Chamber launches social value best practice guide
The report highlights how effective social value and lasting positive impact can be shaped through the collective actions of businesses, public sector organisations and communities working together.
This best practice guide or framework is designed to help businesses across the North East, and those looking to work within it, to better understand, deliver and benefit from social value – and crucially to ensure it has the biggest positive impact on the people living and working in the North East.
Social value is defined as the wider benefits that businesses create for people, communities and the environment through their work – going beyond compliance or delivery of core products or services.
The Chamber convened and chaired four workshops of key stakeholders, which then became the Chamber’s Social Value Working Group. The aim of the group was to identify best practice and capture this in a framework for social value delivery based on shared regional priorities. These priorities are centred around local economic contribution, quality employment, inclusive supply chains, skills and opportunity, plus environmental sustainability, wellbeing and meaningful community engagement.
The group was co-chaired by Chris Kelsey, public affairs manager at the Chamber and Darush Dodds, director of corporate affairs and social value at Esh Group, alongside leaders from across the region who shared diverse insights into social value in practice.
These insights were used to develop the report, which provides a clear view of how social value is being delivered across the North East, the challenges remaining and what is required to improve consistency, impact and long-term outcomes. It sits alongside the Chamber’s wider policy agenda, including its Unlocking the North East Economy policy plan, which sets out a clear vision for driving growth, improving productivity and ensuring that the benefits of economic activity are felt across all communities in the region.
The report marks the first stage in developing a shared regional approach to social value. Businesses and partners will be invited to build on the findings and help shape the next phase through follow-up events.
Chris Kelsey at the North East Chamber of Commerce said: “Across the North East, businesses are rethinking what sustainable growth looks like in practice. They’re asking not only how they succeed, but how success contributes to something broader: stronger local economies, more inclusive access to opportunity and lasting impact for the communities they serve.
“Through our social value workshops and Social Value Working Group, we’ve brought together organisations from across the public, private and voluntary sectors to explore what this means in practice. What has emerged is a clear and confident view: social value is not an add-on or a requirement to be met; it’s an integral part of how business is done in the North East.”
Darush Dodds at Esh Group said: “As one of the North East's largest construction businesses, social value is central to how we operate. It shapes the way we recruit, develop talent, work with local suppliers, support communities and invest in the places where we work – it’s the difference between who we are and what we do.
“We’ve seen first-hand how meaningful social value can strengthen local economies, create opportunities for individuals and help communities to thrive. This experience is why we were proud to sponsor and help develop this guidance alongside the Chamber and the organisations that contributed to the Social Value Working Group.”
The best practice guide aims to support a more consistent, collaborative approach to social value and encourage a greater focus on meaningful, measurable outcomes to ensure they deliver real benefits for communities.
Businesses could take steps to strengthen supply chains, provide employment opportunities for people from disadvantaged communities or work with education providers to make courses more relevant to industry needs. Public sector organisations could make additional efforts to simplify procurement processes and reduce barriers to SME participation in contract tenders. Organisations entering the region for the first time are encouraged to build partnerships early and align activities with regional priorities.