Wiltshire Council’s partnership with a contractor has helped revitalise a local memorial centre’s car park, reflecting the council’s commitment to delivering community benefits through its collaborations.

The council is committed to the concept of social value when buying services from organisations it works with, which requires contractors to bring wider benefits to our communities over and above the core services they are contracted to provide.

As a result, the council’s highways maintenance contractors M Group Highways collaborated with Whiteparish Memorial Centre to revitalise their car park by re-gravelling the area using donated materials from Tarmac. Team members Tom, Carlos, Steve, and Wayne worked together to spread and level several tonnes of stone. This joint initiative not only improved the functionality and appearance of the car park, but also demonstrated the commitment to supporting the local community through teamwork

Social value is a key part of the council’s overall Procurement Strategy (2024-2029) and to further strengthen this it has also developed a Social Value Procurement Policy. This means that work to improve the county’s communities is baked-in to contracts, so the council’s contractors benefit the local community in additional ways.

Cllr Mel Jacob, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “Councils have a responsibility to consider social value and the wider benefits it can bring our communities, and it’s something that we’re very passionate about at Wiltshire Council. M Group Highways are important partners for the core services they provide on our behalf, and we’re delighted they also share our vision to give something back. The work in Whiteparish demonstrates by working closely with our contractors, we’re able to go beyond the core services and make a tangible