Future of GM’s first Diverse Voices-CityMakers double act was a hit! The event, hosted by Trowers & Hamlins, merged the skills-, profile- and connection-building of our diversity network with the next-gen forum created by Future of London and Hatch. Thanks to those supporters and to Diverse Voice kickstart sponsor Muse for backing this game-changing work!
The topic was how social value can support good placeshaping, prompted by a LinkedIn post on whether locking “Social Value” into a blank procurement scoring box makes sense when there are so many other channels and times for action.
We tackled the issue in a roundtable, then a panel/Q&A, with both formats including a range of experience levels and offering participants pro tips and chances to ask questions. There was a lively mix of new and returning participants too, and the networking was painless!
Thanks to panellists Katie Saunders, Partner & Head of Construction at Trowers; Emily King, Social Advisory Director at Hatch; and Future of GM alum Mo Shirazi, Estates Manager at CBRE, plucked straight from the audience! Thanks to Charlie Heywood-Heath of Lichfields for notes and FoGM’s Collette Hayton for brilliant event coordination.
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Social Value & Placemaking (participants below)
Core Principles:
Effective placeshaping begins with prioritising community needs and voices, and works best when those are truly woven into a scheme.- Don’t promise what you can’t deliver, deliver what you say you will, and follow up!
- “Progress is better than perfection” – CBRE’s Mo Shirazi highlighted the feel-good value of well-planned spaces – and quality meanwhile uses during disruption.
Getting better at Community Engagement:
- Community response can be unpredictable. Build in ongoing review and potential to rethink.
- Learn your audiences and communicate in their language. That could mean materials in Bengali; WhatsApp or video for younger audiences; or print and personal contact for the less-connected.
- Relationships with “difficult” community members start with respect (are they “difficult” because they’re fearful or let down? Might your team come across as “difficult” to them?) Transparency and authenticity will help.
- Don’t drop community contact after planning approval. Staying in touch improves long-term relations and increases the chances that local people will take care of the places involved.
Disparities in Development:
- GM still has a “deprivation doughnut” where outer areas are – or feel – neglected compared to vibrant, more-invested city centre areas. Address this for equity!
- Social value can come from enhancing or fixing existing assets like roads, benches or parks as much as from new developments. Combine the two if you can.
- Councils and partners must respond to unique place realities. Tackling all town centres in an area as disparate as Oldham or Stockport with a single planning approach won’t stick.
- Not everywhere that risks being ‘done to’ rather than ‘done with’ is about residents in ailing estates. The Gay Village has a strong if ‘othered’ community that must be considered for city centre change; as another example, cycle scheme opponents come in all income brackets!
Additional panel perspectives including Q&A:
Katie Saunders: With her procurement, construction and professional services hats, she sees how abiding by the 2012 Social Value Act* has meshed with businesses becoming more socially-minded for ethical and competitive reasons. She also sees how job creation can support a community beyond the bricks-and-mortar of a scheme, but says those impacts must be genuinely integrated into projects, not treated as a tick-box. *The 2023 Procurement Act roll-out is being held to 2025 so the new government can make sure it works well.
Emily King: There’s a distinction between upstream (e.g.strategy, business case) and downstream (e.g. procurement) stages, especially on big projects like Haweswater Aqueduct: the project inherently delivers social value, i.e. reliable fresh water, but it’s also about delivering community value beyond that, e.g. nature-based solutions, greenspace, a commercial asset. What’s the ecosystem of impact? [Also, station-area benefit was a huge aspect of Crossrail and must be for any regional rail project.]
The actual monetary value of apprenticeships is low, so you can have multi-billion-pound schemes which deliver only thousands in social value rather than looking at higher-value impacts which may better respond to local need. Removing “social value” from procurement may produce better decision-making and encourage more accountability to deliver better.
How social value fits into Green Book business cases also needs a rethink: e.g. “wellbeing” falls under Strategy instead of the more rigorous Economic Case, where a wellbeing offer could really be checked out.
Mo Shirazi: Financial pressures are chipping away at social value for many companies. Masterplanning and legislative pressure are helping to keep people socially minded. Mo also highlighted the economic benefits of embedding social value into masterplanning, stressing that local uplift is a huge part of successful regeneration. The ‘feel-good’ factor means more footfall, vibrancy and positive coverage, in turn attracting quality developers and occupiers.
DIVERSE VOICES “PRO TIPS” – For the full list, see this PDF
In general:
- Panels are often peers or people you could work with; audience is usually peers.
- Roundtables may be peers but also potential employers. It’s a more intimate space, often more senior, always a rounder discussion.
Roundtable participants:
- First, be confident in the knowledge that you’ve been invited because the organisers think you have a valuable perspective.
- Read any materials sent to you & and ask questions beforehand if anything is unclear.
- Prep 2 or 3 points to make or questions to ask. Often you just get one shot, and while roundtables are about learning and sharing, the career benefit is getting noticed with a useful contribution.
- Take notes, and follow up with people/organisations that interest you
Roundtable chair & organising team:
- Share a brief with all participants; include 2-3 questions they can respond to on the day.
- Assemble 2-3 lines on each guest so you know their background/who to call on.
- Print that plus a seating chart; distribute guests by views, organisations & background
- Ask someone to take notes; the chair must focus!
- Make sure the space is comfortable and ready, with water at each place.
- Protocols to share: Raise your hand, all will get a chance to speak. Respect each other’s views. Share the time and oxygen.
- Do introductions (go first so people match time/content).
- Watch body language; make eye contact. Don’t pressure any individual to speak but let them know they’re seen/heard.
- Watch your team throughout for signals and debrief after.
Panel chair and organising team:
- Similar prep as above: share a speaker brief; consider what each can contribute; send reminders to them and to audience, set up the space for comfort and so you can see each other.
- Do a Teams call with all speakers to set context, share speaking points, answer questions & get to know each other a bit.
- Keep an eye on time – a watch avoids you constantly checking your phone. Have someone in your team time from the audience if it’s a big event.
- Warn the audience you’re coming out for questions; try to mix it up with who you call on.
Panellists:
Your fellow speakers and chair are there to support you and the audience wants you to succeed because they’ll learn and be less anxious.
- Read the brief, prepare and rehearse for the time allotted. Aim to to speak without notes.
- If you’re not sure about anything, ask! Audience intel? Slides? Microphone? Seating? If event companies don’t give you enough info, ask your chair for help.
- Don’t worry too much if there’s a tough question. If it’s a tricky topic, prepare a few ‘what if’s beforehand, but do your best and the chair will help here too.
Both groups:
- Watch body language from fellow panellists for better discussion flow
- Listen actively! Have pen and paper to note panellist points you want to come back to for Q&A.
- Have fun – panels are a chance to share ideas with peers and new contacts!
Thanks and bravo to our 16 October participants!
