The lives of residents must measurably improve as a result of how councils commission and provide local public services, a report by the think-tank Localis has recommended.
In a report issued today entitled 'Brighten All Corners - maximising social value in place' the think-tank calls for a standardised approach to evaluating social value which would give communities a greater say in the benefits received in the commissioning of local public services from commercial suppliers.
The report calls for the public sector to adopt
Localis chief executive,
"In this spirit, our report calls for a greater sense of human values, trust and relationship in how we generate value for our communities from the commissioning process.
"Providers must be accountable to residents, tenants and local people for both the services they deliver and the benefits agreed to when business contracts are signed.
"And these must be explained in a clear way - not through complex targets and opaque mechanisms.
"As we start to move in the coming months from lockdown to economic recovery, a depleted private sector will, as is always the case during economic recessions, naturally drive more intense competition when bidding for government contracts.
"To preserve social value, we must see strong actual proof in the improved lived experience of people in our communities as a tangible outcome of public service commissioning."
Localis head of research,
"For example, rather than focusing on what firms can offer off the shelf without much thought, such as training and employment, providers should have scope to provide a more locally-relevant offer that focuses on the strength of people and place in an area."
"I commend this report for providing a clear platform for demonstrating social value to communities and will be speaking to colleagues in central government about how we can take these recommendations forward immediately.
"I will also be writing to senior colleagues across the housing sector to encourage them to join us for sector wide agreement - this is the time to take action - together."
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
A full copy of the embargoed report can be accessed here: "Brighten All Corners - maximising social value in place"
About Localis
Localis is an independent think-tank dedicated to issues related to politics, public service reform and localism. We carry out innovative research, hold events and facilitate an ever growing network of members to stimulate and challenge the current orthodoxy of the governance of the
About
Mears is a housing and care company. We provide and manage some 12,000 homes for local and central Government and is also responsible for keeping 750,000 of all social housing in the
Our latest social value report is available here
Report Recommendations
The Government should revise the Social Value Act with a local element requiring councils to produce
As with Local Plans,
The Government should define a list of approved social value metrics for quantifying the social value element of a tender.
Councils and contractors should set out a timeframe and measure for a re-evaluation of a social value initiative, with the possibility to break the contract if it is not being delivered.
Distributed by https://pressat.co.uk/
.
(C) 2020 M2 COMMUNICATIONS, source