Social Value Charter for Leeds offers vision for compassionate, sharing, caring values

Council, community and business leaders in Leeds are adding their voices to promote a new Social Value Charter for the city, underpinning the benefits of social value in all activities, investments and relationships.

The new Charter was launched at Leeds Beckett University’s Broadcasting Place on 24^th May as the first formal opportunity to declare support for this Leeds commitment to be a healthy, fair, compassionate and caring city where everyone benefits from the city’s economic growth. Individuals and organisations will be given further opportunities to sign up to the Charter in the future when they are ready.

Councillor Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council, said:

“We have a great story to tell about the way Leeds people and organisations work together to benefit the community. But there’s always more we can do and this Charter sets out city partners’ commitment to promote social responsibility and social value, as well as to making the maximum impact in our city with the Leeds pound.

“We intend the Charter will show our commitment and ambition. There is no rule book, but there are plenty of people around in Leeds with ideas which can inspire, advise and support.

“We believe putting the Charter principles into practice will help to make Leeds a caring and compassionate City with less inequality and more opportunities for everyone: a safe place, with healthy individuals, thriving communities, successful businesses and a great environment – in fact the Best City in the UK!”

Chris Hollins, Deputy Chair of Third Sector Leeds​, said:

“We hope the Charter will inspire and encourage people from all sectors, involved in the widest range of activities to explore how they can become more socially responsible and what positive added social value they can make as they go about their business, whatever it is. As a city full of so many positive organisations and people with so much talent and skills, we have a great chance to commit to making the most of those strengths for the benefit of the whole city.”

Leeds Chamber of Commerce President, Gerald Jennings, said:

“We expect the Charter to support the delivery of a whole range of City ambitions. Businesses can make a huge difference and reap the rewards of demonstrating corporate social responsibility, improving staff skills and choosing to play a key part in their community.

“By being good employers, creating employment and training opportunities for people and developing motivated and capable workforces where employees are recruited and treated fairly, Leeds economy will grow and strengthen. By investing the Leeds pound in Leeds, with a focus on local suppliers and the growth of the local infrastructure we can link social value and social responsibility.”

The concept of a Leeds Charter to promote Social Value and Social Responsibility follows key developments and emerged from discussions in a range of forums between partners in Leeds, including:

• the Public Services (Social Value) Act, which aims to get the public sector to consider social and environmental issues, as well as economic value early in their commissioning and tendering processes;
• the Commission on the Future of Local Government, led by Leeds City Council, which proposed the concept of Civic Enterprise as “a new leadership style for local government where councils become more enterprising, businesses and other partners become more civic, and citizens become more engaged”
• the development of the Third Sector Ambition Statement for Leeds, which identifies a number of actions which fall under the headings of promoting Social Responsibility and Social Value.
• Interest from private sector partners in making real their Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Investment commitments and making mutually beneficial partnerships with communities and the third sector
• the work of the city's Social Value in Health and Social Care task group.

Note for editors:

Images are available to download: http://news.leeds.gov.uk/social-value-charter-for-leeds-offers-vision-for-compassionate-sharing-caring-values 

More details of Leeds Social Value Charter are available at http://democracy.leeds.gov.uk/documents/s142663/Social%20Value%20Charter%20report%20and%20appendices%20250216.pdf

Among organisations attending the launch include:

• Leeds Chamber of Commerce
• University of Leeds
• Ahead Partnership
• Voluntary Action Leeds
• Home-start Leeds
• Barca Leeds
• Homegroup
• Groundwork
• Leeds Community Foundation
• Care and Repair
• Leeds Jewish Welfare Board
• Home-Start Leeds
• Health For All
• Community Integrated Care
• Leeds Autism Services
• Leeds Mind
• Carers Leeds
• Community Integrated Care
• Northern Ballet
• CASA Leeds
• Voluntary Action Leeds
• Leeds City Council
• NHS Leeds West CCG
• NHS Leeds NE CCG
• NHS Leeds SE CCG
• Mears Ltd
• Leeds Beckett University