The Welsh Assembly Government plans to support more social enterprise-led, large scale delivery of public services as part of its modernisation drive.
The Welsh Social Enterprise Action Plan, released last week, highlights the success of Glas Cymru (Welsh Water), a social enterprise that returns dividends to customers. As a result the Welsh Assembly Government will now explore how the Glas Cymru model could be replicated for large scale delivery of public services and infrastructure renewal projects.
As well as improving services and keeping costs to customers low, the Glas Cymru model has enabled major investment to be raised through the private bond markets with European Investment Bank support.
Launching the action plan last week, Welsh Assembly Government deputy minister for regeneration Leighton Andrews said: ‘Social enterprise has been at the heart of service delivery in Wales since the nineteenth century.
‘Last year marked the 150th anniversary of the death of Robert Owen, the grandfather of co-operatives. It was also the 60th anniversary of Aneurin Bevan’s NHS, modelled on the Tredegar Workmen’s Medical Aid Society.’
The Welsh action plan also includes a three-year, £8m fund to help with community asset transfer, open to all third sector organisations, and a commitment to establishing a Cymru Social Enterprise Coalition and a ministerial advisory group on social enterprise.
Source: www.socialenterprisemag.co.uk
