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We must show the next government that social entrepreneurs have solutions
We must show the next government that social entrepreneurs have solutions
Written by
UnLtd employee
UnLtd position
Last week saw Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives publishing their manifestos for the general election. All three manifestos focused on inequality and the sense that many people and places feel left behind in today's economy. This was variously expressed as a ""stronger, fairer, more prosperous Britain, for all of us"" (Conservative); ""fairer Britain that works for the many, not the few"" (Labour); and ""a well-functioning economy which works for everyone""(Liberal Democrat).
Another common thread was the role of the state. While Labour focused on the renationalisation of railways and utilities, the Conservatives envisaged stepping in to make consumer markets work more fairly, and shaping an active industrial strategy. The Lib Dems emphasised devolution.
The Lib Dem manifesto was the only one of the three with explicit references to social enterprise. It called for 'a diversity of types of business, including encouraging alternative models such as mutuals, social enterprises or community-interest companies' and promised to support social investment. In the health context, it undertook to 'support innovation in how organisations can empower staff and patients, including learning from innovative social enterprises delivering community and mental health services.'
The other two manifestos had little to say directly on the role that social entrepreneurs can play in tackling the big challenges that the country faces. This doesn't mean that the next government will be unsympathetic to social entrepreneurship - but it does mean that we need to make it as clear as possible that social entrepreneurs have solutions to offer, and why government should want to work with and support social entrepreneurs.
So, we are calling on social entrepreneurs to show the next government what you can do. Ahead of the election on 8th June, we will be writing further blogs on the role that social entrepreneurs are already playing in tackling some of the key issues identified in the manifestos. We will also be working with other members of the Social Economy Alliance to promote our shared manifesto to prospective parliamentary candidates. Please join this effort to raise awareness of the great work that social entrepreneurs do, by:
You can get your candidates talking about the social economy and lobby them on the issues that matter to you through this widget.
We believe that the next government must embrace social entrepreneurs’ potential to create a more inclusive economy and to tackle the big issues we face as a country.
UnLtd is part of the Social Economy Alliance, which brings together social enterprises, co-operatives, universities, housing associations, crowdfunders, social investors, think tanks and charities to campaign for a UK economy that is better for society.
See SEA's Manifesto for an Inclusive Economy and its detailed responses to the Labour, Liberal Democrat's and the Conservative Manifestos and follow the conversation on social media through the #socialeconomy hashtag.