hearing a lot in the news currently about the number of people out of work. Social enterprises have expertise in delivering the goods and services that private sector clients need while also supporting those most in need of a job into employment,” said Andy Daly, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Social Enterprise UK. “As well as proving that it’s easy for big business to have a positive social impact, 65% of the Buy Social Corporate Challenge partners also told us that working with social enterprise suppliers has helped them win new business.” Surveyed corporate partners also reported that sourcing from social enterprises supported their values and purpose, brought innovation into their supply chain and improved their environmental sustainability. Read the full Buy Social Corporate Challenge annual report here. Companies and social enterprises interested in joining the Buy Social Corporate Challenge can contact socialprocurement@socialenterprise.org.uk

The UK’s biggest celebration of businesses with a social or environmental purpose is moving to Manchester. The UK Social Enterprise Awards will take place on 12th November 2026 at New Century Hall in the city’s co-operative quarter, the first time the awards have taken place outside London. New Century Hall was originally the headquarters of the Cooperative Wholesale Society, a collective of around 300 cooperatives. The roots of the Society can be traced back to the Rochdale Pioneers, a group of workers who sold food at fair prices and shared profits among members. During the 1960s the hall hosted concerts by Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones, and was also a mainstay party venue during the city’s MADchester era. The event will be co-produced by Cooperatives UK and Social Enterprise UK for the first time. Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK, said: "Greater Manchester is the perfect place to celebrate businesses that put people and purpose first. Co-operatives are owned by their members, rooted in their communities and built to share power, opportunity and impact. These are values we share with the wider social enterprise movement, so we’re proud to be working with Social Enterprise UK to bring the awards to Manchester.”  "When I think of the term 'northern powerhouse', I instantly think of the great city of Manchester. I'm delighted that we'll be working with Co-operatives UK to bring this joyful event to the birthplace of the first businesses specifically set up to benefit communities," said Lord Victor Adebowale, Chair of Social Enterprise UK.  Following on from last year’s ‘Festival of Hope’, this year’s theme will be ‘All Together Now’. The awards recognise sector excellence in social enterprises of all sizes across a range of 15 categories, from innovation to impact. Amongst last year’s winners were Social Enterprise of the Year Change Please, a coffee company using profits to tackle homelessness, and ‘One to watch’ winners EcoCoach CIC, which provides inclusive PE and sports coaching for schools. More information about applications and tickets will be announced soon on social media channels. For now, enjoy the launch video below!