In more detail
Social value is value that is held socially (shared between people) rather than included in the accounts of individual householders and businesses. It includes, for example:
- the value of shared spaces and fresh air - streetscapes; landscapes; parks and community gardens
- the value of social capital - having links with other people and knowing how to get things done through the community
- the value of some human capital - skills and know-how that it is hard to put an economic value on (like parenting skills, for example)
- the value of unpaid labour - the time spent by carers and neighbours and doing jobs for people without payment.
As well as these stores of social value, there is a whole area of it to do with how goods are made and services are delivered which is not reflected in their price. For example:
- the use of local labour and materials - which can enhance the value of public services and construction works and reduce the amount of pollution involved
- the way that the benefits of work are distributed between people - a part-time job for someone who is disabled or otherwise excluded from work is probably worth more than overtime to someone who already has a job
- learning of new skills and ways of working- which may not be directly reflected in the quality of what is brought to market, but which enables us as a society to achieve more, and better, in future.
Social Value Act
The Public Services (Social Value) Act of 2012 came into force in 2013 and requires people who commission public services to think about how they can also secure wider social, economic and environmental benefits (ie social value). Before starting a procurement process, commissioners should think about whether the services they are going to buy, or the way they are going to buy them, could secure these benefits for their area or stakeholders. The video below shows Peter Holbrook of Social Enterprise UK explaining what the Social Value Act means:
Sustainable Communities Act
The Sustainable Communities Act 2007 enables councils - working in partnership with local communities - to make proposals as to how government can ‘assist councils in promoting the sustainability of local communities’. Itprovides an opportunity for local people, communities and councils to ask government to remove legislative or other barriers that prevent them from improving the economic, social and environmental well-being of their area (and thus add social value to it).
Power of General Competence
The Localism Act 2011 gives councils a 'power of general competence'. That is, councils are allowed to do anything that any other legal person (an individual or a business) can legally do so as to meet their aim which is to improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of their area. Councils can, for example, enter into partnerships to deliver new services or support initiatives which add to local well-being.
| Key Facts:
Social value is shared wealth. It is why living in a neighbourhood with a good environment and a strong and inclusive community network is, for example, better than living in a badly-kept place where people don't talk to each other. Parliament requires public service providers to take social value into account when they commission services and enables councils to innovate and to ask government to change regulations which prevent communities from improving local social value. |
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BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY PLANNING TOOLKIT DEFINITION SHEET This sheet may be reproduced in paper or electromic or any other form but please mention it was made by Chamberlain Forum Limited for Birmingham City Council supported by Department for Communities and Local Government.
| created: 2016-07-05 10:52:05 | by: admin | status: f published |