UK business leaders call for responsible business to be made central to Government’s growth strategy
UK business leaders call for responsible business to be made central to Government’s growth strategy
Economic growth can come from communities, business and government working together.
More than 100 business leaders and 40 community leaders have come together with Business in the Community, issuing a call to action to fellow business leaders and to government for greater collaboration to back UK communities in need through responsible business actions to drive economic growth.
Sponsored by Schroders and with support from Hogan Lovells, leaders shared their business priorities, expectations of each other and the challenges they are facing through a series of interviews.
Insights from leaders revealed:
- 96% remain steadfast in their commitment to responsible business practices despite continued uncertainty and potential backlash.
- 43.5% of their clients and customers are decreasing their priority on responsible business issues.
- 69% see the geopolitical uncertainties as a significant concern.
- 9 in 10 agree that societal challenges in the UK are directly affecting their success, in particular the lack of effective skills training, cost of living and high levels of economic inactivity.
- 37% think that government is collaborating effectively with businesses to address major societal and environmental challenges – but more work needs to be done.
- There is a concerning mismatch when these insights are considered alongside those from community leaders.
- 40% of community organisations are acting beyond their organisational priorities to address social and environmental issues.
- 92% say that their greatest material risk to continuing is the challenges around funding.
- 8 in 10 of community leaders said that societal challenges in the UK were causing a change in the demand for help that they provided for health and wellbeing and cost of living.
- Only half of organisations surveyed are getting help and support from the business community.
Comparing these insights, it becomes clear that economic prosperity and opportunity is not possible with the scale of need and inequality seen in some of the UK’s most underprivileged communities. Demands on community, voluntary and educational organisations are being stretched to a point that is unsustainable, with an expectation to deliver crisis interventions that are not being delivered by government.
Recommended actions to businesses and government include:
- Fully integrating responsible business practices into the fabric of business models, focusing on its impact for innovation, resilience and long-term profitability.
- Fully immersing business in communities by identifying local actions that can be scaled up to affect societal change at a greater scale.
- Prioritising collective action and targeting continuous progress through partnerships uniting with other businesses to amplify influence.
Business in the Community is also calling on government to prioritise further devolution by giving additional powers and funding to local mayors by establishing business boards. These boards should consist of businesses who are already investing in and improving local areas, with the group a mechanism to build on central government funding to ‘power up’ its work at a macro, targeted level.
Peter Harrison, Chair of Business in the Community, said:
“More and more leaders are working together to tackle the systemic changes affecting people, places and the planet. Against a backdrop of geopolitical instability and a tough economic climate, it’s encouraging that businesses are steadfast in their efforts to collaborate with fellow leaders and prioritising a deeper relationship with government to affect real change. Sustainable employment, upward mobility and stronger communities can be a reality when business, government and communities come together. For businesses, it’s a time for bold and brave leadership, greater collaboration and to deliver solutions at pace. For government, it’s time to prioritise further devolution and provide more powers and funding to mayors and businesses who are lifting up communities on the ground.”
ENDS
Notes to editor
- The State of the Nation 2025 insights report is available upon request. Information from the report is drawn from insights collected from interviews with leaders, the annual survey and reflections from The King’s Seeing is Believing visits. The King’s Seeing is Believing programme was established by the then Prince of Wales in 1990. The programme, supported by Salesforce and Linklaters LLP, was born from a simple but powerful belief that the best way to close the gap between the boardroom and the community was to take business leaders out to the communities and, through the power of experiential learning, to inspire and challenge participants. The visits are designed to encourage business leaders to think strategically about the implications for their own businesses and the practical actions that can be taken in response, leading to meaningful and sustained impact for both businesses and communities. To date, over 25,000 business leaders have taken part in the King’s Seeing is Believing programme which has led to various initiatives being set up including Career Ready, Ban the Box and mentoring circles in collaboration with the Department for Work and Pensions. The King’s Seeing is Believing programme 2024-2025 report is available upon request.
- Through initiatives such as Opening Doors, See it Be it and the Pride of Place movement, Business in the Community champions responsible business through collaborating with its business network that is dedicated to building a fairer and greener world through collaborative action.
- As part of this annual conversation, quantitative and qualitative insights have been used to understand the perspectives of UK business leaders on responsible business and economic growth. We surveyed senior leaders, including CEOs, Chairs and Executive Committee members from some of the UK’s largest companies across a range of sectors. The survey was conducted between January and May 2025 and responses were anonymised to encourage honest and open input.
For further information, please contact Polly Dacam, Press Officer, on 020 7566 6638.