Grid access, funding and revenue certainty are holding community energy back, an evidence session for the Social, Cooperative and Community Econonmy heard. Although many community energy social enterprises have been patiently plugging away for many years to create locally owned projects that yield a range of social and environmental benefits, they’re now at the centre … Continued
With a record number of children homeless in the UK, social enterprise leaders met with government to explain the barriers making it hard to reduce this number – and the solutions that work. “The housing system is broken.” That was the blunt opening from Richard Kennedy, co-founder of Cornerstone Place, at the fourth evidence session of the Social, Cooperative and Community Economy All-Party Parliamentary Group. … Continued
The Social, Cooperative and Community Economy All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) convened last week to hear from social enterprise leaders on the government’s defining mission: growth. They made the case that growth without community at its heart is growth that fails most people. Growth has been the buzzword of the Labour government since it was elected, … Continued
Social enterprises, local authority councillors, corporate supporters and legal experts recently met with MPs to discuss why existing procurement legislation is failing to deliver the social value it promises – and what needs to change. Why are local authorities not making greater use of the powers they already have to procure from voluntary, community and … Continued
Politics can sometimes seem like a soap opera, but in a week of government reshuffles and resignations, the crucial work of evidencing the impact of social enterprises and building political support for them continued within the corridors of power. On Monday 9 September, the Social, Cooperative and Community Economy All-Party Parliamentary Group and its Chair … Continued
If the government was in any doubt about the challenges facing those starting social enterprises, a mixed group of stakeholders presented it with a vivid picture this week. It was the most recent evidence delivered to the second roundtable of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Social, Cooperative and Community as part of their … Continued
The key highlights from the first evidence session of the Social, Cooperative and Community Economy APPG’s inquirt into growing diverse business models
Social enterprises present a great opportunity to improve life in the UK. Now a group of MPs will collaborate to help realise their potential. Patrick Hurley, MP for Southport, explains why he wanted to chair the group. In my constituency of Southport and the wider area there are many social enterprises, cooperatives and community businesses … Continued