Agenda item

Report of the Director of Law and Governance

The Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Law and Governance that sought approval of the updated Social Value and Sustainability Policy for Coventry. A copy of the Policy was attached as an appendix to the report.

Coventry City Council recognised the potential and impact of embedding Social Value in its procurement processes and contracts with third parties, as well as in its work with partner organisations and communities. The vision was to ensure that Coventry as a city embedded the social value ethos, to consider activities holistically, taking account of the wider economic, social and environmental effects, which would enable challenge of inequalities and the promotion of diversity and inclusion, delivery of sustainability, support for the local economy and to work with the local community. 

The report recommended that Cabinet approved an updated Social Value Policy for Coventry.  The policy committed the Council to take action through its procurement and contract management activities to ensure that social value and sustainability outcomes were maximised through the supply of goods, services and works to the Council.  Furthermore, social value was embedded throughout the City Council’s other policies and within the planning application process.

This policy was an evolution and replacement of the current Social Value Policy which was adopted by Cabinet on the 11th February 2014.  Following a recommendation of the Finance and Corporate Services Scrutiny Board (1), the Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance and Resources requested that Officers draft a revised Social Value Policy.

The key elements of the policy were to:

o  Build social value into council contracts and major planning applications to maximise the impact gained from all money spent from the Councils budgets and from major developments within the City.

o  Increase the proportion of the council’s expenditure which goes to local businesses and providers rather than those outside of the area.

o  Raise the living standards of Coventry residents and commit to working towards the Joseph Rowntree Living Wage.

o  Introduce systems for assessing and measuring social value.

o  Commit to working with partner agencies (in a One Coventry way) to develop further how to achieve social value.

o  Create links between Social Value delivery and the United Nations 17 sustainable development goals.

Coventry City Councils Contract Procedure Rules already took steps to ensure that at least 2 out of 3 quotes for contracts up to £100,000 were from local companies and that social value considerations in line with the existing Social Value toolkit were considered as part of  tender exercises, but this policy looked to build on successes to date, enhance commitment to sustainability and to formalise and measure Social Value and Sustainability outcomes more clearly.

Social value returns would be monitored and reported on an annual basis to Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance and Resources and to the Procurement Board. The first year of the policy would be a baseline year with targets set subsequently to increase the amount of social value secured.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet:

1)  Approves the Social Value and Sustainability Policy, attached as an Appendix to the report, which will supersede the current Social Value Policy.

2)  Delegates authority to the Director of Law and Governance to implement the Policy.