The Social Value Tea 🍵: Week of June 25, 2025
Hello! đź‘‹
Here’s all the Social Value Tea for the week.
I’m fully recovered now from my emergency appendix surgery, so we’re baaaaack with this week’s Social Value Tea!
This roundup brings together the latest policy shifts, research, and reports shaping the UK’s social value landscape. From multibillion-pound infrastructure investment to the £103 billion potential of housing targets, we explore how jobs, skills, housing, and net zero commitments are being redefined through a social impact lens.
Enjoy xx
News news!
Stories you might have missed.
- Boosting British jobs and skills key for firms to win major infrastructure projects
Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden has unveiled proposals to require companies bidding for major public infrastructure contracts, covering roads, rail, hospitals and schools, to demonstrate how they will create high-quality British jobs and boost skills in local communities. Bidders will be evaluated on their ability to deliver apprenticeships, T‑level placements, opportunities for care‑leavers, and sustained employment locally. The changes, which follow previous expectations for social value in public procurement, aim to make these criteria mandatory and simplify monitoring of delivery.
Read more → GOV.UK - £103bn in social value unlocked by meeting housing targets
A new report from The Housing Forum finds that hitting the UK’s housing delivery targets could generate up to £103bn in social value by 2040, including improved health outcomes, employment, and community cohesion. The study calls for social value to be more explicitly embedded in housing and planning policy, highlighting the broader benefits beyond just economic growth.
Read more → Construction.co.uk - Social mobility worth £19bn to UK economy, new study finds
A joint report from Demos and the Co‑operative Group warns that the UK’s stagnating social mobility is costing the economy an estimated £19bn annually. While most business leaders see the benefits of upward mobility, fewer are taking active steps. The report urges firms to embed social mobility into ESG strategies, spotlighting best practice from Sky, PwC, and others already taking action.
Read more → The Times - UK on track for net zero – but policy overhaul needed
The Climate Change Committee’s latest annual review confirms the UK could still meet its 2050 net zero targets—if momentum is sustained. The report praises progress in renewable energy and EV adoption, but warns that electricity remains more expensive than gas, making the green transition harder for low-income households. The CCC urges government to rebalance energy taxation and improve fairness.
Read more → The Guardian - Class and education now key dividing lines in British politics
A new political analysis reveals that class, age, and education are replacing traditional party loyalties as the main divides shaping UK elections. The research suggests that voter engagement is increasingly linked to values and identity, not ideology. As political strategies evolve, so too must approaches to social value and policy impact—especially in areas where trust in government remains low.
Read more → The Guardian
Caught our eye…
Interesting reads worth sharing.
“No matter how hard you try, you’ll never match social enterprises at delivering true social value. Instead of competing (and badly at that), why not collaborate? “
“The usual response when pay gaps get exposed is always the same: “Women just need to negotiate more.”
But here’s the thing everyone gets wrong: women DO negotiate.”
Sarah Stone from Samtaler recently chatted with Angela Benson and Sarah Hinchliffe from the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP). Worth a listen!
Celebrating outcomes
Great examples of social value work worth showcasing
🎉 Spotlight on Small Charity Week (23–28 June 2025)
Small Charity Week is the UK’s annual celebration and support initiative for small charities—those with an annual income under £1 million. First launched in 2010 by the Foundation for Social Improvement and now coordinated by NCVO in partnership with Lloyds Bank Foundation and Big Give, the campaign highlights the vital work these organisations do and offers practical tools, match-funding opportunities, and training to help them thrive.
Co‑design essential to transforming VCSE procurement
An urgent call-to-action by Maddie Kortenaar of Social Value Engine highlights a dangerous “postcode lottery” in VCSE contracting, where councils driven by cost cuts risk undervaluing their workforce and services . She stresses that sustainable procurement must start with open-book pricing to ensure fair wages and training provisions.
Kortenaar advocates moving beyond mechanical measures like TOMs to stakeholder-centred approaches such as SROI and WELLBYs, and embedding VCSE capacity building early in contracts through co-design workshops and flexible procurement frameworks .
The role of the VCFSE sector in Greater Manchester
A briefing from the Greater Manchester VCFSE Leadership Group outlines how voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations form the backbone of local communities—mobilising volunteers, amplifying lived experience, innovating to close equality gaps, and delivering public services. The paper highlights a period of instability, with many local groups facing rising costs and funding volatility. It calls for shared responsibility and fair funding protocols across sectors, underscoring the sector’s critical role in public strategy areas like “Live Well”, transport, housing-first and community safety.
Leading firms boost social procurement through Buy Social Corporate Challenge
The Year 9 report from Social Enterprise UK reveals 33 major corporations collectively spent £179 million on goods and services from social enterprises in 2024—a 46% year‑on‑year increase and the highest annual total since the scheme began in 2016.
Across nine years, partners have spent £656 million and supported some 1,132 social enterprises, helping them create or sustain nearly 6,000 jobs while reinvesting £59 million of profits into social and environmental missions. Suppliers delivered a diverse mix, from education and skills to employee wellbeing, consultancy and community services, demonstrating that sourcing with purpose delivers both procurement robustness and real social impact.
Celebrating outcomes
Great examples of social value work worth showcasing
One Young World Ambassadors deliver £ 16 in social value for every £ 1 invested
The latest One Young World 2024/25 Annual Impact Report shows that for each US $1 invested, Ambassadors generated US $16 of social value through initiatives spanning climate action, education, health and peacebuilding.
Their projects directly reached over 8 million people, mitigated 1.3 million tCO₂ emissions and generated more than US $747 million in impact, highlighting the scale of youth-led social innovation across global communities
LBBD report reveals social value delivered through local procurement
The London Borough of Barking & Dagenham’s 2024–25 Social Value Impact Report outlines how the council is embedding social value into major contracts (above £100k), requiring at least a 10% weighting in tender evaluations. Suppliers are now delivering local jobs, apprenticeships, environmental improvements, and community engagement aligned with the borough’s manifesto goals, spanning health, housing, skills, and sustainability.
Oxford North publishes ESG report and Social Value Charter
Oxford North has released its 2024 ESG Annual Report, alongside a new Social Value Charter, committing to net‑positive development across six pillars: zero‑carbon, circular resources, biodiversity, wellbeing, community connectivity, and shared prosperity.
Early highlights include a 10% reduction in embodied carbon on its first buildings, £10.5 million invested in sustainable transport infrastructure, 1,725 construction jobs (18% local hires), 49 apprenticeships and 636 volunteer hours delivered
Who’s hiring?
Here’s this week’s latest social value jobs list, published every Friday via our LinkedIn company page.
- First, our client Siân Rebourg (MICRS) is looking for a Trainee Social Value & Community Coordinator Oxford & Bristol at Hill Group UK https://lnkd.in/dGAtZCfg
- Social Value Manager at Siemens: https://lnkd.in/dTvSq8HE
- Impacts & Insights Manager (Social Value) at Mitie Cleaning & Hygiene Services: https://lnkd.in/d3rFCF6K
- Social Value Executive at Fulcrum Infrastructure Management Limited: https://lnkd.in/easwFnft
- Sustainability, Environment, and Social Value Reporting Lead at Great British Energy – Nuclear: https://lnkd.in/dBxdqP3T
- Social Value Manager at Ayvens: https://lnkd.in/dpBwRyZe
- Social Value & Stakeholder Engagement Manager at John Sisk & Son Ltd: https://lnkd.in/dHHFYGFS
- Social Value & Stakeholder Engagement Manager at SISK Group: https://lnkd.in/dBi6iviR
- Social Value Coordinator at Amentum: https://lnkd.in/dp8BX-6A
- Social Value Coordinator at Hays: https://lnkd.in/dHPV_Sk2
- Social Value & Marketing Manager at Carefoot: https://lnkd.in/d25_W3H4
- Social Value Advisor at Shirley Parsons: https://lnkd.in/duxhbasn
- UK Social Value & EMEA Partnerships Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific: https://lnkd.in/dikZ_5fs
- Social Value Officer at Serco: https://lnkd.in/d-gjiqX2
- Social Value Coordinator at Saga plc.: https://lnkd.in/d3ivk_fF
- Social Impact Manager at RSA: https://lnkd.in/ddRmcBJk
- Senior Social Impact Executive at Penguin Random House UK: https://lnkd.in/dC5-Rgqj
- Part-time ESG Data & Reporting Manager at Walker Hamill: https://lnkd.in/dkBhGC9Y
- ESG Data: Sustainability Business Analyst at Deutsche Bank: https://lnkd.in/dNK4RX_F
- ESG Analyst at Simmons & Simmons: https://lnkd.in/d-b3rNYA
- ESG Specialist at Cboe Global Markets: https://lnkd.in/dXGREfMV
- ESG Analyst at PureFuel: https://lnkd.in/d7APPBYu
- ESG Manager at Royal Voluntary Service: https://lnkd.in/dkb2T43S
- ESG Manager at Allen & York: https://lnkd.in/d6ZzwXsx
- ESG & Sustainability Manager at Austin Rose Associates: https://lnkd.in/dwjA4DXX
🎙️Spotlight on: Project Salt Run
On the 25th October 2025, Hannah Cox will run 100 marathons in 100 days along a barrier that disappeared over a hundred years ago.
It was called the Inland Customs Line which was built by the East India Company to impose the harsh salt tax that led to famine and the deaths of around 9 million Indian people in the 19th century.
The shareholder-value system they created exploited people and the planet for profit, and this system is still used today by businesses worldwide. The barrier disappeared but the system they created hasn’t. Along the 2,600-mile route, we will meet Indian non-profit organisations who are resilient against the impacts of climate change with support from the purpose-driven business partners of 1% For The Planet.
Hannah Cox, who is in the middle of an incredible Coast to Coast expedition, running 294km in 7 days from the West to the East coast. She’s doing this, not because she’s an athlete or trying to set a record, but because she is trying to show that if you believe in yourself that you can make a difference.
But now they need your help. They need money to keep this movement alive and more businesses to commit to being part of the solution.
Please donate to the crowdfunder to help them get to India in just 128 days or join the BBN and become part of a community that cares. If you can’t donate (we understand times are tough) – please do amplify the campaign by sharing and following Hannah on Linkedin and Instagram to help them show potential brands and sponsors that people care about what they are trying to do.
Lets resist the future you don’t want, by working towards one that we do 💚
đź‘ĄWhere to be
Upcoming events, awards deadlines and networking opportunities
- London Climate Action Week is June 21-29
- Reset Connect London 2025 will take place on 24-25 June at Excel London
- BidX Roadshow – Social Value will take place July 2 in Swindon
- Introduction to Social Value will take place July 3 in Manchester
- Measuring Social Impact – Training will take place July 3 in Elgin
- NatWest SE100 Social Business Awards 2025 will take place July 15 in Manchester
- Understanding Social Value will take place July 8 at Solihull College (Lauren Walker from Impact Reporting speaking)
- Maximising Social Value in Your Business will take place July 8 in Staffordshire
- Measuring and Reporting your Social Value will take place July 10 in Manchester
- Social value in energy – what is it and how to support its delivery will take place July 10 at Durham University
- Social Value Business – The Impact in Gloucestershire will take place July 16
- BBP Social Value Committee will take place July 17 in Birmingham
- The Procurement Plug will take place August 26th in Glasgow (Catherine Manning from Impact Reporting speaking)
đź’–What we’re loving outside of work…
Eating: Marry Me Chicken
A delish new rotation in my home – savoury and flavourful but not hard to make at all!
Watching: Dept. Q
Keeping this on here because all of us in the office have bingewatched it! A crime thriller adapted from a Danish book series with tis setting relocated to Edinburgh. The twist in the first episode was amazing.
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