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Latest news from dcpr and its clients
25th March 2010
Latest news from SEWM
Social Enterprises could save thousands of public sector jobs by delivering local services
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Kevin Maton
Thousands of public sector jobs in the West Midlands could be saved if more local authorities looked at new ways of delivering essential community services it was revealed today.
The rallying cry was made by Kevin Maton, who believes the region possesses the necessary skills and business support network to encourage existing Council staff to start social enterprises as a way of providing local services.
Speaking today, the Chief Executive of Social Enterprise West Midlands (SEWM) is confident that tighter budgets could be maximised by transferring experienced employees into new social enterprises that offer a governance model that reports directly to the local community.
“I suspect the funding crisis in public services will get worse, but here is an alternative approach that will hopefully reduce the number of job cuts whilst maintaining essential services,” explained Kevin.
“Social enterprises are overseen through community governance structures that ensure they are focused both on quality, delivery and meeting the needs of the local area.
He continued: “By their very nature, these businesses will be innovative and will combine proven track records with innovative thinking to actually improve services including social care, youth activities and leisure facilities for example.”
Social Enterprise West Midlands is the regional body responsible for championing the sector and currently boasts over 400 members.
Its work includes facilitating network and knowledge exchanges and building up capacity -
the latter will be extremely important if this approach is adopted, with more specialist business advisers needed to support the growing number of social enterprises.
“The skills to make this happen are available within the West Midlands, but they need to be co-ordinated to focus on this policy area and there would also need to be additional investment to pay for business support and advice in the early stages so we can demonstrate it works successfully.”
He concluded: “This confidence will be crucial in developing understanding that social enterprises can deliver quality public services.
“For local authorities it would certainly be a positive response and an antidote to the current public sector doom and gloom.”
Social Enterprise West Midlands has recently launched the ‘The Time is Now’, the new vision and prospectus for the sector, which calls for greater understanding, innovation and support.
The publication aims to galvanise everyone who operates in this arena from the social entrepreneurs who make it happen, to the consumer who benefits, investors that lend, the public sector who procure services and business support agencies who are there to facilitate growth.
For further information, please visit www.socialenterprisewm.org.uk
