David Dorward, Chief Executive, Dundee City Council

Why?To maximise social good, locally.To maintain services or address

market failure.To inject enterprise into service

delivery.To create opportunities for

employment.To achieve added value.

Five Action PointsImproving awareness and demonstrating the

value of social enterprise.Improve access to procurement and develop

new market opportunities.Transfer property assets where evidence

indicates beneficial outcomes for the Council, social enterprises and neighbourhood areas.

Improve business support services.Address skills shortages in organisations &

Boards.

Improving awareness and demonstrating the value of social enterprise

Producing the strategy, the approval process.Established a Social Enterprise Development Board

to oversee delivery of the Strategy with representatives from DSEN, Elected Members, Council staff and private sector.

The Council and DSEN commissioned Social Value Lab to undertake a mapping exercise of the scale, number, diversity, financial strength etc of social enterprises in Dundee.

Meeting with social enterprises who do not know that they are.

Commitment to hold a biennial social enterprise conference, today’s is the first.

Improve access to procurement contracts to develop new market opportunities

Using Dovetail and Clean Close Co to provide furniture and carpets to Scottish Welfare Fund beneficiaries.

Holding workshops with key delivery partners and Council staff.

DCC Procurement staff working with DSEN and Council’s Social Work :Reshaping Care for Older People;Integration of Health & Social Care ;Meet the buyers events.

Transfer property assets where evidence indicates beneficial outcomes for the Council, social enterprises and neighbourhoodsDevelopment of a Community Asset Transfer

Strategy.Strategy launched Feb 2014. List of 19 surplus property assets released.Community Asset Transfer Group established to

develop the policy and framework for applications and transfer process.

Support post created to guide applicants.Currently notes of interest for 15 properties and

the first asset transfer(s) should be completed by the year end.

Review current business support structure and align business support services to provide pre-start, start-up and business

planning advice

Strengthen links with DSEN eg 3 DSEN members on Social Enterprise Development Board & 1 on Community Asset Transfer Group.

Align services of E-Zone (Council Business Support project) to support DSEN clients.

Council support for developments eg social enterprise nurseries

Dundee Transport Forum –Council Transport section working with DSEN to increase provision of sustainable transport services

Address skills shortages in organisations & Boards

The Council is a partner in the Dundee SE Hub which will identify opportunities for private sector businesses to engage in business support and mentoring for social enterprises

Our strategy recognises the difficulty of recruiting to Boards

Discussion on how the Council can fulfil its CSR objectives by allowing staff to sit on Boards to support Social Enterprise Development.

So how do we assess progress?Most of the activity in the sector is still public

sector/service focused. The scale, capacity and strength of organisations in the

sector is variable. Social objectives are not a guarantee of quality and

enterprise objectives are not a guarantee of best value.The profile of Social Enterprise in Dundee is far higher

than three years ago. The last couple of years has been about building

relationships and increasing understanding. We have come a long way together, but there is still much

work to be done.