What is Social Value?
Social value was enshrined in the Public Services Act 2012 with the requirement that the public sector encourage their supply chain to deliver services to their local communities and local neighbourhoods, in addition to the services they provide as part of their contractual obligations. The common factor underlining all SV strategies is the aim of maximising public benefit and outcomes that support the public good.
The four key areas where it is considered that social value can make an improvement and benefit the community are social, economic, environmental and general wellbeing sectors. For more information about Social Value click https://socialvalueportal.com to visit the website.
Edward Street Quarter approach
Placemaking means more than just bricks and mortar; it is the people who live there that makes a place. At Edward Street Quarter, McLaren and First Base have sought to work with the local community to provide tangible long-term benefits, directed by what the community needs and delivered in partnership.
Our Delivery at Edward Street Quarter
Supporting training, employment and skills have been key priorities during construction, but our 20 year Social Value Action Plan seeks to also improve local health, wellbeing and environmental outcomes. Our Social Value outcomes are listed below.
- More local people in employment; improving skills for local people and employability of young people
- More opportunities for local SMEs and VCSEs
- A workforce and culture that reflect the diversity of the local community
- Ethical Procurement is promoted, with Social Value embedded in the supply chain
- Crime reduction
- Creating a healthier community
- Vulnerable people are helped to live independently
- Reduce loneliness and isolation
- Reduce inequalities towards disadvantaged young children and families
- Climate impacts and air pollution reduced
- Better places to live: The creation and upkeep of green space available to the community
Our partnership with the Social Value Portal has allowed us to understand and analyse local needs, in addition to monitoring the delivery of local benefits. These outcomes are quantified as a monetary figure, to demonstrate the positive impact that has taken place, equivalent to a financial investment.
To date we have delivered £11 million in financial value for the Edward Street Quarter including the following:
- The full time equivalent of employing 27 local staff on annual contracts, the financial value is circa £1 million
- Local labour – number of local residents working at Edward Street Quarter – Brighton and Hove residents employed on the site averages at 24%
- Three students from Brighton University have benefited from internships
- 100 plus local young people have benefited from mentoring and career advice
- 50 plus local people have been the given the opportunity to attend industry accredited training courses
- 20 local residents working on site have benefitted from our training programme that aims to upskill them to industry standard qualifications
- over £10million in contract value committed to local companies for the delivery of goods and services including procuring the services of a security company and local cleaning company on site.
- £2,000 to the Young City Reads campaign for the provision of books for local primary school, Carlton Hill
- Tarner Community Project received funding for its annual ‘Winter Warmer’ event which caters for hundreds of neighbourhood residents, and donations of food for vulnerable local people
- Community Garden on Edward Street received a water butt, we built a patio area and pathway and they received a bench in the summer
Local people have benefitted from apprenticeship opportunities on the site – you can find a couple of case studies about Luke and Jake on our Community page.
Forward Steps
We currently monitor our progress to measure our Social Value impact in relation to the Edward Street Quarter community, and for more information on our progress, you can find our quarterly updates on our Community Page. If you have any suggestions for initiatives you think will help us achieve our targets then please get in touch with Janine at janine@themorrisconsultancy.co.uk to share your suggestions.
