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2006 social enterprise action plan

On 16 November 2006, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, joined Cabinet Office Ministers Hilary Armstrong and Ed Miliband to launch the Government's Social Enterprise Action Plan: Scaling new heights (Cabinet Office 2006).

• Social Enterprise Action Plan: Scaling new heights (Cabinet Office 2006) [PDF, 1.67MB, 73 pages]

There are at least 55,000 social enterprises in the UK – including well known success stories like The Big Issue or Jamie Oliver's Fifteen. This action plan aims to open the door to thousands more, raising awareness of what they can achieve and encouraging more people to make a difference, either by involvement or investment.

The action plan will drive change in four areas:

• fostering a culture of social enterprise, embedding the change that is already underway, especially through inspiring the next generation to start thinking about the social impact of business
• improving business advice, information and support available to social enterprises
• tackling the barriers to access to finance that restrict the growth of social enterprises
• enabling social enterprises to work effectively with government to develop policy in the areas of expertise

It also builds on the first 2002 Government strategy, Social Enterprise, a strategy for success (DTI 2002).

• 2002 Government strategy, Social Enterprise, a strategy for success (DTI 2002) [PDF, 389KB, 81 pages]

Have your say – view comments on the Social Enterprise Action Plan.

To order a hardcopy of the action plan please phone 0845 015 0010 and quote URN 06/Z3. Please note that stocks are limited.

• 16/11/2006 Press release: Following in the footsteps of The Eden Project… a new generation of social entrepreneurs can change lives