Social Enterprise

SPACE Blackpool CIC

Sean set up SPACE (rehearsal studios for young bands) in January 2007. £30k popped on the mortgage later and hundreds of hours of volunteering, SPACE Blackpool CIC now offers more services and opportunities than ever before. It has three partners, Blackpool Fylde & Wyre Hospital Foundation Trust, Blackpool Health (PCT) and Blackpool Council. Together we already deliver entertainment, enterprise opportunities and real services at a negligible cost to the public purse. And we haven’t even started yet.

Will they ever get it?

SPACE has had a constant struggle against the prejudices of those in public sector in two ways. Firstly against anything that young people want to do that has any risk attached to it (like everything.) We still find it hard to put gigs and nights on. So difficult that we had to stop doing them. Check other places on this site and that of SPACE Blackpool CIC to see how much progress we make. Secondly, a prejudice against social enterprises that is still hard to break down. Although the walls are coming down as I write (October 2010), I fear there will be other new protective walls ahead. Turkeys don’t tend to help put up the decorations for Christmas do they?

This isn’t hard says Sean “if there are assets under utilised and services that need fulfilling then put the two together, think of an idea and make it work. Take the assets back if it goes wrong but at least try to let the people do it for themselves.”

Extremist

Sean calls himself a “social entrepreneur extremist” as he finds the begging bowl culture of some socents frustrating and the new socents being formed by ex public sector administrators alarming in their lack of business skills and ideas.

Progress has been made in the health sector because a few people “get it” (thank you, you know who you are!) in Blackpool so keep checking SPACE Blackpool CIC and the blog for further reports.

In Sean’s opinion you have to marry a business idea to the good work you do in order to make that sustainable. “If you don’t do this you end up relying on grants, 100% volunteers and of course failing to deliver your social purpose.”

Bully beef and quips

The public sector has been a frustration though. Wasteful, bullying and two faced are some of their better qualities says Sean when talking about the many council officers he has had to deal with over the years. This has, thankfully, improved in Blackpool of late and he hopes this will continue. He is adamant however that now is the time for public bodies to genuinely engage. He thinks social enterprises can be the centre of a deep relationship between local communities and their public sector bodies.

Lift up, pull down

He says, “this is a lift up, pull down proposition. We lift up communities and empower them to help themselves and we pull down resources, expertise and under utilised assets from the public sector.”

Now Sean sees his role as agitator, social enterprise creator and someone who will hold the public sector to account for it’s spending decisions. Partly through the power of young people and citizen journalism. Watch this SPACE.

Give us your buildings

“So there is an opportunity now” says Sean, “to allow the people to take back the assets, run down and ignored by councils and others. But will the community actually be able to get hold of them or will they all get sold to the highest private bidder?”