Towards a Social Value Economy

Building a Social Value Economy in Cheshire & Merseyside and transforming our communities through meaningful action

What is Social Value?

Social Value refers to the additional social, economic, and environmental benefits created by organisations beyond their core operations. It takes into account not only immediate benefits but also long-term effects.

The challenge

A roadmap has been produced which sets out a bold vision and plan to shift towards a Social Value Economy in Cheshire and Merseyside.

Extensive engagement with colleagues from across sectors and places, has revealed that we are not yet realising the transformative potential of Social Value across Cheshire and Merseyside.

Why is it important?

It directly impacts the well-being of individuals and communities. By prioritising social value, societies can work toward reducing inequalities, improving access to services, and supporting marginalised groups.

Cheshire and Merseyside’s need for Social Value

Developed in partnership with:

The opportunity

While an awareness of the importance of Social Value is increasing across sectors, particularly its role in tackling the wider determinants of health, our efforts to deliver Social Value outcomes are too often missing a transformative opportunity: the vast potential of collaborating with our Voluntary, Charity, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector.

The roadmap has three key aims

  1. To set out why every organisation has a stake in moving towards a Social Value Economy in Cheshire and Merseyside that maximises Voluntary, Charity, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector Social Value outcomes

  2. To present an honest assessment of how Social Value in the commissioning cycle is currently being experienced across Cheshire and Merseyside

  3. To describe a set of shifts and enabling actions every organisation must take if we are to realise the full potential of Social Value to change lives across Cheshire and Merseyside and make a clear call to action – to commit to Partner VCFSE – to kickstart the journey

Social value in action

Roche Diagnostics

“With Roche's support, we've been able to elevate our offering to our students, exemplified by inspiring career workshops held across our network of centres.”

Krysia Kubinski, Regional Operations Manager, IntoUniversity

Cheshire East Council

“Businesses don’t always know ‘how’ they can collaborate with the VCFSE sector to deliver Social Value. This is the avenue to help them do that.”

Dan Coyne, Head of Service, Communities and Integration, Cheshire East Council

One Wirral CIC

“It’s about building in that mindfulness about where we spend our money, who we work with and how we are living our values from day one.”

Karen Livsey, Director and Founder, One Wirral CIC

  • Educational inequalities across Cheshire and Merseyside have persisted for years and were worsened by the pandemic. Pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) consistently performed below the national average at key stage 4 in all boroughs.

  • Roche developed a Social Value strategy to address local needs and identified educational inequality as a priority area. With a highly skilled STEM workforce, the company recognised its potential to make a real difference in supporting children from less privileged backgrounds.

    To deliver on this, Roche partnered with IntoUniversity, a national charity with a strong presence in Merseyside, focused on improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged young people. Roche employees have volunteered their time, supported by the company’s paid volunteering leave, to deliver out-of-school STEM education and career inspiration.n text goes here

  • Together, Roche and IntoUniversity have helped children across Cheshire and Merseyside engage with STEM and healthcare career paths. By showcasing the possibilities within the NHS and beyond, the initiative supports the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan and contributes to increasing social mobility across the region.

    Both organisations are committed to building on this partnership to deliver even greater local impact in the years ahead.

  • Although Cheshire East Council had published clear Social Value guidance for bidders, many were still struggling to develop plans that truly targeted local needs or encouraged collaboration with the VCFSE sector. At the same time, VCFSE organisations delivering vital community support highlighted the need for extra capacity and capability.

  • To bridge the gap, the Connected Communities Team launched the Connected Communities Noticeboard – an open-access digital platform designed to bring Social Value to life. Inspired by the council’s pandemic response, the noticeboard offers a simple way for businesses to find and support local organisations in need.

    Support can include mentorship, volunteering, equipment or space donation, project delivery, or funding. At the same time, VCFSE organisations can access a growing network of businesses offering diverse types of support.

  • Though still in its pilot phase, the noticeboard has already increased visibility and collaboration between businesses and VCFSE organisations in Cheshire East. Early successes include refurbishing a community centre and launching a bereavement support group.

    The Connected Communities Team is now focused on expanding the Noticeboard’s reach, aiming to boost Social Value through and beyond procurement by brokering connections across traditional boundaries.

  • One Wirral was set up to improve health and wellbeing across the borough, so creating positive social impact was already at its core. However, the founders were keen to push this even further, exploring how the organisation could maximise its Social Value through everyday decisions about service delivery and staff support.

  • One Wirral identified three key Social Value ‘sweet spots’ where they could make the biggest difference:

    • Supporting staff wellbeing – ensuring the organisation puts as much value on staff wellbeing as it does on the wellbeing of its service users.

    • Collaborating with local VCFSEs and suppliers – actively bringing local organisations into their supply chain.

    • Employing locally – creating meaningful jobs for local people.

    Social Value is a standing agenda item for the leadership team, and they’ve committed to regularly monitoring and reporting on progress to hold themselves to account.

  • Social Value is now woven into everything One Wirral does. Their Cancer Prehabilitation Service is a brilliant example, it helps people diagnosed with cancer get physically and mentally fit before treatment, while also:

    • Creating 5 local jobs

    • Delivering 27 weeks of training

    • Spending £10,000 in the local supply chain

    • Investing £8,000 in staff wellbeing

    All of this has generated a total added value of £173,379 back to society.

Ready to know more?
Discover how we can shape a stronger, more inclusive future for Cheshire and Merseyside. The full report, Towards a Social Value Economy, provides key insights and detailed strategies on how collective action can make a lasting impact.