The Social Investment Business response to Labour leader Ed Miliband’s speech

Tuesday 27 September 2011

Responding to Labour leader Ed Miliband MP’s speech to the Labour party conference in Liverpool today, Chief Executive of The Social Investment Business Jonathan Jenkins said:

“Ed Miliband today outlined his commitment to building a pro-business British society, doing more to support small businesses to be able to get loans and to compete with larger organisations. It is vital that civil society organisations are also supported in this way with social investors collaborating to provide them with access to finance.

“Many of the organisations we have provided investment and business support to are finding it difficult to access this kind of capital and at the same time face stiff competition from the private sector when competing for public sector and commercial contracts. They need access to funds, in particular loans, to build their capacity and enable them to become more sustainable and do more of what they do best, helping those who are most disadvantaged.

“Promoting growth, collaboration and partnership in the emergent social investment marketplace is good not only for the economy as a whole but also for creating a more equal society.”

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1.   For further information or interviews, please contact The Social Investment Business press office:

Liz Banks - 0207 842 7726/ 07809 504072 liz.banks@socialinvestmentbusiness.org

Nicola Jones - 0207 842 7755 nicola.jones@socialinvestmentbusiness.org

2.   The Social Investment Business, the largest social investor in the UK, exists to help social enterprises, charities and community organisations do more of what they do best – supporting people and communities most in need. We help organisations prosper by providing innovative financial solutions, business support and long term strategic thinking.

www.thesocialinvestmentbusiness.org    @TheSocialInvest

3.  The Social Investment Business manages the Futurebuilders Fund and the Social Action Fund on behalf of The Office for Civil Society, the Social Enterprise Investment Fund for the Department of Health the Communitybuilders Fund which was endowed to parent charity the Adventure Capital Fund by the Department for Communities and Local Government.  We have over 1,100 active investments which range in size and scope from, for example,  £3,600 to help a small organisation bid successfully for a public sector contract, to £6.7million to help a large national charity establish and develop innovative new services for children and young people.