Barriers: Making it easier

Many of our discussions with businesses focussed on the need to make working in communities easier, particularly for smaller business units or businesses. The key areas identified in the consultation are to remove ‘red-tape’ particularly associated with:

• helping business to mobilise volunteers
• benefit restrictions on work experience and part-time employment for people who need to overcome social barriers to sustain work
• companies collaborating on the impacts of their core business

81% of business leaders surveyed say it is important that government addressees the ‘red-tape’ to enable training and employment of people who need to overcome social barriers to gain and sustain work, with 40% saying they see it as very important.

At the Leadership Summit in December 2010, when Business in the Community reported on this consultation, the Prime Minister David Cameron said:

“I get the message loud and clear, and we will do everything we can to tackle those barriers head on – whether it is the red tape you face …  I understand the barriers. We are going to work with you to get rid of them.”

Business in the Community is now working with business and across government to remove these barriers and scale up business support in local communities. 

Click to download more information about Professional indemnity insurance and its current limitations (169 kb)

Many businesses reported that they receive a large number of ad hoc requests for support from charities and community groups which are not appropriate or possible for them the support. At the same time it was felt that most Local Authorities do not recognise or harness the opportunities of working in partnership with businesses in their communities. As such it was cited that a lack of awareness of relevant best practice business engagement, across the sectors, and particularly at local level, limits its scale and impact. This was identified most strongly in relation to the impact of good private sector-led regeneration.

85% of business leaders think it is important that government recognises and raises awareness of effective local business-community engagement

"There is a real need for organisations in all sectors to share knowledge, skills and experience to inspire and inform wider business engagement." Mike Blackburn, North West Regional Director - BT

Many businesses report difficulties establishing connections ‘on the ground’ and balancing local need with centralised national community investment policy, resources and budgets. Many speak of being overwhelmed by a high volume of ad-hoc, competing demands purely for financial support, with a feeling that there are potentially too many small community groups doing the same thing at a local level.

61% see the most useful role for Business in the Community is to act as a broker to bring together the interests and needs of business, the voluntary sector and local government to match appropriate business resource.

"Of course we could do more as a company, but the real prize of Business in the Community membership is to be able to collaborate and learn from other companies and to have the power of the many over the few." Paul Drechsler, Chairman & Chief Executive, Wates Group

Public sector procurement is seen as a significant potential lever for change at national and local level, and was frequently mentioned in consultation discussions. In our survey of business leaders, 75% say it is important for government to address.

Responsible business criteria now account for a meaningful proportion at the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) stage of public procurement. However, it is seen to be an area where Government may find it time consuming and therefore costly to review locally, and that steps could be taken to help better and easier differentiation between stronger and weaker submissions.