Issue - meetings

(a)          That the Committee notes the performance of the social value programme to date; and

(b)          That the Committee supports the proposal around performance reporting to secure an achievable social value work programme for 2022/23, given available resources, as outlined within the report.

As Cabinet Member for Finance, Social Value and Procurement, Councillor Paul Johnson introduced a report on the Council’s social value programme designed to achieve social, environmental, economic and cultural added value outcomes through procurement activities.  He commended the positive outcomes during 2021 which had resulted in significant contributions to the local economy and communities in Flintshire, and he spoke about the aim to further embed social value within the organisation through the work of the social value team.

The Chief Officer (Social Services) said that the Council’s track record on delivering social value was widely recognised.  He introduced Olivia Hughes, the Social Value Development Officer, who gave a presentation on the risks, challenges and opportunities within the social value programme, comprising:

·         Definition of social value

·         Key performance indicators

·         Case studies

·         Key challenges

·         Overcoming challenges

·         Recommendations for Overview & Scrutiny

The presentation highlighted the range of outcomes to date for local communities, apprenticeships and economic growth through procurement activity linked to social value.  Amongst the key challenges, there was a need to increase resources to meet future demand and support the long-term sustainability of the programme.

In thanking the officer for her presentation, Councillor Paul Shotton commended the achievements on social value and was provided with more detail on engagement with volunteers.

Whilst welcoming the report, Councillor Richard Jones questioned the continued focus on supporting contracts when the corporate target had been exceeded, at the expense of other areas of the programme.

The Chief Officer explained that the initial ambitious approach to embed social value within Council activities had been reviewed to prioritise work and maximise resources within the small team to achieve the right outcomes across the programme.

The Social Value Development Officer spoke about the impact of temporary additional resources allocated during 2021, which demonstrated what could be achieved with increased capacity.  In response to further questions, she provided clarification on the establishment of specific core requirements within each contract and the scoring of contracts based on best value and social value opportunities.

The Chief Executive referred to the potential to further improve outcomes by reviewing the level of resources and exploring social value opportunities within lower value contracts.

The recommendations, which were amended to reflect the debate, were moved and seconded by Councillors Paul Shotton and Richard Lloyd.

RESOLVED:

(a)          That the Committee notes the performance of the social value programme to date; and

(b)          That the Committee supports the proposal around performance reporting to secure an achievable social value work programme for 2022/23, given available resources, as outlined within the report.