David Cameron and his fellow conservatives have talked about the Big Society throughout the recent election process and the latest report from Red Tory think tank ResPublica has now outlined some of the steps our government must take. Central to the concept of a Big Society are social enterprises but according to this report bureaucracy must be slashed, tax incentives adjusted and business support radicalised in order to break down existing barriers to new social enterprises, allowing them to flourish. The report highlights funding and advice as two major obstacles to new ventures, with only one percent of the 238,000 UK social enterprises attaining the advice and funding they required during start-up. The provision of advice and funding are thus central to the recommendations of the report which includes seven calls to the new coalition government. There is clearly plenty of work to do but this report could be a useful first step in the process of developing social enterprises and creating the Big Society.
Read the full article online at socialenterpriselive.com.
