What’s new in the world of social value? Vol. 2

If there’s one thing you can count on in terms of social value, it’s that it’s always in flux. Whether it’s new proposed legislations, emerging trends, or success stories from organisations or governments doing it right, there are always plenty of news stories to sink your teeth into. Dare we say, too many?

Back in April, we broke down 3 of our favourite news stories from the past month as a way for you to keep your finger on the pulse – without having to wade through the hundreds of articles yourself. And this month, we’re back at it again with a fresh batch of articles that will give you inspiration, food for thought, or something new to keep on your radar.

Without further ado, let’s jump in!

A new five-year strategic plan for Homes England

Last month, Homes England – a public body responsible for affordable housing – launched their new five-year strategic plan. This new strategy is accompanied by over £16 million of government funding. It outlines the key ways they’re planning to support communities and deliver even more quality, affordable housing in the future.

The five main objectives include:

• Support the creation of vibrant and successful places that people can be proud of, working with local leaders and other partners to deliver housing-led mixed-use regeneration with a brownfield-first approach.
• Facilitate the creation of the homes people need, intervening where necessary to ensure places have enough homes of the right type and tenure.
• Build a housing and regeneration sector that works for everyone, driving diversification, partnership working, and innovation.
• Promote the creation of high-quality homes in well-designed places that reflect community priorities by taking an inclusive and long-term approach.
• Enable sustainable homes and places, maximising their positive contribution to the natural environment impact.

A core shift Homes England wants to make is to operate in a more place-based way. That is, to ensure its power, funding, and support are focused on the specific needs of individual areas.

“Over the next five years, we will continue to work with housebuilders of all shapes and sizes to boost housing supply. But we will also focus on the places those homes sit, working ever more closely with local leaders and other partners to build communities as well as housing, be it through housing-led, mixed-use regeneration or new settlements.” – Peter Freeman, Chair of Homes England

To read more about their proposed changes, check out the full article over here.

How the Welsh government is ramping up support for SMEs

The Welsh government has recently announced a new scheme to support SMEs through access to health and wellbeing services. Dubbed the ‘In-Work Support Service’, it will use £8 million of funding to deliver free access to therapeutic support over the next two years.

Here’s the topline overview:

Who is eligible?

• Employees of SMEs
• Anyone who is self-employed
• Those who are absent from work or at risk of absence due to poor physical or mental health

What support can they get?

• Physiotherapy
• Osteopathy
• Chiropody
• Podiatry
• Counselling
• Stress management

“Businesses increasingly appreciate the link between wellbeing and a happy and productive workforce, and the economic benefits that investing in activities which promote good health bring. This new scheme will enable businesses who lack occupational health services of their own to access important support for their employees or themselves.” – Lynne Neagle, Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing

The scheme will operate across Wales and has the potential to help 7,000 people secure life- and career-changing support. We can’t help but wonder: is this something that could be replicated by other governments or institutions? After all, improving access and opportunities for SMEs remains a critical part of the social value agenda.

Why wait for official legislation to make positive changes?

The time between a new piece of legislation being announced and actually coming into force can be long. Just look at The UK’s Procurement Bill. It was first introduced in 2020 but the latest word is that it won’t come into effect until October 2024. But, as this article on CIPS says, why wait for official word to make positive changes? The procurement process needs fresh ideas and innovation now, not next year.

“I absolutely don’t want to see a freeze going on in people wanting to advance procurement and try new ideas simply because they’re waiting for autumn 2024. With all the challenges we face – from how to deliver net zero to upgrading housing and AI – we can’t afford to hang about.” – Malcolm Harbour, Connected Places Catapult association

This matters for social value because the new bill will call for tenders to be ranked according to the “most advantageous tender”. As opposed to the “most economically advantageous tender”. It will encourage procurement teams to look at the bigger picture of how a bid will deliver tangible social value. This is instead of looking purely for value for money. But, as the article says, there’s no reason why you can’t start introducing these changes into your process sooner. 

And there’s our recap of some of the standout social value stories from the past month. As always, make sure you’re visiting our blog regularly. We’re always posting our latest thoughts and breakdowns of important industry news.

For in-depth support with your social value, sustainability, and ESG, reach out to the Impactteam. We’re an intuitive, framework-independent platform that will put your entire process on autopilot. To find out more, schedule a demo, or get in touch with the team on 0161 532 4752.