Wednesday's Audit Commission report 'When it comes to the crunch, How councils are responding to the recession', brings welcome acknowledgement to the strain local councils will increasingly experience as the recession spreads from business to communities.
Jane Dudman's article (Councils ill-prepared for recession, August 12) highlights the need for councils to ready themselves for the social consequences of the downturn on local services.
However, she draws attention to a collection of ambitious councils providing innovative solutions. It is innovation and local expertise that will ease the pressure on councils in these economically challenging times.
Social enterprises - businesses driven by a social and/or environmental mission - have such innovation to lead the way in showing how to provide better services for greater public benefit
The commission's report explains that "too few national schemes harness local knowledge to maximise their impact".
We agree - communities can be transformed by public services that are responsive to their needs and more than 'one-size-fits-all' solutions. It is here where social enterprises can provide essential services that are both community focused and offer great value for money.
By working with local government, social enterprises can be part of the solution; providing services from waste recycling, to land management, transport, mental health support, housing and education, relieving the strains on social care and support. The challenge, then, lies in convincing public sector decision makers of the added value that social enterprises bring, and that it's worth their while to assess this value.
Signed:
Lord Victor Adebowale, Turning Point
Saeeda Ahmed, Trescom
Peter Holbrook, Sunlight Development Trust
Jean Jarvis, South Shropshire Furniture Scheme
Martin Kinsella, P3
Karen Lowthrop, Hill Holt Wood
On behalf of the Social Enterprise Ambassadors Programme
