In April Spokemead made their first commitment to deliver just under £350k of Social Value, for Southwark Council.
Southwark council use the National TOMs framework for their suppliers to record their Social Value activities and via this platform Spokemead proposed that they will:
- Employ 4 more local people (3FTE and 1 PTE)
- Improve skills of local people by staff taking up training opportunities like NVQ’s, City and Guilds, BTEC or HNC
- Create more opportunities for local SME’s and VCSE’s
- Improve the employability of younger people
- Volunteer in the local community
- Reduce air pollution by employees using a bike from the cycle to work scheme and use of electric vans
Spokemead have 2 main term contracts with Southwark Council worth £4million. These did not have any Social Value attached to them when the contracts were won in 2018 and 2021, so the Social Value has been committed retrospectively.
Nicholas Blake joined the team earlier this year as the Stock Administrator and part of his role is to co-ordinate the Social Value activities for Spokemead. He has made a great start by selling old office equipment and un-used materials on Ebay, where the funds will be donated to a local charity that was recommended by Southwark Council ‘The Mayors of Southwark Charity’.
Alan Francis, Spokemead’s Store Supervisor collects all the scrap metal and takes that to the scrap yard in return for money, which will also be contributed to the ‘The Mayors of Southwark’ charity.
Next on the list is to start volunteer work at the local food bank once month.
