Developing Local Government Staff-led Social Enterprises to Deliver Council Services (WS5883)

Tuesday, 10th July 2012, London Victoria

Overview

Developing Local Government Staff-Led Social Enterprises to Deliver Council Services: A Comprehensive Introduction

"There couldn't be a better time to become a Social Enterprise" says Social Enterprise UK. This is particularly so for local government staff keen to set up their own ‘mutuals’ to run public services. Mainly for the following reasons:

• Last June the Localism Act gave English local government staff a new right to do this;
• The public sector is the biggest UK buyer of goods and services, and now the new Social Value Act, 2012 means social enterprises are even better placed to win contracts;
• There are now around 68,000 social enterprises in the UK, contributing around £24 billion to the economy, and the numbers are growing.
• There are many different funding sources to support social enterprises. To help local government staff get started, the Department for Communities and Local Government have made available £11.5 million in grants to help staff develop their plans, The DCLG says that these grants would support every stage of the process from setting up a vehicle and developing a proposal right through to the delivery of services on the ground)"

There are many potential advantages to social enterprises. But setting them up can be hard work and risks must be managed to ensure success.

This timely series of workshops, designed for local government staff in England, however can be very useful for staff in Wales, provide a comprehensive introduction to how staff could collaborate with their senior council colleagues, meet elected members’ objectives and make their vision a reality. It will cover the steps necessary to get from an initial interest among staff to the establishment of a social enterprise, and the award of the first Council contract to run the service.

It will also look at the external funding available, and various sources of further reading.

Content

The workshop will cover:

• Social enterprise as a concept
• Different legal models – and choosing the right one!
• Fitting within the local authority’s wider agenda
• Collaboration with the local authority – not confrontation
• The advantages of Social Enterprises, and case studies
• Issues, risks and challenges, including business planning
• The Community Right to Challenge – should you invoke it?
• The new Social Value Act, and how it helps
• Setting up the vehicle,  TUPE and winning the first contract
• Where to get support, and when – and funding sources

Learning Objectives

On completion of this event delegates will:

• Have an understanding of social enterprises, the pros and cons of the various models and an initial view of which model suits their service
• Have a grasp of the new Community Right to Challenge and the Social Value Act
• Understand the risks and opportunities when going down the social enterprise route
• Understand the steps to be taken – what first, what next, what sequence
• Be clear about local govt corporate structures in order to process proposals
• Understand the social enterprise option in the context of all local authorities’ wider strategic concerns

Supporting Materials

• PowerPoint presentation
• Thorough background coverage via handouts
• Two exercises and two quizzes on the day

Delegate Feedback

"Interesting and brain stretching to think of the new challenges and possibilities.  Thank you for an interesting day!"
SE Development Officer - Nugent Care/Knowsley MBC

"Informative and useful opportunity to discuss with other participants - well worthwhile"
Head of Community Services - Malvern Hills District Council

"Excellent, focused course covering a broad range of subjects"
Head of Environmental Health & Housing - South Hams District Council

"Really useful insight - thought provoking"
Finance Manager - Malvern Hills District Council

Who Should Attend?

A collaborative approach between interested staff and senior managers will increase chances of success. The workshop will therefore look at the subject from the perspective of all local government personnel:

• Senior management staff
• Policy/strategy/corporate services staff
• Service delivery staff
• Elected members

Programme

View Programme

Facilitator

Our facilitator began his career in the Civil Service, where he worked in the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Office of the Health Service Ombudsman.

He has worked on planning, housing, local government (LG) finance, LG policy and finance for national heritage. He was Principal Private Secretary (PPS) to two Ministers of State.  He worked on Housing Revenue Account Policy, and the Housing Improvement Process to allocate capital resources for Housing.  He assessed the annual housing strategies of local authorities for the purposes of awarding individual annual resources.

He also headed up the Local Public Service Agreements Team in Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), concluding the national programme on time and merging Public Service Agreements (PSAs) with Local Area Agreements.

The facilitator has also worked in local government. He was at Reading Borough Council as Head of Housing, Economic Development and Regeneration.  He maximised the Council’s income from numerous external funding opportunities to tackle social exclusion.  He set up a multi-agency facility to provide training and employment advice to people in the town.

More recently, in the London Borough of Hounslow, our facilitator had responsibility for corporate performance management, the Local Strategic Partnership, the Comprehensive Area Assessments (CAA), Community Engagement and Communications. 

Before leaving Hounslow, he led the Council’s policy on social enterprises.  He co-authored bespoke guidance for Local Authority staff and the third sector on how they might run council services with a look ahead to the Community Right to Challenge.

In a voluntary capacity, our trainer supports a charity for the homeless in Lambeth.  He helps mentor its staff and is reviewing the charity’s strategy for volunteers. He is a graduate of London University.

Venue and Travel

Venue details and travel information will be included in your confirmation email. If the venue has not been confirmed at the time of booking, then the information will be emailed to you closer to the event.

Booking & Confirmation

Bookings will only be accepted on receipt of full payment PRIOR to the event via cheque, BACS or credit card.  Cheques to be made payable to ‘National Training Resources Limited’.

All reservations will be confirmed by email within two days of receipt of your completed booking form and payment in full and will include venue details and times.

Please direct all conference queries to the Conference Team.
Tel:  0845 130 6152 or 01827 63919.
Fax:  01827 60836 or 01827 61428. 
Email: conferences@national-training.co.uk

Terms & Conditions

Please read our full terms and conditions. Completion and return of the Booking Form constitutes a contract between yourselves and National Training Resources Limited.  Delegate cancellations/transfers are only accepted up to 3 weeks prior to the event and are subject to a small administration charge. Delegate substitutions can be made at any time.  We reserve the right to cancel or alter the event at any time.