New research by ippr North and ACEVO released today finds that many Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in the North are missing out on the added value and benefits available to them by failing to engage effectively with local voluntary organisations and social enterprise.

The report, entitled Drawing on all resources? examines the economic contribution that voluntary organisations and social enterprise make to the region, the space in which they could contribute further to economic development and the relationships between those groups and their Local Enterprise Partnership.

Despite the White Paper on regional growth including explicit recognition of the voluntary sector as stakeholders of the new partnerships, only half of the LEPs examined had a representative from the voluntary sector on the board, and one LEP made no mention whatsoever of the role the sector might be able to play in growing the economy.

The report makes recommendations to the voluntary sector, to central government and to the partnerships themselves on how to encourage such engagement.

Recommendations to central government include:

to be more explicit about the role of the voluntary sector in rebalancing the economy

to encourage the second wave of LEPs to consider the role of the sector more specifically in their proposals

to send clear messages about stakeholder engagement being beyond public and private interests to include the voluntary sector and social enterprise

The research focussed on existing LEPs in the North as this is the region of the country most in need of effective LEPs, due the expectation that it is here where the impact of the spending cuts will be disproportionately negative.

Ed Cox, director of ippr north said: "It is increasingly recognised that community and social enterprise contributes millions of pounds to the Northern economies.

"With increasing emphasis being placed on the sector in relation to public service provision this is only likely to grow, and with community and voluntary organisations being recognised as key catalysts in helping people from welfare into work it is essential that LEPs plug in to their skills and experience. Whilst nobody has a right to sit at the LEP table, those LEPs without VCS representation might be missing a trick in the drive for economic growth."

Speaking on the research Jenny Berry ACEVO’s director of the North said: “Local Enterprise Partnerships which overlook the sector are really missing a trick. The voluntary sector and social enterprise have a huge amount of experience and knowledge to offer these new partnerships.

"They can bring added value not only in terms of their contribution to economic development but also their understanding of local communities, their ability to identify policy gaps and to act as a critical friend when necessary.”

ACEVO has written to Greg Clarke MP following the lack of reference to the sector in the government’s initial letter inviting local authorities and private groups to establish LEPs.

The letter asked him to set out his expectation of the role for the sector in the partnerships and warning him of ACEVO research findings that 70% of the approved LEPs had no plans for voluntary sector representation on their partnership boards.

Share Story: