Environmental. Family. A better society – through enterprise. 30 June 2010 Social enterprise is finding favour across the political spectrum. But the real challenge will be to ensure that its values and ethos survive, as public bodies try to get services on the cheap, SEC chief executive Peter Holbrook tells Alison Thomas Social enterprise is surveying the future with a feeling of cautious optimism. The movement has never been better placed – with a consensus across the political spectrum that it will play a major part in tackling the economic, social and environmental challenges the country faces, says Peter Holbrook, the new chief executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition (SEC).
But the caution tempering that sense of optimism comes from the "subtle but important risks" that lie ahead – the temptation to see social enterprises as a "solve-all for every situation", and the danger that cash-strapped public bodies will see outsourcing to the third sector as a means of getting services on the cheap. But there will be risks. The SROIproject database.