Future of London – Social Value Roundtable

We were delighted to join Future of London in bringing together an impressive roundtable of developers, youth organisations, housing associations and local authorities to discuss Social Value, and explore why young people are integral to achieving it.

As we start the new year, the cost- of- living crisis will be felt by many. Delivering Social Value has therefore never been more important. Social Value plays a foundational role in building a fair society, and we believe the housing sector must work harder to deliver meaningful and positive interventions to communities across the UK.

An important, but often overlooked, group are young people. Social Value should benefit everyone, but recent studies show that young people are rarely asked for their opinion on how their community develops and the social value that is delivered in their local area.

We are committed to giving the next generation the opportunity to contribute and continue to work hard to include young people in the positive impact of our Social Value initiatives. Recent collaborations in this area include our ongoing programmes with Julia King, LSE and Make Space for Girls, a charity which campaigns for parks and public spaces to be more welcoming to teenage girls, to ensure young woman are better included in the design and delivery of the public spaces.

This much- needed roundtable event discussed the who, what and how to reveal the key ways to deliver more impactful social value for young people

Key takeaways included:

• One model does not fit all: When going through the procurement stage, identify common values between you and the client. Understand the community and what matters most to them.
• Work with organisations and communities that young people already trust: You don’t need to reinvent the wheel; trust is imperative and can take a long time to build.
• Review how Social Value is weighted: set-up framework contracts that make it easier for SMEs and third-sector organisations to join.
• Consider the long-term: assess the impact beyond the end of your contract. Ensure you have the right systems in place to do deliver this.

At Countryside Partnerships, we are committed to building diverse communities, that enable people to live healthy, happy, and sustainable lives where their aspirations are achieved. We look forward to strengthening our continued partnership with Future of London in the joint aim to positively benefit the communities in which we operate.

Read the full Future of London report here.