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Social Value Policy

Published: 14/03/2019

Flintshire County Council Cabinet has reviewed and approved the draft Social Value Strategy.

Social value looks beyond the financial cost of a service and considers what wider additional benefits to the community can be generated. Implementing the Social Value Strategy will be a key element in delivering the Well-being of Future Generations Act.

This strategy signals a new all-inclusive approach to generating social value from the activities of the Council and of partners.

The revised Strategy challenges partners, services and suppliers to consider how they can generate additional value for the communities of Flintshire and how they can measure this.

The long-term goals in implementing the Strategy are to:

• allow third sector organisations to show the social value generated through their work which will help them secure resources and contracts;
• encourage local and regional companies to strengthen their approaches to corporate social responsibility; and
• encourage and support public sector service managers to broaden their awareness of the impacts of their work on the community.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Aaron Shotton, said:

“The Council has made positive strides in recent years to deliver additional social value from its procurement spend on the provision of services, of particular note are the increased level of apprenticeships delivered through our capital investment programmes on new council housing and school improvements.”

Flintshire County Council Cabinet Member for Corporate Management and Assets, Councillor Billy Mullin, said:

“A review has taken place and it’s clear that what’s happening at the moment is well developed, particularly in the construction industry.  Suppliers are well versed in delivering community benefits, especially apprenticeships and work experience, and the there is a good framework to gather evidence of what has been achieved.”

Developing an effective approach to generating social value will require new resources. A lead officer position is proposed to deliver the Social Value Strategy, to provide intensive support to officers, suppliers and partners and ensure that the benefits are realised and recorded. A dedicated software portal will also be created to enable the effective management of social value across the Council and its partners and demonstrate achievement of the principles set out in the Well-being of Future Generations Act.