The Co-operative Model of Enterprise

Greenwich Leisure Ltd describes itself proudly, some might say cheekily, as ‘London’s most successful social enterprise’. It was created in 1993, as a new delivery vehicle for the former leisure centres division of the London Borough of Greenwich, and since then has been operating Greenwich’s leisure centre facilities for the Council, on a ‘grant and lease’ basis. It has also gradually expanded away from this core business and now operates similar leisure service management functions for a number of other local authorities in the London area. It is structured as an industrial and provident society (the familiar legal vehicle for co-operative and community-based organisations) and describes itself as an ‘employee owned society for the benefit of the community’. It is non profit distributing, and although not a registered charity has broadly charitable objectives.