Creating a more inclusive economy in Manchester is one of the Policy and Influence Team’s policy priorities. Below you can see the work we do at Macc to work towards this goal, and find out more information about what an inclusive economy means.

Find more below about: the Manchester Social Economy Alliance and the Greater Manchester Social Value Network

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What is an inclusive economy and why does it matter?

Macc provides support to organisations in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) in Manchester who want to create a better economy.

A better economy for Manchester is one where wealth and opportunity are shared fairly across the city. A better economy is one where people have a say in how the economy works for them. A better economy is one where organisations are not contributing to climate change. The name for an economy that does these things is an inclusive economy.

Changing how the economy works to make it more inclusive is clearly an enormous and complex task. Despite this, VCSE organisations can still play an important role in changing parts of how our economy works in Manchester to make it work better for people and our planet.

What do we mean by ‘inclusive economy’? by Beth Sharratt at GMCVO

Building a Greater Manchester: Our Economic Vision by the Greater Manchester VCSE Leadership Group

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Manchester Social Economy Alliance (MSEA)                                                                          

The Manchester Social Economy Alliance is a group of organisations that are a part of the social economy in Manchester.  

Organisations in the social economy are businesses which reinvest all of their profits into achieving a social or economic goal. 

Macc is an administrator of the MSEA, and we have recently partnered with Flourish CIC to secure funding for the MSEA from Manchester City Council. This funding will be used by alliance members to:  

• Run events in Manchester to support and grow the social economy, 
• Support the strategic development of the social economy in Manchester by influencing policy. 

Sign up to our MSEA mailing list to hear about upcoming events and policy developments in Manchester's social economy!

If you are a part of Manchester’s social economy and want to become a part of the MSEA, where you can join other organisations to share resources and get support, or if you want to find out more - please contact Josie McMeeking at [email protected]. 

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Greater Manchester Social Value Network (GMSVN) 

The Greater Manchester Social Value Network (GMSVN) was established to provide an opportunity for people to learn, share and deliver more social value and in turn to positively impact on people, planet and prosperity. 

The aim of the GMSVN is to encourage organisations in every sector to seek relevant social, environmental and economic value from everything they do irrespective of if it be service delivery, commissioning and procurement or staff wellbeing and development. Social value considers more than just the financial transactions and includes: happiness; wellbeing; health; inclusion; empowerment; poverty; environment. 

Macc has hosted GMSVN since its development and continues to provide support, resources and ideas as Macc sees the significant benefit that the work of the GMSVN brings to cross-sector organisations across Greater Manchester.

The GM Social Value Network has approximately 400 members and hosts their members in series of events, conferences and workshops to raise awareness of different elements of social value and what impact it can make. The network also produces regular news bulletins to update members about relevant events, trainings, reports, legislation and job opportunities and ask our members to contribute to share learning from their own experiences of social value in practice.

For information visit the GMSVN website at https://gmsvn.org.uk/ or contact Anna Tate at [email protected] 

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Real Living Wage (RLW) 

What is the real living wage?   

The Real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate based on the real cost of living. It is voluntarily paid by over 14,000 UK businesses who believe their staff deserve a wage which meets everyday needs - like the weekly shop, or a surprise trip to the dentist. 

In October 2023, the RLW was updated in line with rising cost of living and is now £12/hour, compared to the national minimum wage of £10.18.  its calculated according to latest figures on cost of living in the UK, and the cost of a typical basket of household goods and bills.  

Macc was accredited as a real living wage employer in 2013 and we are now working to support Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations in Manchester to also become accredited.  

Why is the Real Living Wage needed?  

14% of jobs in the VCSE sector are paid below the real living wage, compared to 5% in the public sector.  

Public perception is often that front line charitable work needs to be as low cost as possible, this means it can be challenging for VSCE orgs to receive funding to properly pay their staff, and race to the bottom commissioning and funding culture has meant third sector providers are competing for funding and contracts. 

Regional Divide:  

There are also regional inequalities affecting pay in our sector, the North-West has the highest levels in England of VCSE sector low pay.  

The low pay in the VCSE sector is making inequalities worse. Jobs done by women are more likely to be low paid than those done by men and people with disabilities are even more likely to be in low paid roles than those without a disability.  

Paying the RLW means:  

Workers earn enough for a good quality of life, with wages that cover their basic necessities and leisure activities. As well as being able to save for their futures – with more money for house deposits, emergency funds and higher education.  

Research from the Real Living Wage Foundation finds that being paid the real living wage positively impacts worker’s mental and physical health and leads to higher satisfaction and greater productivity at work.  

What are we doing in Macc? 

Macc was accredited as a Real Living Wage employer in 2013. Macc recently became accredited for Living Hours and we’re looking at Living Pensions using ourselves as a test case. 

On Living Wage Employers, Macc continues to promote this as good practice (alongside the GM Good Employment Charter).  

Our GM VCSE Workforce Development Project is also working on:  

• Development of an online hub for VCSE workforce issues – guidance, templates, etc. – this will include information about RLW, why to become accredited, how to go about it, etc. 
• A programme of surveys of various aspects of employment in the VCSE sector. Recent ones include HR support and payroll support. Upcoming ones will address staff welfare and employment terms and conditions (including pay) 
• A roundtable on EDI and the VCSE sector workforce.  

How To Be Accredited 

Organisations can become accredited Real Living Wage employers through the Real Living Wage Foundation. It's easy to get started, simply fill out this application form and head to the Real Living Wage Foundation website to find out more. Not only is paying the real living wage good for your community, it is beneficial to your organisational reputation and improves productivity and contentment of staff at work.   

If you want to find out more, or learn how you can become a real living wage employer, contact one of our team at: [email protected].

Living Wage Week 2023: 

London Event summary:  

Q, a member of our Policy and Influence Team attended the Real Living Wage summit in London in November during Living Wage Week: 

“At the summit in London panel discussions and group-based workshops were conducted throughout the day. The summit acknowledged the growth of the real living wage in the UK, and that beyond the borders of the UK in countries like India there are civil society organisations that are also driving the cause for a real living wage. It was also noted that in the developing world employers find it difficult to pay the real living wage because of the nature and size of their businesses and economies”.