Social value, under the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012, requires councils to consider the economic, social and environmental benefits of public service contracts.
What social value projects are
Social value projects help build communities and neighbourhoods, benefitting Medway Council tenants and their families.
Previous social value projects have included:
- refurbishing the Rainbow Room at Hazlemere Drive
- installing benches at Centenary Gardens
- gifting water butts to Homes for Independent Living.
How we'll deliver projects
We're changing the way our social value projects are being delivered as part of our One Medway approach.
We asked all 9 contractors to give an amount of money for each year of the contract term that will be used for social value projects across Medway.
This money, alongside the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), will create an overall budget that will be used for social value initiatives across the HRA’s housing stock. Expenditure from the budget will be open, auditable, and transparent.
Rather than contractors individually delivering low level, irregular social value projects, all key stakeholders will come together as one and create a more significant overall budget.
This will allow some larger scale social projects and initiatives to be delivered in consultation with residents.
One Medway Social Value working group
Once all contracts have been procured, a One Medway Social Value working group will be formed.
The group will be made up of:
- key stakeholders
- residents and tenant representatives
- Medway Council Officers (Head of HRA Property & Development, Head of Tenant Services, Resident Liaison Officer, Property Services Coordinator and Property Services Operations Manager)
- at least one representative from each of the 9 contracts.
Residents will lead and have the final say on how the social value budget is spent.
Officers will engage and advise with a mix of residents across the stock to ensure all residents are represented and the budget spent fairly.
There will be 3 working group meetings each year to agree, assign, monitor and present results which will then be reviewed.
The group will attempt to spend the budget each year. If there is any budget left at the end of the term then this will be used for future social value projects.
Get involved
You can apply to join the One Medway Social Value working group or make a suggestion for a social value project by emailing socialvalueprojects@medway.gov.uk.