Darcie Lattin, social value manager at Watson, argues that social value must move beyond tick-box delivery and be rooted in genuine local need
She champions stronger local partnerships, long-term stewardship, and outcome-led measurements as the key to driving lasting social value in communities.
The construction industry has become better at talking about social value, but the next challenge is ensuring it delivers meaningful benefits where they are needed most. As expectations from local authorities, clients and communities continue to rise, developers must move beyond commitments on paper and focus on creating measurable, lasting impact that responds to genuine local priorities.
However, a persistent issue remains. The industry has become increasingly good at delivering social value activities and reporting against targets, but there is still a tendency to focus on what is easy to measure rather than what the local community needs to thrive.
Having started my career in construction at 16, progressing from receptionist to social value manager, gaining valuable marketing and PR experience in between, I’ve seen first-hand how the industry’s approach to social value has evolved from a nice-to-have to a core part of the development process. Work placements, careers events and volunteering initiatives all have value, but activity alone does not guarantee impact if it is not aligned with real community priorities. The central challenge for the next phase of social value is relevance – whether it is meaningfully connected to the actual needs of local people.
Local authorities have the insight that developers don’t have
Developers will often have a good understanding of local priorities, but local authorities, schools, training providers and community organisations bring a depth of knowledge that comes from working within communities every day. Harnessing that expertise can help ensure social value strategies are shaped by a nuanced understanding of local need and deliver more meaningful outcomes.
Councils, in particular, have a detailed understanding of local barriers to employment, skills gaps and wider social challenges. They work with residents every day and often already deliver programmes designed to address these very issues. The challenge is not access to that knowledge, but when it is brought into the process. That insight should be central to shaping social value strategies, rather than something to be consulted only after plans have already been formed.
Don’t reinvent the wheel
The most impactful social value initiatives are rarely built from scratch. Local authorities, training providers and community organisations have often spent years developing programmes that address local barriers to employment and skills development. The opportunity for developers is to work alongside these partners, strengthening existing initiatives and directing investment where it can deliver the greatest impact.
Bolton Council’s Restart programme, for example, already supports people returning to work after long-term unemployment.
The same principle applies to skills. Programmes like Skills Construction Centre’s Trailblazers initiative are equipping young people with the foundations for employment. By opening access to live construction environments, developers can help turn training into tangible career opportunities.
These partnerships create a direct pathway from learning to employment. Through initiatives such as site visits, work placements and mock interviews, participants gain both practical experience and a clearer understanding of career opportunities within the sector.
For example, at the Creams Mill development in Little Lever, young adults have been given first-hand exposure to live construction projects, showing them what a career in the industry could actually look like. The success of these initiatives lies in collaboration. Training providers understand learners, local authorities understand community need, while developers provide access to opportunities. When those strengths are aligned, social value becomes not only more targeted, but more effective.
Social value must be embedded, not tied to project timelines
If social value is to deliver meaningful, lasting impact, the industry must move beyond project-based thinking and embed it within its wider approach to regeneration and growth. Too often, commitments are tied to individual developments, with activity beginning and ending alongside the construction programme. However, the challenges communities face do not follow project timelines.
Barriers to employment, skills and opportunity are long-standing issues that require sustained engagement. This means focusing less on isolated interventions and more on creating pathways that continue beyond a single site or contract.
By collaborating with supply chain partners, subcontractors and local organisations, developers can create work placements, cross-industry relationships and legacy partnerships that support employment and skills opportunities long after a site is completed.
At Foundry Lane, for example, engagement with local partners is helping identify routes into long-term employment for local residents. Social value has the greatest impact when it is built on strong relationships and creates opportunities that continue long after construction has finished, rather than starting and stopping with a single project.
The industry needs to measure outcomes, not just outputs
As social value reporting matures, the industry must be careful not to confuse activity with impact. Outputs have their place, but they only tell part of the story. What matters most is whether people and local communities are better off as a result. That might mean someone gaining the confidence to pursue a new opportunity, developing skills they can build a career on, or seeing a route into employment that previously felt out of reach. Those are the moments that show social value is making a genuine difference.
The true measure of success is not what’s delivered, but what changes as a result. A person returning to work, a young person discovering a new career path or learning a new skill are outcomes that rarely fit neatly into a spreadsheet, yet they are often the most meaningful indicators of success.
The industry should continue to measure activity, but it must also place greater emphasis on understanding these wider outcomes.
Social value will be defined by successful collaboration
As expectations around social value continue to rise, developers will be judged not just on what they deliver, but on how well those commitments translate into genuine local, immediate and long-term benefit.
The next phase of social value will be defined by collaboration. Local authorities, schools, training providers and community organisations already have the insight needed to shape effective interventions, and developers need to tap into it.
If the industry wants social value to deliver lasting change, it must move beyond compliance and embrace genuine collaboration. That means bringing local partners into the conversation earlier, building on existing community strengths, and focusing on the outcomes that matter most to local people. Social value should not start with a spreadsheet. It should start with a conversation between all of the partners who understand the community best.
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