Gloucestershire - the land social enterprise forgot?

Let me start with our own commitment as a social enterprise to predistribution and living wages which was established when we began in 2004 with a self sustaining business operating in both public and private supply chains. In general this is not the path social enterprise has taken in the UK.   

In 2010 I had a clear answer from the Forest of Dean District Council. They have no policy to support social enterprise. It was a meeting regarding the failed Forest of Dean Pathfinder Social Enterprise Trust, which gave opportunity to raise a public question.

"The Council does not have a specific policy to offer support to social enterprises.  The financial support provided to the Forest of Dean Health & Social Care CIC resulted from a specific decision of the full Council - the history of which is included in our agenda papers at tonight's meeting."

There's no indication that the Public Services (Social Value) Act has changed this position.

After checking the Gloucestershire County Council website, I took it up with Gloucestershire councillor Terry Glastonbury, who just didn't answer.  

They may not support social enterprise but today a report reveals considerable investment in arms and the oil anf gas industry

Forest of Dean MP, Mark Harper has been unable to help us resolve obstacles in our work in human rights.

I learned recently of an UNLTD initiative to promote local social enterprise support infrastructure and one suggestion was to collaborate with local educational institutions

We've had considerable experience in our work overseas with Sumy State University, on Economics in Transition, the proposal for a social enterprise faculty at Kharkiv National University and with the Nuclear Physics department at Kharkiv for a fundamental science education centre.

I'm aware of a social enterprise group for Bristol and Bath supported by the West of England LEP, but it would seem at least part of Gloucestershire is the land social enterprise forgot, or maybe the West of England doesn't stretch this far? .

Why are NHS spin outs the only form of social enterprise we seem to be exposed to?

When I wrote about the evolution of the self sustaining business form of social enterprise for MIX I explained how we advocate a supply chain approach to serving the public sector rather than a replacement of it. 

Could we be trying to join a club that won't have us as a member?