UKREiiF - a perfect platform for social impact
A few thousand industry leaders gathering together in one place served as the perfect platform to deliver the next instalment of Meeting Place’s social value symposiums, in partnership with Socius.
Following our events in Bristol, London and Manchester, our UKREiiF workshop in Leeds uncovered what it truly means to deliver long-term social impact.
The morning started with a keynote from the social value stalwart, Chris White, former MP and author of the 2012 Social Value Act. Attendees then shared best practice, lessons learnt and creative ideas for maximising impact across procurement, planning, construction and occupation.
The sessions identified some key challenges which must be overcome if we are to deliver meaningful social impact:
- Truly understanding what you want – without someone to drive this from the top, the delivery of commitments can slip down the agenda.
- Set clear aspirations – ambiguity can lead to distrust in the process.
- Develop strong partnerships – when local authorities, developers and project teams work together, we know there is a greater chance of success.
- Use planning as an enabler – we must work to demystify the process and ensure responses speak to the requirements of local authorities, and more importantly, local communities.
- Measurement – There is still a need for more training across the sector to help ensure social value measurement tools are stewarded carefully and used effectively to demonstrate meaningful impact.
The downloadable report delves into more detail and examines how to deliver social impact with clout.
