Communities and Local Government has a Community Resource Division which is responsible for supporting the development of community-based organisations. In relation to the support for local social enterprise, the following has been achieved:
Establishing the £70 million Communitybuilders Programme which makes loans and investment available to community anchor organisations throughout England.
Introducing the £9.25 million Empowerment Fund that has directly invested in the School for Social Entrepreneurs and Social Firms UK. Social Firms UK will use the fund to develop social firms as a way of tackling worklessness, creating jobs in community-based enterprises for individuals who need this support. They will be starting up at least 50 more social firms over three years to create 250 new employment opportunities. At least a third will be for disadvantaged people who would otherwise not have such an opportunity. The Empowerment Fund will enable the SSE to enhance, expand and grow the impact of their work on empowering and supporting individuals and groups in their communities to develop skills and confidence, networks and sustainable enterprises.
Establishing the Asset Transfer Unit, which provides information, advice and a referral service on asset transfer; for example buildings that can provide a base for community enterprises.
Developing the Advancing Assets Programme which provides local authority-community sector partnerships m 72 areas with support to develop community asset transfer strategies and advance individual transfer projects. A further 30 areas are currently in process of selection for 2010-11.
Producing a series of seminars in conjunction with the Social Enterprise Coalition and the Economic and Research Council linking the impact of social enterprise to departmental policies. The seminars have brought together policy officials, academics, and social enterprise practitioners to discuss and share knowledge and experiences in interactive workshops, open discussion and an opportunity to network and forge relationships.
Conducting action research with the Office of the Third Sector to study how local authorities across the country work successfully with social enterprises.
Communities and Local Government has a Community Resource Division which is responsible for supporting the development of community-based organisations. In relation to the support for local social enterprise, the following has been achieved:
Establishing the £70 million Communitybuilders Programme which makes loans and investment available to community anchor organisations throughout England.
Introducing the £9.25 million Empowerment Fund that has directly invested in the School for Social Entrepreneurs and Social Firms UK. Social Firms UK will use the fund to develop social firms as a way of tackling worklessness, creating jobs in community-based enterprises for individuals who need this support. They will be starting up at least 50 more social firms over three years to create 250 new employment opportunities. At least a third will be for disadvantaged people who would otherwise not have such an opportunity. The Empowerment Fund will enable the SSE to enhance, expand and grow the impact of their work on empowering and supporting individuals and groups in their communities to develop skills and confidence, networks and sustainable enterprises.
Establishing the Asset Transfer Unit, which provides information, advice and a referral service on asset transfer; for example buildings that can provide a base for community enterprises.
Developing the Advancing Assets Programme which provides local authority-community sector partnerships in 72 areas with support to develop community asset transfer strategies and advance individual transfer projects. A further 30 areas are currently in process of selection for 2010-11.
Producing a series of seminars in conjunction with the Social Enterprise Coalition and the Economic and Research Council linking the impact of social enterprise to departmental policies. The seminars have brought together policy officials, academics, and social enterprise practitioners to discuss and share knowledge and experiences in interactive workshops, open discussion and an opportunity to network and forge relationships.
Conducting action research with the Office of the Third Sector to study how local authorities across the country work successfully with social enterprises.
It would be extremely difficult to obtain an exact number of enterprises affected as many of these programmes are ongoing and this could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.
The Department's records do not differentiate between social enterprises and other third sector organisations so the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. CLG and its non-departmental public bodies has allocated over £2.5 billion to third sector organisations in the 2009-10 financial year, which is around 18 per cent. of the budget for the year. We do not have information on final allocations for 2010-11 and funding in 2011-12 will be subject to the next spending review.
Communities and Local Government has worked with the Office of the Third Sector and the Improvement and Development Agency on the National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning. The programme aims to increase awareness and understanding of the third sector, increase third sector involvement in commissioning and improve bidding practice. According to the evaluation of Phase 1 of the programme, 70 per cent. of commissioners said it had increased their knowledge about how to make commissioning available to third sector organisations, leading to increased shared learning and application to commissioning practices, and incorporation of core principles into frameworks, strategies and other documents.
Furthermore, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government will be hosting a round table with local authority innovation and procurement experts and third sector representatives (including social enterprise representatives) to discuss the role of the third sector in local public service commissioning.
The Department is also fully committed to, and involved in the work of, the Cabinet Committee on the third sector's involvement in public services, at which issues of procurement and commissioning will be discussed.
In addition the Department, in partnership with the Office of the Third Sector, is to undertake action research to look at how local authorities work successfully in partnership with social enterprises. This will include looking at issues of commissioning and procurement. We intend to publish our findings to local authorities and social enterprises once the research is complete in 2011.