Committee Report Checklist
Stage 1
Report checklist – responsibility of report owner
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ITEM |
Yes / No |
Date |
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Councillor engagement / input from Chair prior to briefing |
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Commissioner engagement (if report focused on issues of concern to Commissioners such as Finance, Assets etc) |
Yes – via BIG report |
Dec 25 |
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Relevant Group Head review |
CH |
22/12 |
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MAT+ review (to have been circulated at least 5 working days before Stage 2) |
Y |
22/12 |
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This item is on the Forward Plan for the relevant committee |
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Reviewed by |
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Risk comments |
BS |
22/12 |
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Legal comments |
LH |
23/12 |
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HR comments (if applicable) |
n/a |
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For reports with material financial or legal implications the author should engage with the respective teams at the outset and receive input to their reports prior to asking for MO or s151 comments.
Do not forward to stage 2 unless all the above have been completed.
Stage 2
Report checklist – responsibility of report owner
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ITEM |
Completed by |
Date |
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Monitoring Officer commentary – at least 5 working days before MAT |
L Heron |
23/12/25 |
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S151 Officer commentary – at least 5 working days before MAT |
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Confirm final report cleared by MAT |
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Title |
Social Value Strategy for Site Disposals |
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Purpose of the report |
To make a recommendation |
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Report Author |
Bruce Strong, Investment Asset Manager |
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Ward(s) Affected |
All Wards |
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Exempt |
No |
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Exemption Reason |
n/a |
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Corporate Priority |
Community, Addressing Housing Need and Resilience |
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Recommendations
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Committee is asked to:
1. Agree the Social Value Strategy for the Regeneration site disposals and recommend to Full Council for approval. 2. Note that by adopting the Strategy the relevant housing and regeneration sites will be marketed to include a requirement for third parties to provide social value provision within their offers, which may reduce the highest financial value being achieved.
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Reason for Recommendation |
In formally adopting a Social Value Strategy it will ensure a common process in the marketing of sites being disposed of and the analysis of subsequent offers together with aiding in the delivery of affordable housing and other forms of social value. |
1. Executive summary of the report
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What is the situation |
Why we want to do something |
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• A Social Value Strategy has been produced for the Council by the Social Value Partnership, Appendix 1, to be used in the disposal of housing and regeneration sites. • This Strategy has been agreed and recommended for approval by the Business Infrastructure and Growth Committee on the 14th January 2026. See Committee report in Appendix 2. • By adopting the Strategy, the relevant housing and regeneration sites will be marketed to include a requirement for third parties to provide social value provision within their offers, which may reduce the highest financial value being achieved. |
• A Social Value Strategy will provide the decision-making Committee(s) with agreed criteria against which to appraise offers for future development on Council owned sites, which are not based only on financial consideration. • Without an agreed criterion, it is likely there will not be consistent decision making resulting in delays to the progression of sites for sale and additional financial pressure from holding costs. • Ensure the outcomes from the sale of the sites achieves maximum benefits and aligns with the Corporate Plan 2024-2028 priorities and Best Value requirements. |
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This is what we want to do about it |
These are the next steps |
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• Apply the Social Value Strategy when bringing sites to the market for sale to be able to evaluate and compare offers which deliver social value initiatives above an agreed baseline. |
· If the Committee agree the Social Value Strategy, it will be recommended to Full Council to formally adopt the Social Value Strategy which will form part of the marketing criteria when bringing sites forward for disposal/partnership working. |
2. Key issues
2.1 The report to the Business Infrastructure and Growth Committee on the 14th January, Appendix 2, sets out the background, reasoning and benefits of adopting a Social Value Strategy in the disposal of housing and regeneration sites.
2.2 Social Value refers to the positive social, economic and environmental outcomes that result from Council decisions and the additional benefit to society they generate.
2.3 In summary the benefits of adopting such a strategy are as follows:
· It provides a consistent approach to marketing sites, provides guidance to developers when making offers and thereafter standardises the evaluation of offers by officers and the Council.
· Helps in delivering objectives on the sites that support resident and community needs, enhancing economic prosperity whilst understanding the impact on the local environment.
· Provides opportunities to improve the lives and work environment for the Spelthorne community.
· Allows the Council to articulate to residents the broader contribution that an asset or new development will bring to the Borough/immediate area.
· It places an emphasis on delivering those activities that can help solve specific needs and be tracked and measured.
· Helps stakeholders understand the wider social, environmental and economic value a new development will bring to the area and local community.
· Provides an ability to empower Councillors in developing solutions that deliver better outcomes for residents and Best Value.
2.4 The proposed Social Value Strategy, Appendix 1, has been produced following a detailed local needs analysis and review of affordable housing requirements in the Borough by the consultant, The Social Value Portal (SVP). Following this analysis SVP used the recognised Themes, Outcomes, Measures system (TOMS) to review the outputs and which allows social value initiatives to be monetised. This will enable the Council to compare and evaluate offers between those offering the highest price/best financial value and those offers which may be at a lower price but offer additional benefits, whether through social value initiatives or enhanced affordable housing.
2.5 The Committee should note that in implementing the Strategy there will be a trade-off between the likelihood of receiving higher offers which provide less or no social value against offers which accord with the Strategy but are lower even when the benefits of the social value initiatives are included.
2.6 Page 7 of the Strategy shows an example of how the weighting could work between price, quality of the bid and social value offered. The social value element can then also be weighted between their value and how they will be delivered. These weightings will be considered in more detail in the disposal strategy for the sites.
2.7 The Council proposes to monitor delivery of the social value initiatives post site disposal where the mechanism to undertake this will be set out either in the disposal process or at the point of sale.
3. Options appraisal and proposal
3.1 Option 1 – Agree to the proposed Social Value Strategy and recommend to full Council for its use in the disposal of housing and regeneration sites.
This is the recommended option as it gives the Council transparency in being able to set social value requirements per site, regularise the site sale tender process and help the evaluation of subsequent offers more effectively than on just land value (whilst that will remain an important criterion).
3.2 Option 2 – Do not recommend to Council the adoption of the Social Value Strategy in the marketing of Council sites and subsequent assessment of offers. This is not the recommended option as it will not give the Council the ability to assess interest in a site from the full range of developers and potentially lose out on the delivery of social value opportunities as their value cannot be quantified.
4. Risk implications
4.1 Having a Social Value Strategy for the disposal of sites will ensure there are an agreed set of parameters allowing the Council to evaluate offers and ensure best value is being delivered in line with the best value inspection and the Implementation and Recovery Plan requirements.
4.2 Without the Council having agreed social value priorities there is no clarity for officers to ensure they are progressing those offers that provide the greatest all round benefits to the Spelthorne, its communities, businesses and residents.
4.3 A mechanism to monitor the delivery of the social value initiatives and confirm their benefit will be required but there are several potential options which will be clarified either in the disposal process or at the point of sale.
4.4 There is likely to be a trade-off between offers which are higher, but offer limited social value initiatives, thereby providing best financial value compared to those offers which provide more social value initiatives and address corporate priorities where these offers are likely to be lower even when the value of the initiatives is included.
5. Financial implications
5.1 The financial implications of adopting the Social Value Strategy for site disposals involve both direct and indirect costs. A key financial consideration is the potential additional cost of £12,000 per year for monitoring the delivery of social value initiatives post-disposal, although this cost may be partially shared with site purchasers. Alternatively, we understand that Runnymede Borough Council have a basic, free level portal that could be utilised. By incorporating social value criteria into the disposal process, the Council may prioritise offers that deliver broader community benefits, potentially foregoing higher financial returns from bidders offering the highest prices but no social value.
5.2 However, the strategy also aims to mitigate long-term holding costs of sites by ensuring consistent and efficient decision-making in the marketing and disposal process, which could reduce delays and financial pressure on the Council. Furthermore, the ability to quantify social value in monetary terms allows for a more balanced comparison of offers, ensuring that the Council not only maximises financial return but also aligns with its corporate priorities, such as addressing housing needs and improving community wellbeing.
6. Legal comments
6.1 Under section 3 of the Local Government Act 1999 local authorities are subject to the Best Value Duty which requires them to “make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness”.
6.2 The proposed Social Value Strategy directly supports this statutory requirement by prioritising community wellbeing and overall public benefit. It further supports the Council in enhancing community wellbeing and social impact.
6.3 It also strengthens accountability by introducing transparent evaluation of social outcomes alongside financial receipts.
Corporate implications
7. S151 Officer comments
The S151 Officer is supportive of having a clear Social Value Strategy and criteria for informing decisions on making disposals of housing and regeneration sites. As commented above this helps shorten the time taken to make decisions and this will help reduce the length of time holding costs on these sites are being incurred. An appropriate balance needs to be achieved between achieving social value and generating capital receipts which contribute towards the Council’s debt reduction strategy.
8. Monitoring Officer comments
8.1 The Monitoring Officer confirms that the relevant legal implications have been taken into account.
9. Procurement comments
9.1 The paper relates to the adoption of a social value policy on site disposals and therefore is not related to procurement.
10. Equality and Diversity
10.1 Bringing social value initiatives into consideration in the sale of sites could help equality and diversity issues within the borough.
11. Sustainability/Climate Change Implications
11.1 Requirements relating to the sustainability and climate change of any development will be a developer responsibility, however the disposal of Council held sites will reduce the Council’s carbon footprint by removing the Scope 3 emissions currently associated with holding a vacant site.
Scope 3 emissions are the indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur because of the Council’s activities but are generated from sources it does not directly own or control, such as those from purchased goods and services, waste management, and outsourced operations all of which add to the Council’s footprint while the assets remain vacant or underutilised. By progressing with the disposals, the Council will no longer incur these holding-related Scope 3 emissions, thereby improving its sustainability position and aligning with its climate change objectives to minimise indirect carbon impacts across the property portfolio.
12. Other considerations
12.1 Should the Social Value Strategy be adopted by Council a recommendation will be brought to the relevant Committee to procure a consultant to advise on the best strategy/approach to market the housing and regeneration sites. This initial piece of work will provide guidance on the best route to market the sites and how the social value strategy criteria can be implemented. To ensure the selected consultant has accountability for their proposals it is considered prudent to include a second stage piece of work, which would see the same consultancy practice hold responsibility for identifying a partner or purchaser for site delivery via marketing or procurement routes to ensure best value is achieved.
13. Timetable for implementation
13.1 Immediately if the recommendations are approved by Council.
14. Contact
14.1 Bruce Strong, Asset Manager, b.strong@spelthorne.gov.uk
Please submit any material questions to the Committee Chair and Officer Contact by two days in advance of the meeting.
Appendices:
Appendix 1 – Social Value Strategy BIG Report
Appendix 2 – Business Infrastructure & Growth Committee Report 14 January 2026