UK Labour conference: at last a government truly committed to building a social economy?

For those of us who avidly follow the workings of Westminster, the end of September always marks the beginning of the Labour Party conference. Last week, on an unusually mild sunny Sunday, many of us found ourselves heading to Liverpool to hear what the UK’s governing party had to say two years into their term.

Unlike last year, the mood was more upbeat. Whilst the remnants of the May local elections, where Labour suffered heavy losses, were never too far away, a new, confident and cool prime minister seemed at ease with his newly bestowed power. It was a marked difference from his appearance last year, where the former Greater Manchester Mayor was chastised to a single fringe event and where journalists relentlessly probed him towards an answer on anything that could make a headline.

However, where the political drama seemed to have died down this year, the chatter and natter of those in the social economy sector was very much alive. Alongside fringe events from Better Society Capital and Access – the Foundation for Social Investment, Social Enterprise UK’s Burnham socks (commissioned especially for the conference from social enterprise Stand4 Socks) got the attention of MPs, which meant we could start conversations with them about how our sector can contribute to ‘good growth in every postcode’. 

Three asks for government

Alongside the socks, the goody bags we handed out had copies of A £400bn opportunity, the report we produced earlier this year that focuses on changes to procurement that could help the government raise living standards and reduce inequality by working more with social enterprises. When we met ministers, we tried to engage them in three main requests.

The first was to protect social value weighting below the £1m procurement threshold. This has disappeared recently (meaning only contracts larger than £1m are subjected to social value requirements), so we're asking the Treasury and Cabinet Office to reinstate it, so we can ensure that social enterprises (which are constituted to create social value) still benefit from winning smaller contracts. We also spoke to policy makers about extending the business rate relief (which charities benefit from) to social enterprises.  

Last of the three asks was some public recognition of social enterprises in the upcoming budget on 28 October, so it was particularly pleasing to watch the Chancellor’s special advisor take a pair of the Burnham socks to the table they were lunching at, with Chancellor John Healey obviously taking an interest and asking questions about them.  

For the first time in a long time, it seemed as though a government was not merely paying lip service to the notion of a social economy but seemed committed to building one

A short reference to social enterprises in the Budget speech or supporting documents will recognise and strengthen the landscape of social enterprise as part of the UK's growth and high-street regeneration story. This costs nothing and would signal that mission-led business is part of this government's growth model, not an afterthought. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.

There was no doubt that renewed and refreshed political priorities provided a greater opportunity for us and our colleagues to spread the word about social businesses and social entrepreneurship. 'Hope Again' formed the slogan for this year’s conference, a positive sentiment that fed into our engagement, communications and advocacy. 

If proof were needed that the social enterprise sector is moving in lockstep with government ambitions, Burnham’s closing conference speech rallying cry of “All together now” was also the slogan on one side of the goody bags we distributed (and the theme of this year’s UK Social Enterprise Awards).  For the first time in a long time, it seemed as though a government was not merely paying lip service to the notion of a social economy but seemed committed to building one.

As we made clear at the conference, we stand ready to support the government in achieving good growth in every postcode, and it seems clearer today that the government might be just as curious in jumping on our bandwagon! And as ever, we will be willing and able friends and partners.

• Read more from last year's conference: Why social enterprises should be at the heart of the UK Labour government’s ‘national renewal’ ambition

Top image: Andy Burnham at Number 10 North in Manchester in September. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street.