Social Impact Investment Forum (the Complete Irrelevance of)

Posted in: Mutuals, Private Sector, Social Enterprise, Third Sector on 13/06/2013

For starters, just think how many Social Enterprises, Voluntary and Community Organisations might be rescued or saved with the money spent on this irrelevant London Bubble Bankers’ Beano! In times of harsh austerity, Huckfield and many others reckon that the day long free binge for Social Investment Financial Intermediaries on Thursday 06 June was insulting…. Read more »

Hard Pressed Charities don’t need Social Enterprise Hooray Henries

Posted in: Private Sector, Social Enterprise, Third Sector on 04/06/2013

Eric Pickles’ Mechanism for Passing the Buck As Secretary of State for Local Government and Communities, Eric Pickles has been long enough in politics to know that his agreement last week with the Chancellor on further cuts to his Departmental Budget for 2015-2016 is the easiest part. Deciding how further cuts will fall on and… Read more »

No Standing Ovation for Big Society Capital’s First Annual Report

Posted in: Mutuals, Private Sector, Social Enterprise, Third Sector on 15/05/2013

Huckfield offers these comments on Big Society Capital’s First Annual Report , which finally appeared on Friday 10 May 2013. In a previous posting on this site, Big Society Capital’s £600mn – An Alternative Strategy for Supporting Social Enterprises , has already been suggested. Thirteen Years to Spend £5mn These are highlights from a chronology… Read more »

We will say this only once: “You will become a Mutual”

Posted in: Mutuals, Private Sector, Social Enterprise, Third Sector on 06/05/2013

Background and Outline Huckfield writes this as a strong supporter of Social Enterprise, Cooperatives and Third Sector Organisations, wherever these emerge through genuine democracy and where governing bodies and employees were all part of a democratic decision taking process. In its desperate haste to reduce the extent and size of the public sector before the… Read more »

Why Craig Dearden Phillips is wrong on Trade Unions and Social Enterprise

Posted in: Private Sector, Social Enterprise, Third Sector on 30/04/2013

Defending Public Services Craig’s site claims that he’s “one of the UK’s best known social entrepreneurs”. But his posting True Enemies – or Necessary Allies? Unions and Social Enterprise on Saturday 20 April 2013 shows that he doesn’t know much about trade unions. Much of his piece seems based on Care Plus in North East… Read more »

Social Investment – Scotland does it without the Hype

Posted in: Private Sector, Social Enterprise, Third Sector on 23/04/2013

Social Investment in Govanhill, Glasgow without the Hype During April 2013, there have been two significant and high powered Social Enterprise events: Skoll Foundation’s Oxford Jam and 10th Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship April 10-12 2013 “What is the Future of the Third Sector?” The National Conference of the Third Sector Research Centre in… Read more »

Private Philanthropy is not the Answer to Public Spending Cuts

Posted in: In Depth Reports, Private Sector, Social Enterprise, Third Sector on 24/01/2013

HUCKFIELD offers sincere apologies that a previous posting with the same title was withdrawn earlier this week on account of technical problems. Though some of these are still being resolved, this narrative and contents represent the updated and final version. As a Board Member of the Social Entrepreneurs’ Network Scotland, HUCKFIELD once more declares an… Read more »

Killing Social Enterprise Softly – II

Posted in: Private Sector, Social Enterprise on 25/06/2012

BACKGROUND These are fast growing trends in England which take further some of the themes developed in Huckfield’s Killing Social Enterprise Softly briefing posted in March. All of these increasingly portray the delivery of public services as an opportunity for private investment, with dividends and returns from that investment. Taken together, these five main themes… Read more »

Black Country Partnership for Learning Spring Conference at the Hawthorns Conference Centre, West Bromwich on Friday 25 May 2012

Posted in: Further Education, Higher Education, In Depth Reports, Private Sector on 30/05/2012

Huckfield would like to emphasise that this is not an ‘opinion posting’ but is offered as a comprehensive record of the Black Country Partnership for Learning Spring Conference on Friday 25 May 2012. It is based on notes taken throughout the Conference and on speakers’ presentations. KEITH BATE, PRINCIPAL OF HALESOWEN COLLEGE Introduction In his… Read more »

Employer Ownership of Skills

Posted in: Further Education, Huckfield's News, In Depth Reports, Private Sector, Skills and Apprenticeships on 07/02/2012

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills launched its bidding Prospectus for Employer Ownership of Skills on Tuesday 07 February 2012. Previous Huckfield briefings on Employer Ownership Pilots have appeared here since Wednesday 07 December 2011. The Bidding Timetable and details of Briefing Sessions are shown below. Though Employer Ownership Pilots apply only in England,… Read more »

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