Learning the lessons of Envirowork Lewisham

[Tim Lund]

At a time when ideology and / or budgets are pushing former council services towards social enterprises, I am surprised that there is no comment on the failure last year of what until then seemed the poster child of local social entrepreneurship - Envirowork Lewisham. It was doing everything right it seemed - providing training for people struggling to get into proper jobs, and as a side line bringing cricket to Mayow Park - which would seem to have been all agreed at a Mayor and Cabinet meeting, 14th July
http://councilmeetings.lewisham.gov.uk/ ... %20PDF.pdf,

but less than five weeks later a winding up order appears in the London Gazette. A search of the London Gazette for May 6th, however would have shown that something was perhaps not quite right, at least in the eyes of 'HM Revenue and Customs, of Bush House, Strand, London WC2B 4RD, claiming to be Creditors of the Company'. For this and more, follow this link http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/ ... Envirowork

I don't want to suggest that Lewisham Council were not aware of possible problems, especially since in the M&C meeting minutes there is this language 'to access the funding to complete the project should Envirowork Lewisham not be able to fulfil its obligations'. Or maybe this is just standard legal caution. My point is rather that to the outside world, everything seems hunky-dory, until it goes wrong, at which point a wall of silence descends. I have not found any mention about this on the Council web site, and even more surprisingly, on the Friends of Mayow Park blog - http://friendsofmayowpark.blogspot.com/.

The lesson most likely learned from this, unfortunately, is that running a social enterprise of the sort of scale which ideas of the Big Society require is not easy, and probably best avoided by anyone who wants to be able to enjoy life. On the other hand, if eventually the Council will be able to say what went wrong, and maybe use it as a case study in working with future partners, then more constructive lessons will be learned. In the meantime, some respect please for the boring sorts of people who do the accounts, check the money, take minutes and file documents. They matter as much as the inspirational types, and really do empower community organisations.

[catford_7]

I can provide some answers about what went wrong, but his would involve naming people and don't think we can do that on this forum

It was doing everything right it seemed - providing training for people struggling to get into proper jobs

It was doing very little right, and I believe most of the young people employed by envirowork would disagree that they were provided with training to help them find work.

......to the outside world, everything seems hunky-dory, until it goes wrong, at which point a wall of silence descends. I have not found any mention about this on the Council web site, and even more surprisingly, on the Friends of Mayow Park blog[/url].
The lesson most likely learned from this, unfortunately, is that running a social enterprise of the sort of scale which ideas of the Big Society require is not easy, and probably best avoided by anyone who wants to be able to enjoy life. On the other hand, if eventually the Council will be able to say what went wrong, and maybe use it as a case study in working with future partners, then more constructive lessons will be learned.

With it's access to subsidised labour (£2.50 an hour in practice?), and a bias in favour of enviroworks when when tendering for council work, this business should have done well.
The stated principles and businesses model behind Enviroworks should have led to a successful company, and I believe it this was view of most of the staff. I believe the staff all knew it was doomed due to some core problems which had no link to it's status as a Social Enterprise. It appears the blind support it got from parts of the community, and the council, kept it afloat by handing enviroworks contracts it wouldn't have one in a fair tendering process.

I doubt the council will ever be able to state what when wrong. This was not a council business. They only dealt with one person, and would need to speak with the staff and "employees" to find out what the problem were, and they were very obvious. Most of the "middle classes" that gave it support (and helped it win contracts from the council) only saw the principles behind the project, and were blind to how the company was being run or the work practices.

If you knew what was actually happening behind tthe facade of a "social enterprise helping unemployed", it would be a shock it lasted so long

[Tim Lund]

Most of the "middle classes" that gave it support (and helped it win contracts from the council) only saw the principles behind the project, and were blind to how the company was being run or the work practices.

Ouch

I thought I'd go looking for a favourite quote

When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do?

which is only 'attributed'. But here's an actual and better one

There is no harm in being sometimes wrong — especially if one is promptly found out.

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes


The trouble here is that a wall of silence gets in the way of anything being found out, and people, organisations fail to learn, and in the meantime, harm is done.