Social Enterprise NI would like to congratulate Hilary Benn on his appointment as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under the new Labour government.
We are aware of his interest in the social economy and the wider third sector and will be engaging with him and his office in the weeks and months ahead.
There are so many opportunities to work with the social economy and to challenge the normal way we do business. At the start of the new mandate, we believe it is an opportune time to put the focus on the strengths of the social economy and also to lobby for support of our work, noting the imminent ending of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
As the representative body for the social economy in NI we step forward and seek early engagement which we believe will only lead to further mutual benefits for all.