InTouch Issue 29

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InterAct

being and belonging 9th – 10th July 2010 Northern College Barnsley S75 3ET

THE CONFERENCE WILL EXPLORE Community and Citizenship co-operative perspectives.

£195.00 includes

accommodation, meals and all conference sessions from Friday morning until 3.30pm Saturday.

designed and facilitated by

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Cambridge & Chelmsford

3rd Sector Futures learning • research • consultancy

The InTouch Learning Pages are sponsored and edited by the 3rd Sector Futures team at Anglia Ruskin University. To submit material, or enquire about our services please email: 3rdsectorfutures@anglia.ac.uk





Cambridge & Chelmsford

Social enterprise advice

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs)

Whether you are looking for a qualified social enterprise advisor to help with a specific issue, or you just want an objective view on your overall business

If you have a project to plan and implement, and you want some funding to help with staff costs, plus input from an expert in social enterprise

contact us: 0845 196 6857 3rdsectorfutures@anglia.ac.uk

contact us: 0845 196 6888 3rdsectorfutures@anglia.ac.uk

Our business advisers Ashley Cooke and Andy Brady will be happy to discuss your requirements, and can also point you towards funding available for social enterprise business support.

KTPs are partnerships between a university and a company, giving you a high calibre graduate at reduced cost, for a period between 10 weeks (shorter KTPs) and 3 years

3rd Sector Futures learning • research • consultancy

Learn more about these consultancy services, and about our short courses and research projects, at www.3rdsectorfutures.co.uk E: 3rdsectorfutures@anglia.ac.uk T: 0845 196 6857/6888
















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4/2/10

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Benefit & tax credit training for advice givers Advicehub is launching its subsidised programme of training events – essential for everyone giving advice to people in Cambridgeshire. The first 2 courses are: The benefits system unplugged Understanding welfare benefits and tax credits.

Courses held from 9.30 am – 12.30 pm on the dates shown below

Disability benefits

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1.30 pm – 4.30 pm An aid to claiming disability benefits; form filling for DLA/AA and how the decision-making process works. on the dates shown below

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Date Tuesday 2nd March Tuesday 9th March Thursday 11th March Wednesday 17th March Thursday 18th March

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Date Tuesday 23rd March Thursday 25th March Tuesday 30th March Wednesday 31st March

*A fee of £25.00 is payable if you fail to attend a confirmed place. Advicehub is a partnership project of the 4 Cambridgeshire CABs, led by Cambridge CAB. Registered Charity No. 1056102.

Location Cambridge Huntingdon March Ely


Support Includes

Qualified HR Specialists to the Voluntary & Community sector

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We provide the full range of HR services and support to small and medium size organisations in the voluntary & community sector, from single projects and day to day advice to a fully outsourced HR department.

• Managing difficult staff situations • Day-to-day advice and support • Contracts of employment • HR policies and procedures • Help with recruitment & selection

Named consultants

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NCVO Approved Consultants

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• Online HR database

Golf Society Day in mind? We tailor our packages to suit your requirements!

All you need is a minimum of twelve golfers and we can guarantee a superb golfing day out. Located in Welwyn Garden City and within easy reach of London and the M25, Panshanger Golf Complex is the home of a top-class 18 hole championship course with stunning views over Hertfordshire’s Mimram Valley. This is complemented by a 9 hole Pitch and Putt course as well as a putting green and practice nets, all of which provide a challenge to experienced golfers whilst also encouraging beginners.

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To advertise your business card in the next edition of InTouch – only £25 contact advertising@seee.co.uk Turnpike PR Ad:Layout 1

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turnpike farm pr G R O W I N G YO U R R E P U TAT I O N We are practical people, professional writers, working on a real farm where we sow words and grow reputations. Like you, we know that social enterprise is the way ahead. Why not find out how we can help you spread the word?

PR, Events & Consultancy for social entrepreneurs. Call Bella Brodie or Robert Ashton on 01953 605000 www.turnpikefarm.co.uk

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Saving on overhead costs: get your share of business rates relief

A

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new briefing paper has been prepared by SEEE which aims to make social enterprises aware of the business rates relief they can obtain. It also encourages them to apply for maximum benefit to reduce their costs. The paper argues that local authorities can interpret social enterprises as equivalent in purpose to registered charities so the rating relief they obtain should be similarly mandatory – at least at the 80% minimum level. At the same time, in the absence of clear Government interpretation, the paper should raise the importance of social enterprise to local government’s power to help deliver community wellbeing. This paper - entitled ‘Social Enterprise and Business Rates Relief: an Introduction to reducing enterprise overhead costs’ - is firmly aimed at enabling those social enterprises that are not also registered charities to apply to their local authority’s business rates department to seek mandatory rates relief. If they are also charities, it hopes to enable them to also make a case for 100% rates relief rather than the mandatory 80%.

Checking your rates bill and calculating potential relief In order to check what your rates bill is and calculate the value of possible relief, take the following steps: 1. Go to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) website 2. http://www.2010.voa.gov.uk/rli/ 3. Click on ‘Find my property valuation’, enter your postcode and then ‘Search’ - but you may need also to enter your property number, street and town. 4. You will then find an abbreviated entry providing the rateable value (RV) ‘with effect from 1 April 2010’, together with your billing reference, the address and the area (square metres) which has been valued. 5. Click on the address to reveal more detail about the calculation of your rates. 6. The standard multiplier for 2010/11 is 41.4 pence. It indicates the percentage, or pence in the pound, of the rateable value that you will pay in business rates. 7. For example, if your RV is £10,000, multiply this by 41.4 and then divide by 100, producing a rates bill of £4,140. 8. Potential relief on the rates bill can vary from a mandatory 80% (plus a possible further maximum of 20% discretionary relief) to a possible 100% discretionary relief for not for profit organisations – or, for the latter, anywhere from 0-100%. 9. In terms of the above example, 80% relief would be £4,140 x 0.8 = £3,312 per annum.

Get your copy of the briefing paper This briefing paper was commissioned by SEEE on behalf of a Capacity Builders project called Information, Networking and Influence. It was researched and written by Jim Leask, a practitioner in local economic development and an independent researcher, from Colchester Borough Council. ‘This is the personal interpretation of the author and does represent Colchester Borough Council’s opinion’. To read the full report please go to the SEEE website and click on ‘Resources & Support’, ‘SEEE Think Tank’and then enter the Think Tank library.


‘Colne Solutions’ is the commercial division of Colne Housing Society and offers the Society’s expertise and services to other social enterprises, For organisations considering outsourcing, Colne Solutions provides a flexible tailored service, offering support and resources from a trusted and experienced organisation. The financial arm provides financial management and payroll services. This comprehensive service, which includes, payroll, preparation of management accounts, statutory accounts, budgets, book keeping, VAT and HMRC returns. One of Colne Solutions clients is Re-Cycle, a UK charity providing cheap, sustainable transport to Africa. This small charity is staffed by part-time employees so resources are limited- the need for a payroll service was identified. “As a charity, it is important that those we work with share a similar ethos. Colne did this. The guidance and support it has provided has been invaluable. We are a small organisation, but the service we have received has never reflected that “ Re-Cycle Colne Solutions also offers a housing management and lettings service. For further information please e-mail info@colnehousing.co.uk or call 01206 244700

We specialise in providing business support to social enterprise organisations in the following areas: • • • • • •

Graduate Internship Scheme NVQs - Level 2 Franchise Business Model Access to Finance Business Improvement Leadership

call us now for more information Quote: In Touch 2010

T: +44 (0) 845 60 20 101 F: +44 (0) 845 60 20 111 E: info@exemplas.com Minicom: +44 (0) 845 60 66 293 www.exemplas.com/SocialEnterprise

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We have the right combination to unlock your talent

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inbrief Here’s a quick update of some of the useful resources

1. A literature review

The remit for our literature review is to find out ‘what we already know’. It identifies, summarises and reviews the range of formal and informal research that has already been undertaken in order to inform current and future thinking about the sector. It is available online at www.seee.co.uk/literaturereview.

2. The SEEE website We work with a variety of organisations and commission pieces that we think will help your business, so there are a number of resources available. Why not take a look at some on www.seee.co.uk today?

3. The new SEEE Wiki SEEE is launching our own Wiki, where we will store anything related to social enterprise, our members and the wider community. If you’re familiar with Wikipedia and how it works, think of our Wiki as a social enterprise version.

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The SEEE Wiki is a place where anyone can get useful information about the social enterprise sector in the East of England. There will be sector specific reports such as credit unions, as well as resources on topics like finance, marketing and procurement. It’s also a great place to archive your own descriptions of past projects, upload articles or reports, and generally share learning! Take a look at www.seeewiki.co.uk and let us know what you think!

4. A new online library SEEE now has a number of resources on a superb digital publishing platform. The software offers readers an excellent reading experience, which exactly mirrors the experience of reading a magazine or book. All SEEE resources on the site can be downloaded, saved, printed or perused at your leisure. Experience our library at www.issuu.com/seee/docs.

5. Online templates will help you run your business A wide range of templates are available to SEEE members for free online, and they can all be downloaded and adapted for your organisation. In every issue we are highlighting a particular template: this time it’s the Computer and Internet Policy, which you can download from www.seee.co.uk/scan. Individual components within the template include: • Responsibility of data protection and exposure to risks through careless practises. • The Computer Misuse Act 1990. • How can you handle the misuse of emails? • What is an effective internet policy?

6. Manifesto – Campaign Pack! Use this to help you lobby your views to your local MP’s. The pack includes tips on how to organise an event with your MP, and a charter asking MPs to pledge their support for social enterprises. The pack has been produced by the Social Enterprise Coalition but will be available to download from SEEE. www.seee.co.uk

Voice 2010 saw the launch of the Social Enterprise Mark. The new brand for social enterprises will identify businesses which meet defined criteria for social enterprise, and help consumers recognise that businesses displaying the Mark are trading to benefit society and the environment. In the next edition of In Touch we will be discussing the Mark in more detail – but here is a little something to keep you going…. The Mark sets a new standard for business. Businesses need to demonstrate they are working primarily for social and/or environmental goals, and that 50% of their profits are reinvested towards those goals. The Mark is administered by a joint venture set up between the Social Enterprise Coalition, the national body for social enterprise, and RISE, the social enterprise regional network for the South West.


Did you make some New Year’s resolutions? Did any of them contain the decision to loose weight and improve your wellbeing? Have you found that to be much harder than you thought?

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