1980s: Local enterprise agency champion

Business in the Community encouraged companies to support local enterprise agencies as a way of business helping to regenerate local economies affected by corporate closures to create new employment opportunities.

We recognised the social costs of ignoring the human consequences of massive corporate restructuring. Major activities included supporting small business development and re-skilling.

Following the enterprise agency model

In the early to mid 1980s many companies were restructuring, partly as a result of government reforms, and Business in the Community was actively promoting the Enterprise Agencies. This received a boost when the government announced a cash incentive – on a declining scale over three years – to match rising business contributions. We then travelled around the UK to persuade local businesses to get involved in regeneration initiatives based on this model.

Charitable status and a royal president

In 1985, we had 108 member companies and HRH The Prince of Wales became the organisation’s president. We were also the ‘umbrella’ for more than 300 local enterprise agencies.

By the end of the 1980s we had formally gained charitable status, set up all the seminal regions in the North West, Northern Ireland, Wales, and in the Midlands (we now have offices in both the West Midlands and East Midlands), and established Target Teams (early forerunners to Business Leadership Teams) on a range of issues, many of which are still in operation today. 

Content of this page written by Helen Baker, Concise Content