Coventry City Council has embedded social value in its procurement processes and contracts and in our work with partner organisations and communities.
In particular, with the support of planning and procurement, the Economic Development Service has embedded social value in major development projects in the city. This has great benefits for local residents, businesses, and our economy – notably in making “the Coventry Pound” go further and benefits of spend being retained in the local economy. Considering activities inclusively and their wider economic, social, and environmental effects enables us to challenge inequalities, promote inclusion, deliver sustainability, support the local economy, and work with the local community. It emphasises the impact on people's lives rather than using money as an indicator of value.
Using the Themes, Outcomes, and Measures (TOMS) framework, colleagues from the Inward Investment Team work with Planning and Procurement, who identify any major development projects in the city defined by the Town and Country Planning Act. Once a social value condition is set, the Inward Investment team work with the developers to set targets using a tailor-made social value action plan using the TOMS framework. Once these measures are in place, they continue working towards this until the end of the development. Examples include hiring apprentices and local people, donating to community organisations, using local businesses for supplies, and volunteering in local schools to deliver employment talks. The Inward Investment Team links the developers with several stakeholders to support them in achieving their targets.
The Inward Investment Team within the Economic Development area suggested to the Coventry HDRC team that they would benefit from a review of evidence of best practice in approaches to their social value work with developers. This was because there is limited readily accessible information on local authority approaches available on the internet, resulting in Coventry City Council developing its own system. Social Value aligns with the HDRC, as creating social value has clear connections with efforts to reduce health inequalities through action on the wider determinants of health.
Jack Birch, a HDRC Research Fellow, conducted a literature review that captured information and policy reports on social value, evaluating the different ways of working. This evidence highlighted that Sandwell is another local authority in the West Midlands that has a particularly forward thinking approach to its work on social value. The HDRC team facilitated the relationship between the council officers, so a discussion about good practices and future plans took place.
"The literature review helped us benchmark where we are in terms of social value compared to other local authorities, which confirmed that Coventry is pretty advanced in this area" Kate Martin, Coventry City Council.
There are several potential opportunities to implement this social value model within other teams and services working with a One Coventry approach to deliver and monitor social value more widely. Discussions are taking place for Coventry City Council to form a working group to review how social value can be linked with other service areas within the Council and monitored more effectively. Knowledge-sharing is key to working together and making better decisions to support our residents.