October 5th 2023
The northwest underdog: Stockport named the latest hotspot for passion fuelled businesses
Recently christened as one of the top 10 UK towns for first time home buyers, Stockport’s local economy has now been praised by an expert judging panel.
Previously dubbed ‘the new Berlin’ due to its blossoming arts & culture scene, an industrial town in the northwest, known as Stockport, has now been recognised as one of the fastest growing northern economies – an achievement that is extremely hard to come by in the current climate.
As a result of Stockport’s economy thriving, the town has been called a Social Enterprise Place, which was established by national sector body Social Enterprise UK, by an expert judging panel. These types of organisations trade for a social purpose and reinvest or donate a portion of their profits to further their social environmental mission.
Jo McGrath, chief executive of sector 3, Stockport’s VCFSE infrastructure support organisation, has said the social enterprise community are more than deserving of this title as she called their contributions to society ‘outstanding’.
She said: ‘The social enterprise community deserve to be recognised for the outstanding contribution they make to society and the economic progress has been made but there is still a way to go. We’ve taken heed of the recommendations from the last State of the Sector report, calling for greater collaboration within the sector and cross-sector, with more partnership opportunities established such as the Proper Good Business Conference.’
Over the past three years, the town has invested countless time and resources into its social enterprise community. An example of this is the creation of ‘Proper Good’, an investment and support programme that was funded by Access, the Foundation for Social Investment and Big Society Capital.
In addition to generating better support programmes, social enterprises also play a vital role in tackling inequalities. Stockport is the 8th most polarised borough in England and the deprived areas have lower education and life expectancy outcomes than comparators. In recent years more social enterprise and third sector organisations have been constructed to meet these changing communities and local need.
Cllr Frankie Singleton, cabinet member for communities, culture, and sport, said: ‘I’m delighted that Stockport has been named as a registered Social Enterprise Place by Social Enterprise UK. We have so many thriving organisations here in the borough and a real sense of community that is something to be proud of.’
‘Social enterprises are good news for everyone,’ Cllr Singleton said. ‘They create positive social change by investing in our communities and third sector organisations.’
Cllr Singleton added: ‘Being officially recognised as a hotspot on a national scale is great news for Stockport, and I look forward to working closely with businesses and the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector to deliver the best outcomes for everyone who lives, works and spends time in the borough.’
Image: Stockport Council
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