Public services
We provide loan finance to third sector organisations that are contracting, or would like to start contracting, with public sector bodies to improve the delivery of public services in England.
What is public service delivery?
We define public services as services that are wholly or partly funded, now or in the near future, from the ‘public purse’ (money raised through taxation).
To decide whether an application fits our definition we apply the following question:
‘Do the cash flow projections for the proposal show a realistic likelihood that more than 50% of the required income flowing from the proposal once up and running; will come, directly or indirectly, from statutory bodies.’
We are looking to fund projects which will gain public sector contracts for the services they provide.
What is a public sector body?
We have already invested in hundreds of schemes were the services delivered will be paid for by contracts or fees by a public sector body.
You could be contracting, or planning to contract, with one or a number of public sector bodies. These could include:
- Local authorities (eg social services, schools, children and family departments)
- County councils
- Primary care trusts
- Hospital trusts
- Probation trusts
- Schools or children’s centres
- Youth offending teams
- Drug and alcohol prevention teams
- Learning and skills councils
- Mental health trusts
- JobCentre Plus
- Central government departments (eg Department of Health)
You could also be offering services which are paid by individuals through the benefits system or individualised budgets, for example:
- Housing benefit
- Tax credits
- Direct payments (for social care or disability services)
What type of public services do we invest in?
We invest in third sector organisations that deliver, or want to deliver, services in all areas of public service delivery, including:
- community cohesion
- community transport
- crime
- education and learning
- environmental
- health and social care
- legal aid
- sport and leisure
- support for children and young people
- the arts
- waste and recycling