Kazuri : Letter to Frank Dobson MP

Wednesday 23 November 2011

Letter to Frank Dobson MP

Dear Frank Dobson MP and Sir Malcolm

I work for Kazuri Properties Ltd, a social enterprise which rehouses vulnerable women, women leaving supported housing and women leaving prison and domestic violence shelters. It is based in Camden and Kensington I’m writing to ask you to support Chris White MP’s Bill on “Public Services (Social Value)” at the Third Reading on November 25^th.

This Bill could make a real difference to social enterprises like Kazuri Properties , which are competing for public service contracts. Social enterprises reinvest profits back into services and the local community and have a good track record of delivering efficiencies without compromising on quality. We’ve done it here at Kazuri and with the help of this Bill, social enterprises across the UK could soon find it easier to win the chance to do the same in their own communities.

Requiring all procurement decisions to demonstrate their wider positive social and environmental impact will ensure that the full weight of the public sector’s purchasing power is directed at achieving social and environmental benefits, alongside delivering financial efficiency.

In particular, the Bill could help to:

Minimise the impact of the spending cuts on civil society organisations

Civil society organisations are really feeling the impact of the public sector cuts. Ensuring that future public spending decisions create additional social value in the community served could help mitigate against the impact of cuts and ensure that the decisions that are made create greater value.

Support local job creation

In some areas of the UK where the public sector is by far the largest employer, spending cuts are inevitably going to impact on unemployment. Ensuring that all spending decisions require contractors to support local employment opportunities can play a part in reducing the impact of this.

Widen the market and increase choice

All too often public sector markets are created in such a way that only a small number of large providers are able to compete. This Bill would allow the added value social enterprises offer to be taken into account, encouraging them to enter the market and increasing choice, innovation and value for money.