Harwich Haven Authority has always been committed to socially responsible and sustainable decision-making. But with Social Value not yet being systematically measured or treated as an organisation-wide priority, there was room to go further for the community.
In 2022, they partnered with Social Value Portal to create a holistic Social Value programme, marking a turning point in their mission to enhance local lives.
A data-led approach to tackling local deprivation
A pivotal first step was understanding the most urgent needs of the community. Our Consulting team stepped in with a comprehensive ‘Local Needs Analysis’ – revealing significant challenges.
In Tendring, for instance, 42.7% of the population experienced high to severe deprivation. East Suffolk faced a similar challenge with 20.5% of its residents. Both surpassed the East of England average of 17.8% and faced deprivation across multiple dimensions, including income, employment, health, crime, education, skills, and training.
These insights were instrumental in shaping a Social Value strategy that targeted the areas of greatest need with precision and purpose.
Building Harwich Haven Authority’s Social Value strategy
Now armed with a clear understanding of local needs, the authority developed a Social Value strategy anchored in three key opportunity areas:
- Employment: Being a responsible employer by paying a living wage and engaging with local schools.
- Environment: Caring for the land and marine ecosystems under its jurisdiction by protecting natural habitats and maintaining the sustainability of the port’s operations.
- Community: Supporting mental and physical health initiatives and aligning charitable giving to Social Value priorities.
Initiatives in each category were carefully aligned to both specific community needs and the operational footprint of the authority and its supply chain – or its ‘Social Value sweet spot’.
Measuring positive change in Harwich with the TOM System
To make sure no Social Value effort went overlooked or under optimised, Harwich Haven Authority adopted the Social Value TOM System™.
Using the TOM System, they conducted a retrospective report for the previous year, establishing a baseline Social Value figure of £4,035,680. This gave the authority context to set targets and drive even greater impact.
Here’s a selection of TOM System Measures the authority has used to measure its impact:
- Direct employees hired or retained on the contract
- Weeks of apprenticeships created
- Giving staff access to multidimensional well-being programmes
- EDI training for staff and supply chain
- Spend with local suppliers
- Donations or in-kind contributions to local community projects
- Initiatives to engage people in health and wellbeing interventions
- Diverting hard to recycle waste from landfill
- Cutting carbon emissions on contracts through reduced energy and efficiency measures
- Dedicating resources to creating greenspaces, helping ecosystems, and improving biodiversity
Having gotten started with a limited set of Measures, the authority is now expanding to a wider set so it can measure and report a wider range of Social Value initiatives.
The TOM System has proven invaluable in helping us measure and refine our Social Value initiatives – including some that we hadn’t initially expected to measure. It’s also played a crucial role in building a business case for expanding our apprenticeship program and project work, which is further contributing to local employment and skills development.
Linzi Jobber, Sustainability Manager, Harwich Haven Authority
Driving organisation-wide engagement
The authority’s Sustainability team has worked hard to bring the whole workforce into its ESG and Social Value strategies. This has been a resounding success, with staff now actively prioritising Social Value in their daily roles — even those in operational capacities.
Here’s an everyday but truly uplifting example. When two authority employees recently encountered a disused boat on the beach, they took the initiative to restore and donate it as a recreational resource to a local school.
Schoolchildren playing on the restored boat!
Our children love playing outside, and we are always looking for ways to support them in imaginative and adventurous play. Harwich Haven has supported us with this endeavour. Children of all ages are really enjoying playing together and having fun on this beautifully restored boat. We can't thank you enough!
James Newell, Headteacher, Wix and Wrabness Primary School
Social Value spotlight: Coastal Discoveries
Maintaining the depth of the navigation approach channel is Harwich Haven Authority’s biggest annual spend. In 2024, the authority channelled this routine duty into a major Social Value win through a match-fund partnership with contractor Boskalis Westminster.
Each contributed £25,000 to roll out the Coastal Discoveries initiative, which educates primary and secondary school ages on the local environment and works with community groups like the Scouts, Guides, Brownies, and Cub.
A cornerstone of Coastal Discoveries is the ‘Beach School’ programme. It gives all children attending primary schools in Harwich and Dovercourt access to a workshop delivered by Seaside Explorers with three key themes: biodiversity, environmental conservation and maritime careers.
A Coastal Discoveries workshop
Participating children even receive identification cards to help them spot different species. This isn’t just helpful for the students: like all Coastal Discoveries activities, Beach School uses the iNaturalist app to gather data on environmental phenomenon. The data is accessible to everyone, including academics around the world – demonstrating that even local initiatives can have global benefits.
How Harwich Haven Authority has delivered for the community
Harwich Haven Port Authority’s commitment to Social Value has had a major local impact. These are just a few examples of what this has achieved on the ground:
- £1.2 million spent with local businesses
- 2.3k tonnes of CO2 reductions
- £73.6k in donations or in-kind contributions to local community projects
- £85.6k allocated to creating green spaces, improving biodiversity, and helping ecosystems
- 238 hours of volunteering
- 244 weeks of apprenticeships
Through initiatives like these, Harwich Haven Authority has delivered £4.3 million of Social Value in 2023 – a boost on their baseline figure – with £3 million delivered under the TOM System’s Work Theme.
Social Value Portal and the TOM System have been pivotal in providing the support the authority needed to begin our Social Value journey. The partnership ensured we had a strong starting point with our Local Needs Analysis, which enabled us to develop a strategic approach to our Social Value delivery.
Linzi Jobber, Sustainability Manager, Harwich Haven Authority
Start delivering for your community
From maritime ports to city councils to central government bodies, public sector organisations across the country are realising untold benefits within their communities through Social Value.
We can help you maximise your Social Value efforts too. Reach out to discover where your opportunities lie and how we can support your own journey.
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