From road repairs to community benefits
01 Aug 2023 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
An innovative highways initiative is seeing communities across Northumberland benefit from much more than smoother roads.
A new range of contracts developed by the Council’s Highways and Procurement Teams will ensure a focus not just on quality and value for money, but also take into account social value and carbon initiatives when awarding work.
Early results have already led to one of the Council’s roads contractors providing community support worth around £6,000 - and this is set to rise to £20,000 a year.
Cabinet Member for Improving Our Roads Councillor John Riddle said: “We will always look to deliver quality services and value for money – but we’re now looking beyond that to see what additional benefits our third-party suppliers can bring to our communities.
“The highways contractors are bringing forward some great ideas. For example we’ve a traffic management group who’ve agreed to perform extra duties when they can to help in litter picking during road closures and supporting volunteer groups.”
And one of the first companies to come forward with a range of community initiatives is DSD Construction.
The company, which supports the Council’s road improvements programme, has committed to schools’ STEM support, volunteering with the Council’s Communities Together team, providing £18,000 towards community projects, supporting foodbanks and fundraising for mental health charities.
Martin Tweddle, Operations Director from DSD Construction explained: “Promoting mental health creates a supportive and caring workplace culture.
“When employers prioritise mental health, it demonstrates their commitment to the well-being of their employees as well as local communities. This, in turn, fosters job satisfaction and increases employee morale.
“It is a pleasure to be working with Northumberland County Council and we are extremely proud to support local charities and make a difference within the local community.
“Companies can implement a range of strategies to support mental health, but the Wellbeing Machine was seen as pioneering in its approach.”