Social enterprises can be newly created start-ups, or entities created by the transformation of pre-existing private organisations (e.g. NGOs, associations, non-profit organisations) or government organisations. Transformation can take place through the introduction of an economic activity, a change in organisational form (e.g. into a worker owned co-operative), or as a spin-off from another organisation (e.g. from the private, non-governmental/charitable or public sectors).
There has been growing interest in the transformation of public services into social enterprises, although this process is by no means new. With a turnover of around GBP 80 million in 2011, over 700 members and operating more than one hundred public leisure centres across the United Kingdom, Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) is an example of how pre-existing services can be transformed into a social enterprise. In 1993, following a proposed cut of 30% in funding and a similar loss in the number of staff by Greenwich Council (in London, UK), a decision was taken for the remaining council-run leisure centres to be transformed into a mutual enterprise, owned and run by staff and users. Crucial to this transformation was the significant consultation with both staff and users prior to its establishment to ensure they were engaged with both the process and the organisational model to be adopted.
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