Behind the most famous door in the world, 10 Downing Street is a maze of corridors and staircases connecting uneven floors and oddly-shaped rooms. The parallels between the creaking buildings and the cumbersome bureaucracy of the UK government are often uncanny.
This week, the Prime Minister announced a new 'single front door' for local authority and business leaders, with a promise to clear the bureaucracy that gets in the way.
Based in the Cabinet Office and bringing together departments across Whitehall, the new Office for the Impact Economy will connect communities with the stakeholders who want to support them - social investors, philanthropists and businesses doing good, collectively known as "the impact economy".
Its remit is to develop place-based, strategic partnerships, harnessing the full potential of the impact economy - already worth over £100 billion in the UK - to help tackle problems which the public sector can't solve alone.
The goals are social and economic: more good, local jobs and future-proof training; more affordable housing and clean, renewable energy; safer streets and healthier, happier children - all achieved faster with more resilient funding.
I'm the Head of Policy at ReGenerate, the charity which first proposed the Office and developed the idea with a coalition of other impact economy organisations. We believe it could be a game changer for local and regional governments.
Delivering real outcomes in every region
Right now, councils are stretched to breaking point and the chancellor has warned of 'difficult decisions' at the upcoming Budget. The national economy may have stalled, yet the impact economy continues to grow, delivering real results in local communities.
Through the recent launch of initiatives like the Civil Society Covenant and the Better Futures Fund, the Government has begun to recognise this potential. But the power of the impact economy is about more than money alone. What matters is where investment lands, and who can turn it into tangible outcomes at pace.
Often, that's mainstream businesses. The UK's 5.5 million businesses employ 27.8 million people and generate forty times the turnover of the charity and social enterprise sectors combined. They understand regional differences and serve local needs - it's how they stay profitable - and they can reach the people furthest from Westminster. The results are a win-win for business success and social impact.
Many well-known businesses are already working to improve lives up and down the country. Greene King runs training academies in prisons, from Northamptonshire to northern Scotland, recruiting ex-offenders into its kitchens and reducing re-offending rates in local communities. Octopus Group is building new, affordable, energy-efficient homes for social rent and shared ownership, providing high-quality housing for low income families while helping to cut carbon emissions on the ground. Greggs provides free, nutritious breakfasts to children in receipt of free school meals, boosting attendance and attainment.
These are profitable, place-based solutions which stick, showcasing the unique capability of mainstream business to innovate and scale while still boosting the economy. But our research shows businesses have been delivering these initiatives despite Government, not because of it. The Office for the Impact Economy is set to change that.
How you can seize this opportunity
Many local and regional governments have already established meaningful partnerships with the impact economy - partnerships like the Midlands Employer Alliance, which we helped set-up to provide good work for underserved communities.
Wherever you are on your partnership journey, engaging with the Office for the Impact Economy will help grow your impact, and you will soon have the opportunity to help shape how it works.
To make the most of its offer, consider these three questions:
1. The impact economy can often test, learn and grow faster than the public sector. Which problems in your area are most pressing but stubborn to solve, and what would you try if you could afford to take bigger risks?
2. The new Office will be co-designed with local and regional governments, alongside key impact economy organisations. What barriers currently hold you back from partnering with businesses, and how could central government support you to overcome them?
3. Now is the time to set yourself up for early success. Do you have the right resources, structure and strategy in place to form a strong relationship with the new Office and make the most of its offer?
It might not be as shiny or polished as the iconic door to No10, but the Office for the Impact Economy is a virtual door which is already open. Waiting on the other side are organisations which share your ambitions and can help you achieve them. All you have to do is step over the threshold!
Bramwell Blower is head of policy at ReGenerate, the charity on a mission to make good business the new normal in the UK.
