Regulator announces that One Thousandth Community Interest Company has been registered
Julie Court the Regulator of Community Interest Companies was delighted today to announce the formation of the 1,000th community interest company, City Healthcare Partnership CIC.
City Healthcare Partnership CIC will provide all primary and community health services across the City of Hull. The company aims to take over and operate a number of health services, including health visiting, district nursing, school nursing, prison healthcare, dentistry, family planning and sexual health. It is being established by the staff of Hull PCT Directly Managed Provider Unit and is a Pathfinder Project.
Julie says “Over the last 24 months we have seen the momentum grow. Community interest companies are permeating society touching the lives of individuals from tiny babies through to the most vulnerable or disadvantaged. The diversity of these organisations and the commitment of those involved is heart warming. They have all willingly committed to an asset lock to ensure their focus is on maximising the benefit to the community they were set up to serve and there is openness and transparency. Anyone will be able to look at their annual community interest report on the public record and see what they have actually done and who was consulted.”
“I have been particularly pleased to see that we have 113 community interest companies active in the health and social sector, providing a spectrum of services from out of hours for a general medical practice, to help for those affected by diabetes. We have registered a wide range of companies which includes the ferry which links the Isle of Skye with mainland Scotland, bus companies, community radio stations, festivals, recycling companies and even a fish and chip shop that ploughs its surpluses back into the community for which it was set up to serve.”
Julie added, “These are exciting times for social enterprise in general and community interest companies in particular. I expect community interest companies to go from strength to strength, delivering services in health, housing, transport and education securing contracts.”
Andrew Burnell, founder Director of The City Health Care Partnership CIC, says
“The establishment of the City Health Care Partnership CIC (a DH Pathfinder Social Enterprise site) is an important step in the proposed development of a new type of organisation for delivering primary and community services within Hull."
A process that although in its infancy at the current time, does hope to see the benefits a local CIC could bring to staff and communities.”
Abbie Rumbold, partner in Bates Wells & Braithwaite the firm of solicitors who assisted The City Healthcare Partnership added,
“1,000 CICs in less than 2 years is a striking success. There is a clear demand for this type of vehicle which is ideally suited for many social enterprises and I fully expect there will be at least 10,000 on the register over the years to come. I am delighted that City Healthcare Partnership is the 1000th CIC to be registered. Having worked on the CIC concept with government and other partners from its origination to its inception as a new legal form until the present day, I firmly believe that the CIC is a valuable addition to the menu of legal choices facing social enterprises. City Healthcare Partnership is a great example of government and entrepreneurial individuals working together for social good.”
Ed Miliband, Minister for the Third Sector, said:
"The popularity of the Community Interest Company model is very impressive - 1,000 businesses choosing this model to help improve lives and landscapes in local communities."
"This is the latest evidence of the gathering pace of the social enterprise movement and its growing impact across the country – setting standards for ethical values in the private sector, and for innovation and user focus in the public sector."