London's calling, is anyone listening?

Rich old London can take care of itself.  Really?

I am supposed to be off this week, relaxing with my family but it's just not happening. Aside from SEL's ongoing needs, my phone keeps me in touch with members, many of whom are going to the wall. Like the rest of Alarm Clock Britain, I am acutely aware of the need to take a break, but as we approach the end of the first quarter in this financial year, the reality is grim for so many social enterprises and I am struggling to 'put it in a box' as my Mother advises. Even some of our largest members, which have only ever experienced growth, are about to declare deficits and those that have been working with government are, for the most part, in a terrible mess.

Added to that I am beside myself with the growing anti-London rhetoric that seems to be all around me. Like so-called benefit cheats, London seems to be an easy target: bloated, rich and cushioned by City fat cats. Really? London receives and finds homes for over 50% of the UK's immigrants with boroughs such as Lambeth, turning over a similar percentage each and every year in their population as the transitory nature of immigration makes its mark. Much of London, including Tower Hamlets, Tottenham and Dagenham, has as high deprivation as anywhere in Europe. Unemployment is growing faster in London, particularly in the young, than anywhere in the UK. Londoners are not the City boys in Canary Wharf, the corporate Americans in Notting Hill or even the cabbies who have for the most part moved to Kent and Essex, they are the cleaners from Catford, the unemployed factory workers in Silvertown, the often unpaid techies in Shoreditch or the care workers in Croydon, one of whom sent me an email last night that told me she earns £14k even with a postgrad in Clinical Psychology.

The London Government Office is the only one for a region that has actually closed, and our RDA has shrunk faster and further than any other region. This, coupled with the effects of Government initiatives like the Regional Growth Fund, which made it clear that funding increases only as you get further from London, and we are in trouble. But apparently London's corporate crew will reach out and salve the growing social crisis. Well, on behalf of the social enterprise community I stand and wait. And I am waiting. And it's making me so cross that relaxation, like peace of mind, seems out of reach. Quiet isn't it? That's the sound of London taking care of its own.

Its Ladies night and the feeling's right...

Well, Ladies afternoon really. Today was the day when my sister, Sue, had her annual birthday lunch for her girlfriends. I am lucky to be asked along and we are all lucky because Sue always serves up a stunning meal with nominal help from an increasingly raucous bunch. As early evening arrives so do husbands, partners and adult children ready to escort revellers home. Mine turned up in his bike lycra and slippers, not a look.

Its always a special gathering, with a great deal of sharing. There is something very powerful about a group of women with considerable life experience getting together to joke about juggling children, elderly parents and jobs. We ponder mysteries like, 'Why do men go up and down stairs without taking stuff with them?' and "How does a young chap keep his jeans up, once they have cleared his arse"? Having woken up this morning with a very, very sore throat, I was not feeling my best. So the pink sparkling wine I drank all afternoon, washed down with Lemsip extra strong led to a particularly lively account of our Isle of White camping holiday, brought to a premature close by the insomnia inducing New Forest Monkey Spankers!?

We became our own episode of Grumpy Old Women, laughing until we cried.

Twittering came up, as I tried to recruit the uninitiated, during which time I responded to Peter Wanless of the Big Lottery, who on reading today's standard asked if I was the 'aristocrat' Lord Wei was off to see in Lambeth to discuss social enterprise? Nope, that's not me and anyway I was in Kingston having a hell of a giggle.

Transition avoiding the North face

On Friday SEL's new publication Transitions became available on line. It has already been downloaded several thousand times, a number that should increase as the document is now listed by the National Audit Office. We are waiting to see which public bodies will distribute it to their staff and what comes from those conversations. For me it is a fascinating process and interestingly one that would have been unthinkable without the imperative for change we're now faced with. I hope to be able to take part in some of those deliberations.

Transitions launches next Tuesday evening at London Early Years Foundation HQ in Westminster. With keynote speeches from Sir Steve Bullock (Mayor of Lewisham), Derek Myers (CEO of Kensington & Chelsea Council) and June O'Sullivan (LEYF CEO), it should be an absorbing evening - book your place here, there are still a couple left.

By producing Transitions, it’s associated training programme and creating the Transition Institute, a forum of experts to provide the strategic thinking behind an ideal social value program, SEL are doing their bit to make sure change means change for the better. My job is to keep my eye on the horizon and make sure that our advice is sensible, articulate and constructive without slipping into group hug rhetoric or alientating the very people upon whom the success of this process depends.

The principles for social enterprise remain the same - it's inspiring but complex, it can deliver so much but only if everyone involved in the process understands what it’s about and someone, somewhere has to be prepared to make an investment, so the idea has to be a good one.

Yesterday I met with yet another local authority CEO to talk about social enterprise and the remodelling of public service delivery and then went on to participate in Lambeth Council’s ongoing dialogue around becoming a cooperative council. I am one of the participating commissioners and have found the process absolutely fascinating. Yesterday we met Barry Quirk CEO at Lewisham Council and author of the landmark Quirk Review, and Ben Page, CEO of Ipsos MORI and pollster extraordinaire. Frankly I could have listened to them both all day, gripping stuff. Fellow commissioner, Richard Bridge of Waterloo Community Coalition, with only a partial tongue in cheek wondered if once our final report has been submitted, whether we would be able to apply for a masters degree at the end of all of this, given the quality of the presentations and discussions, which have been superb and absolutely of the moment.

The debate is on defining the nature of ‘community’, scoping the appetite for engagement and setting the agenda for change. I salute Lambeth’s approach to this issue and I have to say the programme they have outlined for themselves shows real vision. Barry and Ben (there's a joke there somewhere) gave considered, and highly informed views on the issues. The discussions themselves are subject to Chatham House rules but the gist of prioritising function over form and social engagement run throughout. Ben’s stats were really thought provoking as was his deadpan delivery on what separates opinions, attitudes and values. He told the group that people changed their opinions quite frequently, but their attitudes were more entrenched and as for values, those are the foundations upon which people build their lives, and are for the most part fixed. So are we hoping to change people’s opinions, attitudes or values? The latter being an attempt to take the summit by the North face.

But that's the point isn’t it? Those of us that advocate community based business models are trying to engage people’s values and sometimes change their opinions, at least if they think that social value and profit are oil and water. We know that they can work for mutual benefit, and I for one am looking forward to showing people how.

Anything but board

Education is very much in the air for social enterprise. I picked up Red Mummy's blog last night thanks to a tip off from Stephen Fry's Tweet which chimed with the things I've been saying about schools. Parents of children in many secondary schools up and down the country are really not happy and they want things to improve. The blog is facinating and echoed  a number of conversations I have had lately.

This morning I met with officers from Lambeth Council and Sarah Neuff from the fantastic development trust, Coin Street Community Builders to launch a really exciting initiative designed to develop social enterprise in the borough. I think Lambeth is really showing its dynamic commitment to social enterprise and I look forward to working on a project which I'm sure will establish the borough's credentials for innovation.

Interestingly Lambeth is the only place in the UK that has succeeded in establishing a parent run school, something I discovered when meeting with Paul Mason from Parent Promoted Foundation this morning.  Paul is leading the monumental struggle of Barnes, Mortlake and East Sheen parents, trying to establish a school in the area that meets children's needs.  The thing I like best about this movement of ours is meeting people like Paul who are real social innovators, fighting to create a world I for one, want to live in.  Parents should be able to run schools, certainly where local authorities have failed; they couldn't do a worse job. In fact, I think they could do an excellent one. Paul told me the Foundation have the backing of 2000 local parents, impressive. He and I worked over possible models, related initiaitives and where social enterprise fitsin - all good stuff. 

I think this growing development in education (exemplified by the work CfBT commisioned SEL to do on social enterprises delivering extended services in schools) is unstoppable. Clearly the existing system needs an injection of responsibility, commitment and enthusiasm.  All qualities you get in spades from people like Paul, working to improve the community for people like me and my family. watch this space for our up and coming conference on this.

This afternoon my lovely board met.  The SEL Board is a meeting place for many of the UK's leading social entrepreneurs, chaired ably today by Sophi Tranchell MD of Divine Chocolate.  During the discussions we learnt from Carmel McConnell of Magic Breakfast about a great deal they've done with Quaker Oats whose packaging now carries a 5p per pack funding commitment to Magic Breakfast, Carmel's social enterprise that currently feeds over 3000 children a day who arrive at London schools too hungry to learn. So go out and buy Quaker Oats people!

Off to a reception for Southwark Leaders now, no rest for the wicked.