One week before the election, the Social Enterprise Charter now has 105 signatures from across the political spectrum.
Party leaders David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Caroline Lucas have each signed the charter, but with 31 signatories, it is the Liberal Democrats that have the largest presence, followed by Greens at 30, Labour at 25 and Conservatives at 10.
The Social Enterprise Charter calls for MPs and parliamentary candidates to demonstrate their support for social enterprises and sign up to the statement that social enterprises are:
• transforming the communities we live in
• flying the flag for ethical capitalism and
• helping to rebuild the UK economy as we emerge from recession.
Some of the MPs signed up to the charter include Liam Byrne MP, chief secretary to the Treasury; Philip Hammond MP, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury and Francis Maude, shadow minister for the Cabinet Office.
The Charter is part of the Coalition's 2010 election campaign which includes the manifesto No More Business as Usual, released on February 16.
The manifesto calls for social enterprise to triple its contribution to the economy by 2020 and sets out policy recommendations including:
• Support for development of social enterprise models across public sector agencies
• The introduction of legislation to help communities to buy and manage local assets
• A strong and clear package of tax incentives to encourage social investment
• Support for more locally tailored employment practices to build on the work of the Future Jobs Fund
• Routine collection of representative data on the social enterprise movement
Peter Holbrook, chief executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition said: "Social enterprises have shown themselves to be a critical point of debate around this election.
"As accountable, transparent and independent businesses with social and environmental aims, they can make a real difference in the UK's economy and society. Having cross-party support for social enterprise is crucial, and we are really pleased to have had such a significant response to our charter."
For the full breakdown, please go to http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/pages/campaigns.html
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