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A scheme to boost social enterprises and help them create jobs is to be launched by the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
Some 10,000 people are already employed in 600 social enterprises across the LEP area – which includes Bristol and Bath – generating a turnover of nearly £400m.
The LEP hopes its new Social Enterprise Network, to be launched next month, will boost those numbers and contribute to its target of 95,000 new jobs in the area over the next 20 years.
LEP chairman Colin Skellett said social enterprises – businesses that reinvest and use their profits for their benefits of the wider community or charities – can play a significant role in developing the local economy.
He said: “Our task is to create jobs across every sector and to help businesses of all kinds to prosper and so to provide the broadest possible range of employment opportunities.”
The Social Enterprise Network will be initially led by a group of social entrepreneurs, practitioners and support organisations including the Bristol School for Social Entrepreneurs, Social Enterprise Works, Quartet Community Foundation and UnLtd.
The LEP has provided £15,000 to develop it and an open invitation is being made to interested people to get involved.
Chair of Quartet Community Foundation and the LEP’s Social Enterprise subgroup Stephen Parsons said: “I am delighted that the LEP is actively supporting our drive to promote jobs growth and regeneration. Achievement of our innovative plan to develop a new social enterprise network will help both in the creation of job opportunities and also stimulate social value in our communities.”
Some 62,000 organisations traded as social enterprises in the UK with an annual turnover of at least £24bn, according to Government figures for 2010.
More recent data shows the sector to be growing faster than mainstream small and medium-sized businesses, creating more jobs relative to turnover and showing greater resilience in a tough economic climate.
Social Enterprises can be as wide ranging as urban regeneration, transport, health-care, housing and renewable energy businesses.
The new network will be launched by the end of next month following a series of open engagement events.
