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Glasgow Event

What is the future of Scottish social enterprise?

Scottish social enterprise is thriving, driven by a desire within communities to meet their own needs through enterprising solutions. Yet there remains great potential for social enterprise to help regenerate local communities even more. At their best, social enterprises are inspired and directed form within the community and their profits drive forward positive change. In light of this, we invited you to discuss:
‘What is the future of Scottish social enterprise?’

Key Speakers:

• Des McNulty MSP, Deputy Minister of Communities
• Jim Mullan, Kibble
• Jon Molyneux, Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition
• Alistair Thornley, Scottish Enterprise

What was said:

Social enterprise has a positive future if it manages to meet up to the challenges that lie ahead, according to Des McNulty MSP, Deputy Minister of Communities.

“Social Enterprise needs to play to its strengths: flexibility, innovation and responsiveness to market opportunities. By doing so it can play a more and more significant role as an alternative to either municipal or private sector provision of services.”

Jon Molyneux, Policy and Communications Officer at the Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition, said that social enterprises are a ‘force of nature’ and therefore they will always exist. Yet social enterprise had the potential to be ‘bigger, better and bolder’ with the right backing and political will.

"Social enterprise is a tremendously powerful way of doing business, able to transform communities and change lives. It can be the business model of the future in Scotland and around the world - but only with the right support.

Alistair Thornley agreed that social enterprise has a good potential for growth, especially with its emphasis on a triple bottom line which combines profits with social and environmental objectives.

“Social enterprise, with its triple bottom line, is morally and socially best placed to deliver some public services. With communities taking more responsibility for their development, social enterprise is an ideal business model to act as the delivery arm of community development trusts.”

However, as Jim Mullan, Enterprise Manager for Kibble, explained, this is ‘not a new mechanism for funding community groups’. Instead, he said, the stress should be on the business aspect of social enterprises and the need to respond to market forces rather than be dependent on local authorities.

Yet there is still an important role for the government to allow a thriving enterprise sector to develop, according to Des McNulty MSP.

“Government’s role is to help create a level playing field so that social enterprises are neither subjected to rigid policy controls, nor treated unfairly, compared with the private sector.

“They are businesses – indeed the most successful social enterprises are those that pursue business opportunities rather than government grants”.

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