BIRMINGHAM'S BRIGHT 2026 FUTURE
In September 2008, the BBC’s Nikki Tapper and youngsters from the Youth Parliament and Young Enterprise launched Birmingham’s new sustainable community strategy, Birmingham 2026: Our vision for the future. The vision sets out the long-term ambitions the city hopes to aspire to and achieve during the next 18 years.
Our new community strategy is vital to the success of our city and that of the UK as a whole. It is based upon firm evidence, reflecting what local people and organisations have said were the biggest issues for the city over the next two decades.
Be Birmingham, the city’s local strategic partnership which is responsible for the vision, aims to ultimately create the opportunities which will allow current and future generations to fulfil their potential and ambitions.
Birmingham 2026 is based upon a 12-week consultation in which almost 1,300 people had their say on what they felt the city’s priorities should be in the coming years. Their views have formed the basis of this vision.
However, creating the vision is only the first step to delivering positive change in Birmingham. Now all of Be Birmingham’s partners must ensure that by delivering the vision will give our citizens the opportunity to:
- Succeed economically
- Feel and stay safe in a clean and green city
- Be healthy
- Enjoy a high quality of life
- Make a contribution to the society they live in
Be Birmingham (www.bebirmingham.org.uk) brings together organisations from the business, community, voluntary, faith and public sectors. Each partner has a duty and responsibility to deliver certain aspects of Birmingham 2026 which collectively will ensure the vision is achieved. These responsibilities are set out in the vision’s delivery plan, the Local Area Agreement (LAA) which will be reviewed every three years until 2026.
Birmingham 2026 was launched at Be Birmingham’s inaugural summit on 17th September at the Town Hall. For more information please contact natascha.bowett@birmingham.gov.uk or visit www.bebirmingham.org.uk.
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE: THE LOCAL SECTOR IN BIRMINGHAM & SOLIHULL
A recent (2007) baseline survey of social enterprise in the Birmingham and Solihull area reveals that:
- There are about 320 social enterprises trading in sub-region
- They employ almost 12,500 staff
- About 60% of staff are employed by larger social enterprises (over 100 staff)
- About one-third are branches or arms of larger organisations
- Just over half have turnovers of between £100k and £1m per year
- The largest have turnovers of around £5m a year
- Almost half earn 50% or more of income from public and private sector contracts
- Grants and donations remain a significant part of income for just over one-quarter of these enterprises
A growth sector
Social enterprise in Birmingham and Solihull is a growth sector:
- Staff numbers have increased in the past year amongst 11% of enterprises
- Over one-third anticipate employing additional staff in the coming year
- Turnover in the past year has increased in 17% of enterprises
Sector breakdown
The trade or service sectors most heavily populated by social enterprises are:
- Training 55%
- Counselling/advice services 51%
- Education & research 43%
- Services for people with disabilities 41%
- Health and social care 37%
- Youth services 37%
Management & performance
There is a strong commitment to improving performance and good management in the social enterprise sector. For example:
- 91% of enterprises have a written business plan
- 68% have a training plan
- 79% have a training or staff development budget
- Over 60% have achieved some form of sector or industry quality standard
Notes: The survey was funded by Birmingham Strategic Partnership with support from the Learning & Skills Council, b:cen, Localise West Midlands, BSSEC and Advantage West Midlands. It focused on identifying organisations that: are engaged in economic or trading activities; that do this on a ‘not-for-personal-profit’ basis (i.e. they are ‘non-profit distributing); and earn 25% or more of their income from these activities.
Click here for The Social Enterprise Sector in Birmingham & Solihull: Key Facts & Figures 
Click here for The Social Enterprise Sector in Birmingham & Solihull: Full Baseline Survey 
Click here for The Social Enterprise Sector in Birmingham & Solihull: Literature Review
STRENGTHENING SOCIAL ENTERPRISE: RESEARCH FINDINGS
During January-May 2006 BSSEC undertook two programmes of research funded by ChangeUP to examine the support and development needs of social enterprises and trading voluntary organisations in Birmingham and Solihull. The research makes for sobering reading.
Click here for a short summary of its findings (135KB)
The demand for business support services, May 2006
Executive Summary (94KB)
Full report (164KB)
ChangeUP: presentation of findings  (184KB)
The supply of business support services, May 2006
Executive Summary (703KB)
Full report (1.55MB)
ChangeUP: presentation of findings (667KB)
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