Enterprise England
Beneficiaries and Benefits Survey

Enterprise England is a company limited by guarantee with charitable objects, which is operated in an enterprise centre at: 2^nd Floor at Maidstone House, Maidstone, Kent. Currently, Enterprise England is in the process of applying for registration as a charity with the Charity Commission.

To discover our social outcomes we carried out a ‘Beneficiaries and Benefits Survey’ which was completed by each of the organisations working on the 2^nd Floor at Maidstone House. The completed Survey (below) reveals that 82.7% of those working at our enterprise centre qualify as charitable beneficiaries and are receiving charitable benefits in fulfilment of our objects.

Enterprise England
Charitable Objectives

The objects of the charity are, for the public benefit:

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The relief of unemployment, in particular but not exclusively unemployment amongst those who are disadvantaged by reason of youth, age, ill health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage, ex-servicemen and women, ex-offenders and craft workers, in such ways as may be thought fit and Including but not limited to:

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• the provision of land and buildings at below market and/or subsidised levels to existing businesses to protect jobs, especially retaining staff and avoiding redundancies when otherwise jobs would be lost, and reduce unemployment or increase job opportunities for the unemployed, and start-up businesses to create new jobs, especially for the long-term unemployed and the disadvantaged, and

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• the provision of advice, training and assistance to unemployed individuals concerning self-employment and to existing businesses to encourage the creation of new jobs for the unemployed, especially the long-term unemployed and the disadvantaged.

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The advancement of knowledge, education and training in all aspects of effective small business management, small business support, workspace management, traditional crafts and artisan skills, and social enterprise and its public dissemination, in particular but not limited to thorough research and training in its theory and practical application through work experience through its operation and through general publication.

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The advancement of the arts, culture and heritage through the promotion and preservation of traditional crafts and artisan skills and the provision of advice and support to those who practice such crafts and skills.

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The promotion of the efficiency and effectiveness of charities and the effective use of resources for charitable purposes, in particular but not limited to through providing support and workspaces, and providing advice and assistance to reduce reliance on donations and diversify income streams.

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The advancement of industry, commerce and enterprise in particular but not limited to through training, education, support, workspace, mentoring, advice and assistance which:

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• relieves poverty,
• relieves unemployment,
• advances health,
• advances environmental protection or improvement and sustainable development, and
• advances citizenship or community development

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The support of such other charitable purposes as the Trustees in their discretion think fit, subject to approval by a resolution of the Members.

Enterprise England
Background to Objects

Summary

After researching the needs of the Kent area and the potential benefits a charity of our type can bring, we believe that this is a worthwhile and worthy charitable project.

The Charity Commission Guidance “Charities for the Relief of Unemployment” RR3 publication summarises the Charity Commission’s views on the extent to which the relief of unemployment is charitable. It says:

“3. The courts recently recognised that securing gainful activity for unemployed people is charitable in its own right. This publication sets out the criteria which will enable us to accept for registration as charities organisations which aim to relieve unemployment. It also sets out a list of those activities in which charities aiming to relieve unemployment may engage.

Tests for charitable status

4. We have concluded that, in order to be charitable, an organisation for the relief of unemployment will need to demonstrate that:

• it is set up for the primary purpose of relieving unemployment for the public benefit;
• its activities are directed to the relief of unemployment generally or to a significant section of the community in a way which can be demonstrated objectively; and
• any benefit to private interests must be strictly incidental to its primary purpose.

5. Within this an unemployment charity may engage in all or any of the following activities:

• the provision of advice and training to unemployed individuals concerning employment, self employment and the establishment of co-operative enterprises and the provision of CV writing, job search and job club facilities for them;
• the provision of practical support to unemployed people by way of accommodation, child care facilities or assistance with travel;
• the provision by charities of land and buildings at below market or subsidised rents to businesses starting up;
• the provision of capital grants or equipment to new businesses;
• the payment by a grant-making charity to an existing commercial business to take on additional staff from unemployed people.”

N.B. Enterprise England has the relief of unemployment as one of several objects, all of which are charitable.

Research of need

We have researched and established the need for the relief of unemployment, the support of the arts, culture and heritage, the increased efficiency and effectiveness of charities, the success of industry, commerce and enterprise in the Kent area. Please see “Local Economic Context” on our web site.

Analysis of benefits

We have analysed the potential public benefits of providing workspace at subsidised levels to start-up and existing businesses, the provision of help to the unemployed in starting their own businesses, improving learning about small business management, small business support, workspace management, traditional crafts, artisan skills, social enterprise and publishing the knowledge gained. We believe that delivering these benefits is in the public interest and charitable.

Public interest

We believe it is in the public interest to:

• Relieve poverty
• Reduce unemployment
• Promote good health
• Protect and improve the environmental, encouraging sustainable development
• Advance citizenship and community development

Charitable objects

Accordingly, we have adopted the identical charitable objects of another charity registered with the Charity Commission, carried out a survey to discover if our activities are delivering charitable benefits to those who qualify as charitable beneficiaries and sought to determine if the level of private benefit involved is incidental and public benefit is achieved. Our conclusion, having examined all these aspects, is positive.

Charity Commission Guidance

We have concluded that Enterprise England is both a charitable organisation, in that its objects are exclusively charitable, and its activities are also charitable, as revealed in our “Benefits Survey”, see our web site. We recognise the Charity Commission Guidance “Charities for the Relief of Unemployment” RR3 sets out the principles we should follow.

We confirm that in our view Enterprise England demonstrates that:

• it is set up for the primary purpose of relieving unemployment and other charitable objects for the public benefit;
• its activities are directed to the relief of unemployment and other charitable objects primarily in Kent, benefitting the people of Kent
• the public of Kent are a significant section of the community
• the benefits we deliver have been demonstrated objectively in our “Benefits Survey” on our web site.
• our assistance is directed to the relief of a charitable need and is commensurate, see our “Subsidy per Benefit Survey” on our web site
• any benefit to private interests are strictly incidental to our primary purpose

Subsidy per Benefit Survey

We have also analysed our space users, the level of subsidy, the discount below market levels, the number of workers who qualify as charitable beneficiaries, the number of benefits provided to those beneficiaries, the level of subsidy per beneficiary and the level of per benefit. This is to reveal if our assistance is directed to the relief of a charitable need and if the level of assistance is commensurate with that need. Please see our “Subsidy per Benefit Survey” results on our web site. After analysis and consideration, we believe our assistance is directed to the relief of a charitable need and it is commensurate.

Policies

We have adopted extensive policies to ensure that our centre is ‘Open to all’ regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, origin, political belief, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or any other irrelevant factor.

Terms

The Trustees determine whether or not the provision of workspace on favourable terms is appropriate in each particular case, ensuring public benefit. We have considered whether a lease, licence or service agreement would be most suitable to provide the kind of assistance required, the terms of that service agreement and how to prevent space users who no longer qualify as beneficiaries from obtaining security of tenure under Part II of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954.

Monitoring beneficiaries

The Trustees have ensured they have the ability to prohibit the assignment of any service agreement and secure for its surrender in certain circumstances, such as the space users ceasing to have workers who qualify as beneficiaries. The Trustees seek to ensure any support will be monitored and the withdrawal of that support is limited to three years from the start of each beneficiaries’ period of benefit.

Capital grants

With the provision of capital grants for equipment, Trustees will ensure that the support is suitable for the business in question and that no warranty is given if such support is repeated.

Protecting the charity’s interests

The Trustees have made provision to protect the charity’s interest in the property in the event of a tenant’s insolvency.

Fees

The Trustees are also able to increase service agreement fees over the years in relation to a tenant business’s increasing ability to pay more up to a market rental.

Accounting policy

The Trustees have decided to treat the centre as functional property for accounting purposes.

Prevention of unemployment

We note that in Charity Commission Guidance PB2 “The Prevention or Relief of Poverty for the Public Benefit” (December 2008, as amended December 2011) in C2 “When is the prevention of poverty distinct from the relief of poverty?” that the Commission say:

“In our Commentary on the Descriptions of Charitable Purposes in the Charities Act we recognise that the prevention of poverty includes preventing those who are poor from becoming poorer, and preventing people who are not poor from becoming poor. There is a fine distinction between helping someone who is already in poverty and assisting someone so that they do not become poor. Therefore, in general, we consider that the prevention of poverty includes the relief of poverty, and that the relief of poverty includes the prevention of poverty.”

We apply the same principle to the relief of unemployment, and believe that the prevention of unemployment is also charitable. This was previously accepted for another charity in Charity Commission reference 1151126 CRM:0207755.

Enterprise Centres in the UK

Charities Providing Offices and Desk Spaces

The Enterprise Centre

The Enterprise Centre provides buildings, facilities and open space in the Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Leicester City.

Charity No. 1168564

The services provided are economic/community development/employment, disability, recreation, general charitable purposes, education and training.  The services are provided to people who are disabled, of particular ethnic or racial origins, who are young/children.  Also to other charities or voluntary bodies.

The charitable objectives are: the advancement of education for the public benefit by the provision a self-contained, well equipped facility providing the opportunity to develop a wide variety of practical skills and qualifications in a supportive and positive “family style” atmosphere for students in key stage 2-4 and members of the local community.

www.enterprisecentre.org

The London Small Business Centre / Nwes

The London Small Business Centre is part of the Nwes Group, the largest enterprise agency in the country.  It is one of the leading enterprise agencies in the capital providing funding, workspaces, training and face-to-face advice and mentoring for entrepreneurs and those wanting to start their own small businesses.  They provide a range of locations across the capital for co-working and small office spaces, alongside meeting rooms and fast Wi-Fi.

Established in 1982, Nwes is one of the largest not-for-profit enterprise agencies in the UK, who provide total business support, boost self-employment and encourage enterprise.

A successful by-product of a marketing agency, HUT42, which launched in November 2016, is one of the latest businesses to move into King’s Lynn Innovation Centre, Nwes’ flagship innovation and business centre in West Norfolk.  Nwes also provide locations in London, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.

Nwes registered office:
Norwich Enterprise Centre, 4B Guildhall Hill, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1JH
Nwes Property Services Ltd: Company No. 5361073

Norfolk & Waveney Enterprise Services: Company No. 1633258

Bridge Trust of Great Yarmouth Limited: Company No. 4846571

Registered Charity No. 1111009

Can Mezzanine Limited

Can Mezzanine Limited is a self-sustaining registered charity:

Charity No. 1128255

Company No. 05976914

Registered Office: 7-14 Great Dover Street, London, SE1 4YR), trading as a social enterprise which helps other charities and social ventures by offering business support, capital and flexible, affordable office space.

The Charity’s aims are: To promote and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of charities, voluntary groups, community groups and not-for-profit organisations by the provision and management for such organisations of office accommodation, conferences, training and other facilities, services and support. To improve the efficiency of the administration of charities in direct pursuit of the objects, by the provision of training and information particularly in the field of information technology.

It provides successful collaborative working environments for the third sector at its properties in four London locations: Old Street N1, Loman Street SE1, Hounslow TW3 and Bermondsey SE16.

www.canmezzanine.co.uk

Other ‘Enterprise’ Charities