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Welcome to the October 2023 Newsletter
Last chance to book onto free Social Value Webinar
01 Nov 2023 - Online via Zoom 2-4pm
All territorial geographies in the UK have a requirement for anybody spending even modest sums of money to have regard to social value.
The practice of identifying, measuring and delivering social value has become a “dark art” with many examples of “impact washing” and “over-reporting.”
This free to attend seminar will de-bunk the myths about social value, it will explain how to describe and measure social value in the round. It starts from the premise that if we understand social value there is nothing to be afraid of and much to celebrate in engaging with it.
It will demonstrate how our mindsets, systems and insight determine social value rather than a narrow transactional approach which sometimes sees it as an “add on” to our core activities.
Central to the event is the Social Value Engine the only UK accredited software tool for assessing social value, which is jointly owned and developed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Rose Regeneration.
The Seminar will be delivered by Ivan Annibal Managing Director of Rose Regeneration and Claire Watts, Director of Economic Development and Communications at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, who are the co-inventors of the Social Value Engine, chaired by Nigel Wilcock, Executive Director of the IED.
It will involve:
- An introduction to the principles of real social value
- A demonstration of how to effectively measure social value – which will be of particular interest to the public sector – looking at both procurement and wellbeing
- A series of case studies about the application of social value measurement in real life setting
To register for this event, please click the Zoom registration link below.
A week to go until our 40th anniversary Annual Conference and Awards Dinner
We are all getting excited about the Annual Conference and Awards dinner taking place this time next week in Birmingham. For any last minute requests for places at conference or the dinner, please email us directly at admin@ied.co.uk
IED Annual Awards - shortlist announced
The shortlist for the IED Annual Awards 2023, which recognise achievers in the public and private sector through a series of individual, team and organisational categories, was revealed by the Institute of Economic Development earlier this month. For more information please click on the link below and of course we will be announcing winners this time next week!
IED Early Career Network first meeting
The first meeting for the IED Early Careers Network took place last week. After a brief welcome by Nigel Wilcock, Executive Director of the IED, the group introduced themselves and discussed their goals for this network. Most comments focused on the possibility of bringing in speakers with experience in economic development to discuss topics that are of interest to the group and to learn from one another's experiences, backgrounds, and current roles. Moreover, it was agreed that meetings are going to take place every month, a WhatsApp group chat was created to make communication easier and faster, and a Google document was shared so that people could exchange ideas, questions, and interesting information.
In an effort to expand the network's membership, it was also decided to try to connect and include those who were unable to attend our initial meeting for our next one.
Please do get in touch (admin@ied.co.uk) if you would like to be added to this group!
In conversation with Social Value Engine
In the lead up to our Annual Conference & Awards Dinner on 7th November, we caught up with Rab Campbell, Growth Director at Social Value Engine Ltd, one of our award sponsors.
To read more, click on the link below.
Member blog: Gender and enterprise – The use of entrepreneurial support organisations by men and women
In the summer of 2023, a research project led by Colin Gilfillan of Shared Enterprise CIC and Andrew Jones of London South Bank University (both longstanding IED members), took a look at a strange phenomenon. Why do so many more women than men use the services offered by Shared Enterprise?
To read on click on the link below.
Call to IED members to consider joining the board
IED members - you should have seen an email on this year's Board vacancies, do get in touch with us at admin@ied.co.uk if not and would like more information.
Latest CPD courses scheduled
A big thanks to some of our IED members who have delivered CPD training over the last few weeks, these include LSH, Lightcast and Mickledore.
Coming up we have courses on Rural/Left Behind Places delivered by Rose Regeneration and Stakeholder Consultation Exercises delivered by Copper Consultancy.
Find out more in our events calendar.
Labour Party Policy and how it may impact economic development
The IED and AECOM will run a session on the current understanding of Labour Party policy and how it is likely to impact on economic development activity in the UK and economic development practitioners in the event that the Labour Party are successful in the next general election.
Taking place online on the 22nd November 3.30-5pm, click the link below to book your place
IED welcomes Unleashing the Potential of the UK’s Cities report
The Urban Futures Commission has recently published its Unleashing the Potential of the UK’s Cities report.
Full details, and a copy of the report, are available here.
In response, Tom Stannard, Chair of the Institute of Economic Development and Chief Executive of Salford City Council said that the report sends out an uncompromising message about the importance of cities for economic and societal success and welcomed in its recommendations, the proposed introduction of a new statutory duty on local leaders to generate the broadly-based prosperity of the city. This echoes calls from the Institute of Economic Development and at the IED Annual Conference on 7th November we will launching our manifesto calling for economic development to be a statutory function provided by local authorities, and a series of recommendations sitting within pillars which will support this.
Britain ain’t broken, it’s just tired and grumpy
Read the views of IED Director Lawrence Conway in our blog by clicking on the link below.
IED partners in pioneering network launched to drive change across Britain
The Good Economy (TGE), the Institute for Economic Development (IED) and the Impact Investing Institute (III) have announced the launch of their leading-edge Place-Based Impact Investing (PBII) Network. This pioneering collaboration between local authorities and institutional investors builds on the findings and conceptual model of PBII presented in TGE’s and the Impact Investing Institute’s landmark 2021 White Paper Scaling Up Institutional Investment for Place-Based Impact, developed in partnership with Pensions for Purpose.
To read more click the link below.
IED Jobs Board
Don't forget to take a look at the IED Job Board. Current vacancies include openings at West Northamptonshire Council, Trafford Council and Rochdale Development Agency.