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SCR WORKSHOP 26 OCTOBER 2010

THE ROLE OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISE IN TOWN CENTRE REGENERATION

Ian Lindley, Director of Planning & Economic Development, Scottish Borders Council

South of Scotland Alliance / Scottish Small Towns Group

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SOCIAL ENTERPRISE IS …

A good thing – long history

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BUT –Competes for Space

Barriers …

Barriers …

Barriers…

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POTENTIAL …

• Efficient, direct service delivery.• Engaging local knowledge, skills, expertise,

energy / voluntary effort.• Creating sustainable, affordable, cherished and

supported community based / needed activities.• Meeting gaps in local service delivery.• Local relevance, re-engaging people in local

decision-making / democracy.• Independent, flexible, creative - enabling

change.

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SCOTTISH COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT ACTION PLAN

• Abilities and potential of communities.• Collective talents, creativity and determination.• Vibrant and healthy communities.• No fixed direction.• Tackling inequality.• People doing for themselves.• Shared outcomes.• Mature dialogue.• Communities playing their part.• Unlocking potential …

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BUT …

• Subsidy.

• Grant reliance.

• Cost-shedding.

• Wilt before fully flowered?

• Subsidy or contract?

• Contract v grants?

• Large remote or local?

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POTENTIAL

• New ways of working.

• Place-based.

• Local.

• Partnership.

• Paid and volunteer.

• Mix and match.

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NEEDS

• Not just toolkits.

• Map out where fit?

• Community Planning.

• Whole Town Planning.

• Councillor engagement.

• Place-based working.

• Coordinate working.

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NEEDS

• Enablers.

• Resource direction.

• Power.

• Attract shareholder interest.

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NEEDS

• Sustainability.

• Income streams.

• Asset transfer v barriers.

• Co-location.

• Funding streams.

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• Change the way we provide local services.• Growing appetite for alternative delivery models.• Recognise long-lasting decisions need broad

stakeholder support.• Unease - elected representatives and local

decision-making roles of others.• More local bodies increase unsustainable

demand for scarce resources.• Suspicion that local bodies are single-purpose,

partisan - compete with genuine democracy.• Social enterprise may not be local.

CONCLUSIONS

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NEEDS

• Update Community Planning.

• Invest in local facilitators.

• Develop skill sets.

• Local place-based working.

• Engage Councillors.

• Not a toolkit but …

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RECOMMENDATIONS

• New policy framework for local place-based working.

• Review powers and resources of local bodies.

• Resource enablers – capacity skills set.

• Disaster recovery models.