Dear Colleagues,
The Coalition’s job has always been to connect members to each other and key people, hammer on
doors and flag up key issues on the horizon. Apropos the latter, while most attention is concentrating on
the so called Cliff - the post March 2011 funding cuts - another even darker cloud is fast gathering
overhead on the issue of pension deficits. This is an eye glazing subject for most of us and yet this
threatens to be a financial tsunami for many social enterprises, whether members of local authority
schemes or the main third sector pension schemes. In preparing to give evidence to Lord Hutton’s Public
Sector Pensions Inquiry on its visit to Edinburgh two weeks ago, some of the members’ stories I heard
were truly horrifying, with voluntary boards of successful and established social enterprises facing very
hard decisions. Then there is the T word - TUPE – concerning pensions arrangements for public sector
workers delivering contracts won by social enterprises. There are profound implications for the long
term sustainability of the sector as well as for Government policy and long term investment. For this
reason I am delighted that the Coalition is now able to offer a half day workshop to members on this in
December with the Government’s Chief Actuary Alison Murray and the pension specialists from
MacRoberts solicitors. Details below.
There is news of all our forthcoming events and current campaigns and below – two with Government
Ministers before Christmas and of course developments around our 6th S2S Fair. As for the elections ...
after all our policy forums and debates, we will be launching our Scottish Election manifesto in the next
few weeks and members will be invited to take a lead role in our campaigning. More details to follow.
Best wishes,
Antonia Swinson, Chief Executive
Future Coalition Diary Dates
Wednesday 20 October 2010, 4pm to 6pm, Intermediary Members’ Meeting, Glasgow Caledonian
University
This event will feature discussion on how we can work together innovatively in the face of Government
funding cuts to social enterprise infrastructure. How can we share costs and resources? Please join us
for this important meeting. To book your place, please click here.
Tuesday 16 November 2010, 6pm to 8pm, MSP Reception, Scottish Parliament
The Coalition is delighted to invite you to an evening reception in celebration of Social Enterprise Day
2010. Come and meet our exhibiting social enterprises drawn from constituencies across Scotland.
Patrick Harvie MSP will be hosting this event and the keynote speaker is Jim Mather MSP, Minister for
Enterprise, Energy and Tourism. This event is sponsored by the Wise Group and Link Group. To book
your place at this event, please click here. Spaces are limited to one representative per organisation.
Tuesday 7 December 2010, 9.30am to 12.30, Pension Workshop, Glasgow
In partnership with MacRoberts, the Coalition will be organising a half day workshop on pension issues
for the third sector. The Government’s Chief Actuary will be participating in this workshop as well as
MacRoberts. There will be a fee for this event and further details will be available soon. Limited places
available. To register your interest, please email donna.ferguson@ssec.org.uk
Wednesday 22 December 2010, Policy Round Table and Christmas lunch, 10am to 2pm, The Lot,
Grassmarket, Edinburgh
A Cabinet Secretary (tbc) will be joining us at this special event where we will be celebrating the fifth
anniversary of our incorporation – a date for your diary! More details to follow.
Wednesday 20 April 2011, S2S Social Enterprise Fair 2011, Edinburgh Corn Exchange
Bookings open at our MSP Reception on 16th November and at www.s2sfair.com on 17th November. If
you have any ideas for workshops you would like to see, or if you would like to host a workshop or do a
demonstration in the Zone, please contact Fiona at fiona@eventconsultants.com There are various
sponsorship opportunities and if you are interested in discussing these opportunities, we can tailor a
package to your budget. Please contact donna.ferguson@ssec.org.uk
Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition News
Coalition Logo
Celebrate your membership of the Coalition by uploading our revamped Members and Associates Logos
from the members’ area.
Coalition Campaign: Obtaining Tax Incentives For Social Enterprise Investors
With the need to replace public sector funding with new sources of investment, a key Coalition
campaign is for the UK Treasury to amend existing tax arrangements so that investors in social
enterprise can enjoy the same tax advantages as those investing the private sector. A few Coalition
members have entered into the fray in recent weeks and have managed to raise this in face to face
meetings with UK Ministers Nick Clegg, George Osborne, Iain Duncan Smith. We are meeting Secretary
of State Michael Moore to discuss this, and have requested a meeting with Treasury Minister Danny
Alexander. If you would like to write to your MP please contact Antonia for a template letter.
Coalition Food and Drink Survey
The Coalition and Queen Margaret University are undertaking research scoping the size of the economic
contribution social enterprises make to Scotland’s food and drink industry. If you are involved with food
and drink, please complete our survey. You will have a chance to win a two night stay at Edinburgh’s Six
Mary’s Place Guest House. Please forward this information to anyone you feel should take part in the
research. Our new Associate member David Herd, formerly of Social Investment Scotland, will be
helping us with this.
Scottish Government Food & Drink Round Table - October 8th
Raising awareness of the economic contribution of social enterprise to Scotland’s £10bn food and drink
industry is another key campaign for us, not least because social enterprises also deliver results in key
policy areas including health, environment, regeneration and skills training. Four of our members will
be presenting to senior government officials on October 8th.
Working With The Private Sector
Ongoing engagement this month included a joint study trip for 18 business guests with the Scottish
Council for the Development of Industry to two of our members, Forth Sector and the Engine Shed on 1
September. Also, our joint Influencers' Dinner on 22nd September was a great success, with over 50
guests from the private and social enterprise sector and a very good speech by Cabinet Secretary John
Swinney.
Latest Ipsos MORI Poll for the Coalition
Scots’ awareness of the country’s social enterprise movement continues to rise, according to the latest
Ipsos MORI Poll, commissioned by the Coalition. Over two thirds of those surveyed (69%) know about
social enterprises, highlighting a 15 per cent increase in Scots’ knowledge of social enterprise in the last
year alone. The poll measured interest around community-led energy projects (for example windfarms
and hydro-electric generation), with over half of Scots (51%), and particularly those between 18 and 34
years old, stating that they would be interested in helping to set up and run a project. Most believe the
Government should support these local projects (73%). The results also show a strong appetite for the
Government and public sector organisations to integrate the concept of social enterprise into
procurement practices. Over 70 per cent of people believe that, when buying goods or services from
suppliers, ensuring that the supplier passes on some additional benefits to the local community should
be most important in their decision. More information here.
S2S Study Visits
The Coalition, in partnership with CEiS, will be delivering a series of study visit programmes to coincide
with the fair. The programmes are an opportunity to visit dynamic local Social Enterprises in the
company of other practitioners. Each visit will allow the group to see social enterprises in action and to
learn what has made them successful. To enable us to arrange visit programmes to match the interests
of S2S delegates, we are structuring the visits around the following sectors and most tours will involve a
visit to two enterprises; Food & Drink, Arts & Creative Industries, Retail, Housing & Property Services
and Recycling & Reuse.
The cost for participation will be £55 per person, which will include the host fee, refreshments, local
transport, event co-ordinaton and Coalition booking fee. To register your interest or for further
information please e-mail a member of the CEiS Events Team at eventmanagement@ceis.org.uk
Single Interface Matters
With local interfaces continuing to knit themselves together at local level, nationally the Coalition,
fortified by lots of member input, is taking a lead role in ensuring social enterprise will be adequately
represented and supported. Recent meetings chaired by the Coalition with Voluntary Action Scotland,
Volunteer Development Scotland, SCVO, Senscot and Local People Leading have been extremely
positive and we hope to report progress in the next bulletin.
Latest press coverage
For latest press coverage, visit the Coalition’s website.
New Members
A warm welcome to the Coalition’s newest members and associates:
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Health Inequalities Alliance (Members)
Hebridean Chocolates (Members) - www.hebrideanchocolates.co.uk
Lanarkshire Enterprise Services (Members) - www.lanarkshire-business.co.uk
Supporters Direct in Scotland (Members) - www.supporters-direct.org
Scottish Financial Enterprise (Associates) - www.sfe.org.uk
The Co-operative Bank (Associates) - www.co-operativebank.co.uk
Steve Ebbitt (Individual Associate)
David Herd (Individual Associate)
Coalition Members' News and Events
Wise Group employability discussion event – The Melting Pot, Edinburgh, 5 October, 11am to 2pm
The Wise Group has registered its interest to the Department for Work and Pensions to be considered
as a Framework Provider for Scotland and the North East of England, as part of the process of bidding
for the upcoming Work Programme. This event will discuss the Wise Group’s approach for the
Framework and Work Programme and to contribute to a discussion about the key employability issues
in the Edinburgh area and the challenges and opportunities the new Framework will provide. Call 0141
314 1435.
Attracting Social Investment – Cornerstone – Perth, 27 October 2010
Delegates will hear about leadership, entrepreneurship, business planning and risk from leaders in their
field, as well as receiving a social investment clinic with a social investor of their choice. More
information here.
Sector News, Events and Resources
Working with your bank? – 8 October, Edinburgh
Come and join the FSB, SCVO & RBS for a morning of real discussion, debate and discovery on how to
work better with your bank. For information email alastair.hutt@rbs.co.uk .
Scottish Parliament Procurement Services - Meet the Buyer October 2010
Procurement Services at the Scottish Parliament are holding an event on Wednesday 13th October to
assist small SMEs and Social Economy organisations to bid successfully for Public Sector contracts. The
event will include information on tendering and a practical workshop, led by Scottish Parliament
purchasing staff. The event aims to assist you in improving bids for Public Sector Contracts. You will
have the opportunity to discuss areas of public procurement relevant to your organisation with
experienced purchasing staff. Places are limited so please book early. Contact Steven on 0131 348
6655 or Email: ProcurementEvents@scottish.parliament.uk .
Is your business making the knowledge connection? 21 October, Edinburgh
Interface-the knowledge connection for business will host a reception at The University of Edinburgh's
Inspace facility to offer an insight into impressive possibilities open to them through partnerships with
academia. Leading figures from some of Scotland's foremost companies, including Macphie of
Glenbervie Limited and Shed Media will deliver short presentations to share their experiences of
collaborative working, which will be followed by networking over wine and canapés. Information here.
National Public Procurement Conference & Procurex 2010 – 26 October 2010, Glasgow
The Scottish Government's National Procurement Conference 2010 features a range of speakers and
sessions, including John Swinney, the Finance Secretary, and is designed to provide delegates with a
current and reflective perspective on procurement related activity together with an outlook on what lies
ahead. More information here.
cosi10 (Connecting Social Innovation 2010): The Melting Pot, Nov 2010
Join us in Edinburgh for a weekend of workshops, linked with similar events around the globe, to
explore ways of accelerating sustainable social innovation and to win a £500 cash award. Spaces are
limited. For more information and to register: www.cosi10.com
‘Tomorrow’s Menu’ – Scotland’s National Food and Drink Conference 2010 – 24 November
The Scottish Government's flagship food and drink event will provide a unique opportunity to network,
share future ambitions and debate with those who are passionate about the future of food and drink for
Scotland. For more information and to register, click here.
NHS Procurement Roadshow – Edinburgh, 23 March 2011
Is your organisation looking to sell products and services to the NHS? The NHS buys a diverse range of
goods and services, from catering to clinical equipment, from needles and syringes to electricity and
fuel, and from bed linen to ambulances. If your company can provide the products or services required
by the NHS, you need to understand how health procurement operates. This event is for both existing
and potential suppliers to the NHS and for anyone wishing to keep up to date with developments across
this ever-changing business sector. More information here.
Public sector cuts survey
The Social Enterprise Coalition (SEC) in partnership with Social Enterprise East Midlands is undertaking
this survey to find out how initial and pending cuts in public spending have affected social enterprises,
or are anticipated to do so. They aim to use the findings to present to Government a case for
strengthening the support and resources available for social enterprises and illustrate the impact this
policy is having on the social enterprise sector. Please click here for the survey.
Numbers nightmare could jeopardise social enterprise
The boss of the Social Enterprise Coalition has called for clarity on what social enterprise is and how
many there are, following major research challenging the accuracy of current figures. Peter Holbrook
claimed a loose definition of social enterprise could harm to the sector. His comments follow a report
suggesting that the number of social enterprises in the UK could be anywhere between 16,000 and
234,000. Click for more information.
'Brilliant’ social enterprise is future of NHS, says Maude
The future NHS will be delivered through a huge variety of social enterprises – including some
partnering with large service companies like Serco, says Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude. Maude
told Social Enterprise Magazine that the government was looking at all sorts of models. ‘One possibility
I think is very attractive is the mutual and co-owned model being in a joint venture partnership with a
financial investor or a provider of outsourced services,' he said. Click here for more information.