Newsletter

Gordon Brown launches Ambassadors programme

(L-R) John Bird, Jonathan Bland, Lord Victor Adebowale, Gordon Brown, Ed Miliband, Penny Newman and Tim Campbell. Gordon Brown launched the Social Enterprise Ambassadors programme from Number 10 Downing Street with Jonathan Bland today. In a speech earlier in the day the Prime Minister said the ambassadors will “do more to inspire more people across the country to combine their business skills with a desire to deliver lasting social and environmental change.” Some publicly known ambassadors who have already been named also went to Downing Street, including John Bird, chief executive of the Big Issue, Penny Newman, chief executive Cafedirect, Lord Victor Adebowale, chief executive Turning Point and Tim Campbell, winner of the first “Apprentice” and founder of the Bright Ideas Trust. At the evening launch reception Jonathan Bland invited social entrepreneurs from across the country to apply to become ambassadors, as a further 20 are still to be recruited.

Coalition seeks Ambassador applications

A major recruitment drive is underway to find 20 individuals who are passionate about using business for social and environmental change - and who can inspire others to feel the same.

We are looking for enthusiastic people with a track record in social enterprise, who have great stories to tell about how this way of doing business changes people's lives.

Download application pack here

Health and care forum issues rebuttal to union fears

Emma Wilson, Chair of the Social Enterprise Coalition’s health and care forum, has written an article for Independent Nurse addressing the concerns of national unions. She articulates how social enterprises and unions have strong common grounds and should be working together and not against each other.

Read the article in Independent Nurse

Consultation paper on sustainability

The Department of Communities and Local Government have published a white paper Planning for a Sustainable Future. The paper sets out an ambitious programme of reform for planning permission systems, including energy, water, transport and waste development, as well as the town and country planning system. The Coalition would like to hear your views on this paper. Please contact Senior Policy Officer Ceri Jones on ceri.jones@socialenterprise.org.uk

Further information

Social clauses survey

The Office of the Third Sector has commissioned the North East Regional Centre of Excellence (NERCE) to conduct a survey on social clauses in public procurement contracts. The survey will seek views on the use of social clauses, their benefits and barriers to their use. The responses will support work on creating model template clauses.

The Coalition is encouraging organisations with experiences of social clauses to respond to the survey. We would be grateful if you could copy your responses to Senior Policy Officer Ceri Jones at ceri.jones@socialenterprise.org.uk

Further information

Darzi NHS review

Professor Sir Ara Darzi Proffesor Sir Ara Darzi has been charged with carrying out a wide-ranging review of the NHS. The Coalition and the health and care forum are currently planning a strategy to influence this review in order to ensure that it acknowledges the role of social enterprises in delivering health and social care services.

Consultation on business support simplification

Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), formerly known as the DTI, estimates that there are over 3,000 publicly-funded business support schemes available in England.

This presents a complicated and cluttered picture to organisations seeking business support.  BERR proposes to significantly reduce this figure by 2010 and is currently seeking views on how best to achieve this.

The Coalition will submit a formal response to this consultation and invites interested members to send in feedback. 

For more information please email Kirsten van den Hout

Consultation on unfair commercial practice

The DTI are currently consulting on the Implementation the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD). The Coalition is interested to hear from anyone planning to respond to this consultation.

The UCPD seeks to stamp out unfair selling and marketing methods in a simpler and more effective way than the current sector specific laws. 

We are also interested to find out whether this is an area in which the movement feels the Coalition should be doing more to articulate its views. 

Please send your responses to Kieran at Kieran.larkin@socialenterprise.org.uk  

To view the consultation, click here

Conservative Party report on social justice

Iain Duncan Smith MP The Conservative Party’s Social Justice Policy Group has published a 670 page report called Breakdown Britain. The group, chaired by Iain Duncan Smith, has used the report to outline policy views on six areas including the third sector. Though the suggestions will not definitely be adopted by the Conservative Party, the report reflects Conservative MPs' growing interest in the work of the sector.

Work begins on Labour Manifesto

Minister for the Cabinet Office and former Minister for the Third Sector Ed Miliband has been asked by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to take charge of drawing up the Labour manifesto. Supporting him will be three former cabinet ministers, Patricia Hewitt, David Blunkett, and Hilary Armstrong.

Further information

£1.8m boost for London's social enterprise

A partnership to support social enterprises across the capital has been awarded a £1.8 million funding boost by London Councils.  The London Councils Grants Committee has agreed to provide £450,000 a year to SETLL, a special partnership of five organisations with expertise in helping to develop and support all types of social enterprises.

Further information

Yorkshire Forward invests £10 million in regional charity bank

Yorkshire Forward has invested £10 million in a regional charity bank to support third sector organisations in Yorkshire and Humber. This investment in a regional office of Charity Bank, a national organisation that aims to support social enterprise, is the first of its kind by a Regional Development Agency.

Further information

Co-operative Bank turns away over £700m of loans

In the 15 years since the Co-operative Bank launched its famous Ethical Policy, figures released today (16th July) show it has declined loans totalling more than £700m for ethical and ecological reasons.  An analysis of the Co-operative Bank’s business lending record since 1992 clearly shows it is prepared to turn away business that conflicts with its customer mandated Ethical Policy.

Further information

Pupils turn a tenner into thousands

School children across the UK have earned themselves a share of thousands of pounds after an entrepreneur sent them off with a tenner.  The thousands of young people who took part in Make Your Mark with a Tenner were given £10 and a month to generate as much profit and social impact as they could.  Over £75,000 of the original £100,000 loan fund has already been returned, with £410 being the highest profit achieved on £10 – an impressive 4100% increase in a month.

Further information

Management of change in third sector organisations

The Performance Hub is working on a project to understand the management of change in third sector organisations. Reflecting the real-life experiences of practitioners, a guide is being developed to help managers and trustees manage change more effectively. The Performance Hub is looking for managers or trustees in frontline organisations or infrastructure organisations who have taken their organisation through substantial change. Itwould like to talk to people briefly about their experience. For further information, contact Liz Watkins-Young from Rubus on 01684 878067.

Click here to find out more

New Enterprise Directorate in BERR

The recent review of the Small Business Service has led to it being reformed as a strategic policy directorate, now called the Enterprise Directorate.

The Enterprise Directorate sits within the Enterprise and Business Group (EBG) and aims to remove barriers to the creation and growth of businesses across all regions.

It also aims to influence Whitehall and the regions to develop policies which strengthen the UK’s enterprise culture, to encourage small and medium-sized business start-up and growth.

Understanding social enterprise course

A new Understanding Social Enterprise course which aims to help people understand exactly what it takes to set up and run a successful social enterprise has been launched. The three-day Derwent Delivers course is for anyone who is involved in the social enterprise sector, whether as a manager, consultant or business advisor.

Further information

The Oxford University 21st Century Challenge Competition

The Oxford University 21st Century Challenge Competition is a new international entrepreneurship competition, which aims to find bold and innovative business ideas that can help to solve the key environmental, health and social challenges of the 21st century. All ideas must be innovative, commercial, and demonstrate a positive social or environmental impact as well as a financial return.

<!--[endif]-->

Further information

Social Enterprise London Conference

Ken Livingstone Social Enterprise is the Business October 9 British Museum, London Mayor Ken Livingstone is giving the keynote address for this event which brings together key politicians, policy-makers, journalists, private businesses and social entrepreneurs to discuss how to grow and develop London’s leadership status in social enterprise.

Further information

Second Health and Care Forum

September 21

London

The second Health and Care Forum will be held in London on September 21, 2007 to bring together social enterprises in the merging health and social care markets.

Mark Britnell, the new NHS Director General of Commissioning and Systems Management is the key note speaker at the event.

If you are interested in attending the event please contact James Yabut on james.yabut@socialenterprise.org.uk

Not-for-profit sector recruitment event

forum3

October 12 and 13

The Business Design Centre,  London

forum3, the UK's only recruitment event for the not-for-profit sector, is expected to attract over 150 leading charity, housing, local government, social care, arts and other not-for-profit organisations. The event will match those looking for a role in the sector with those looking to recruit.

Further information

Consultation event on business support simplification

July 27

Community Action Network, London

CAN and the Social Enterprise Coalition are hosting a consultation event to gather views from social enterprises on the Government consultation, "Simplifying Business Support".

For more details and to register for the event, contact Richard Kennedy on 020 7922 7757.

Contact event organiser Richard Kennedy

Linking Up

An enterprising project from Children's Links to provide a childcare voucher scheme where all the profits are reinvested back into the charity to improve children’s life experiences.

www.childcare-vouchers.org.uk

Social Enterprise Coalition seeks project officer

My photo caption The Social Enterprise Coalition is recruiting a project officer to provide co-ordination and administrative support for the Coalition's Equal-funded national mainstreaming programme. This is for a six month contract. The closing date for applications is 5pm Thursday July 26, 2007.

Click here to download an application pack

Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 2

The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform's Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP) phase 2, provides grants for the installation of microgeneration technologies. These are available to public sector buildings (including schools, hospitals, housing associations and local authorities) and charitable bodies.

www.lowcarbonbuildingsphase2.org.uk

Web address - www.socialenterprise.org.uk