putting big society into a business context
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Winchester Guildhall 13 October
Putting Big Society into a business context
Victoria Westhorp
Policy Manager, Local Intelligence Team (South East)
Office for Civil Society, Cabinet Office
Big Society is... “Creating a country which feels like a community...
...where our relationships are better and the glue that
binds people together is stronger.
Where we actually think about people’s well-being when
we make decisions.
These are the things I’m most passionate about in public
life.
This is what is in my heart.
It’s what fires me up in the morning.
Anyone who’s had even a passing interest in what I’ve
been saying for years will know that”.
David Cameron, 31 May 2011
What role can business play
“We need the commitment, creativity and innovation of businesses to help
tackle the challenges that confront us, from worklessness to obesity, from the
break up of families to the break down of communities, from environmental
damage to economic dislocation.
I simply can not think of an area of public policy where the creative thinking of
business wouldn’t help in delivering a better outcome”.
David Cameron, December 2010
Terminology…
Localism
Decentralisation
Big Society
Is the ethos… Doing everything at the lowest possible level
and only involving central government if
absolutely necessary
Is the process… Giving away power to individuals,
professionals, communities and local
institutions
Is the vision… A society where people, neighbourhoods
and communities have more power and
responsibility and use it to create better
services and outcomes.
The Strategic Framework - long term
culture change
Promoting Social Action
Encouraging and enabling people to play a more active part in society
Opening up
Public Services
Enable charities, social enterprises, private companies
and employee-owned co-operatives to compete to offer
people high quality services
Empowering Communities
Giving local councils and neighbourhoods more power to take decisions and shape
their area
Transferring Power
• The Localism Bill – radical new rights including general power of competence, powers to save local facilities and non domestic rates
• Transparency Agenda – Making Public Data real www.data.gov.uk/opendataconsultation
Opening Public Services – White Paper
Five key principles:
• Increasing choice
• Decentralising services
• Opening services to a range of providers
• Ensuring fair access
• Accountability to users and taxpayers
Right to Provide - Mutual Pathfinders -
Opening up to a range of provides
“Every department will put in place “Rights
to Provide” for public sector workers to take
over the running of services”. MCO Nov 2010
•21 Pathfinders
•Initial findings informing government
•Mutuals Task Force
Purely community
benefit Social Enterprise „For profit‟ business
Shadow or subsidiary
organisations
Local authority trading
arms
Cooperative Trust
Schools and
Foundation Trusts
Social enterprise to
reinvest surplus e.g.
Central Surrey Health
Social enterprise for
investment return and
(some) sharing of
surplus
Employee-owned
businesses e.g. Circle
Healthcare and John
Lewis
1. Business Model
2. Ownership and Governance Structure: a wide variety of possible ownership, governance and membership arrangements:
Employees Employee
wholly owned Community
group(s)
Employees
Independent sector
Partner
Employees
Indpt Sector Partner
Government
Stakeholders as trustees/
governors (e.g. In a charity)
3. Legal Forms: a wide variety of legal forms are available
Traditional companies
Community Interest
Companies Cooperatives
Societies for the Benefit of the Community
Charities and trusts
Stakeholders as members (e,g, in
a coop)
Mutual Joint Ventures
Mutual Models – a range of business
structures
Cutting Red Tape
• Unshackling Good Neighbours
• Home office and Department of Education reviews of the CRB and Vetting and Barring regimes
• Lord Youngs’ radical review of Health and Safety regulation
• A rolling Red Tape Challenge to review the validity of regulation in key sectors of the economy
Cutting Red Tape - Red Tape
Challenge
Social Action - Building better connections
between Businesses and civil society
• Reciprocity
• Pro bono
• Donations
Every Business Commits – Building on
our Big Society
• Reduce carbon and protect the environment
• Improve skills and create jobs
• Support your community
• Improve quality of life and well-being
• Support small and medium-sized enterprises
Support your community - New models
of giving
• Business Connectors
• Community Organisers
• Community First
• Social Innovation Fund
• Social Action Fund
Growing the Social investment Market
• Big Society Capital
• Technical Assistance Fund
• Social Impact Bonds
Big Society Awards
• Created to recognise individuals, groups or organisations that are demonstrating the Big Society in their work or activities.
• The award focuses upon three specific areas:
– Promoting social action
– Empowering communities
– Opening up public services
Local Intelligence Team (SE), Office of the Civil Society, Cabinet Office
Victoria Westhorp Policy Manager, Local Intelligence Team Office for Civil Society, Cabinet Office
07786190025