Queen's Speech: Social enterprise and mutuals

The promised expansion of the role of the third sector and co-operatives does need legislation. The project will be co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office Minister, Francis Maude, who will work with the Minister for Civil Society, Treasury Ministers and government departments to identify where social enterprise, charities and co-operatives can have an enhanced role in public services.

Efforts will include opening up public services markets to allow social enterprise, charities and co-operatives to bid to run public services and an initiative to identify and remove barriers to involvement. Public sector workers will be given a new right to form employee-owned co-operatives and bid to take over the services they deliver. The first measures to implement this policy are expected to be in place by the autumn.