Please take a look at our manifesto and share with your colleagues and contacts. A summary is below.
New Ideas, New Innovations
2012 Local Government manifesto for social enterprise
We have a vision of partnership. Local authorities hold power over many key areas of activity that affect our innovative social enterprises, other businesses and third sector organisations. Social enterprises offer positive social impact and huge economic potential and already work well with many local authorities across Scotland. Working in partnership with our councils is the aim of the social enterprise community and we fully understand our responsibilities to positively engage and promote our work. By implementing real preventative spending – procuring from and contracting with community-based social enterprises, a council can see wide-ranging social impacts, local economic growth and positive reductions in use of public services. We don’t need to spend more – we need to innovate and transform. If political parties and councils adopt the policies in this manifesto they will begin to see a radical transformation in their communities – and better lives for everyone in tough times.
A full social enterprise strategy in every council – Each local authority to adopt a strong, comprehensive growth and support strategy that directly involves social enterprises in the process and supports preventative spending – guaranteeing a partnership approach. Good practice case study: The City of Glasgow.
Procurement and Community Benefit clauses – Incentivise council departments to prioritise community benefit in all contracts and radically simplify the procurement process, ensuring that everyone gains from public services – boosting the huge social impact of the sector and increasing the potential for local economic growth. Good practice case study: Unity Enterprise, catering and the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Business Rates Relief and social investment – For all councils to offer and widely publicise rates relief for social enterprises and other third sector organisations – allowing them more financial freedom to boost the added value they bring to the community. To also explore new ways in which to boost local social investment. Good practice case study: The Melting Pot, Edinburgh and City of Edinburgh Council.
Asset transfer, buildings and land – To utilise the full, underused resources of councils for community benefit, by transferring all types of properties and land to social enterprises for free or nominal rates – and have a strategy to support easy, straightforward asset transfer. Good practice case study: Wooden Spoon Catering and Dundee City Council.
A central role in public service reform and preventative spending – All social enterprises to have a direct voice in council decision making, where appropriate, over preventative spend and reform, reducing bureaucracy and duplication in service delivery – as well as in regeneration, economic development and housing. Good practice case study: Social Enterprise Alliance Midlothian – partnership with and support from Communities and Wellbeing division in Midlothian Council, including regeneration.
A real voice in local decision making – To guarantee that social enterprises can fully participate in effective Community Planning Partnerships and other local forums. That there is full engagement with Third Sector Interfaces and that barriers to participation are pro-actively broken down by council officials. Good practice case study: Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface is central to the local Single Outcome Agreement and Change Plans, in partnership with the Council and NHS.
Promoting the social enterprise model – That councils promote their local social enterprises as part of the formal communications strategy. To include the benefits of the social enterprise model in service delivery, the innovative nature of social enterprise, quality of goods and services and volunteering and work experience in social enterprises – both within the local authority and to the wider community, schools and media.