The Public Procurement Bill is still the subject of debate with protagonists on all sides of the House extolling the virtues of social value. Indeed, it is worth remembering that the Public Services (Social Value) Act was a creation of former Conservative MP, Chris White.

Clearly how we deliver our public services ought to be framed by maximising the bang for the public buck, but should those objectives be limited by what could be achieved through third parties, through tendering demands and ultimately contractual obligations? Or should we be much bolder in recognising that direct provision of public services can rapidly achieve better outcomes for local economies, local services and the public purse?