Birmingham & Solihull Social Economy Consortium (BSSEC) is a practitioner-led network of agencies and enterprises involved in the social economy in Birmingham and Solihull.

Collectively the consortium believes that any fully developed local economy needs within it a strong and diverse social economy sector in which enterprises conduct commercial activity to achieve social objectives. Without this, a local economy is incomplete.

BSSEC and its member agencies are committed to:

• Creating a shared, strategic approach to the development and growth of the social economy, influencing policy in favour of the sector and lobbying and advocating on its behalf at all levels.
• Maximising the resources that are available to the sector
• Improving the services which support it.

Aims & objectives

Agencies belonging to BSSEC work jointly to enable the social economy to grow, to maximise its potential to create jobs, and to promote social trading, social inclusion and community involvement.

It will do this by:

• Developing a shared strategic direction for the sector's development and growth and influencing.
• Improving the support infrastructure for social enterprise and promoting principles of best practice.
• Linking the services of partner organisations to improve effectiveness and promote an extensive and promote an extensive and seamless service for clients.
• Promoting the social economy and advocating on its behalf, improving the flow of information to, from and about the sector, and raising people's understanding of social enterprise.

Click here to download a summary of BSSEC's aims and contact details for all its members (451KB)