East Riding of Yorkshire Council wins national award for outstanding social value impact

We are delighted to share that our co-founders, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, have won the Outstanding Impact award at this year’s Institute of Economic Development (iED) Annual Awards for their work measuring and maximising social value using the Social Value Engine.

The awards took place at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester on 25 November, following the iED Annual Conference. This year saw a record number of entries, with almost 60 submissions competing across seven categories, which makes this recognition especially meaningful.

From pilot project to organisation-wide change

East Riding’s winning submission highlighted how social value measurement has grown from a small pilot to an established part of how services plan, deliver and evaluate their work. What began within the Council’s culture team has gradually expanded, supporting decision-making more widely across the authority.

A standout example is their evaluation of Classically Yours, a partnership between the Council’s arts team and national organisation Orchestras Live. The Social Value Engine helped them demonstrate clear outcomes, strengthen funding bids and champion the wider value of cultural programmes. It’s now becoming a useful reference point for other cultural organisations looking to measure their impact with confidence.

What the judges said

Bev Hurley CBE, iED Director and former Chair, described the Council’s work as “a pioneering approach to embedding social value across cultural services,” noting that the Social Value Engine “has driven measurable impact, achieved sector-wide adoption, and sparked a cultural shift in how public value is understood and delivered.”

The judges also recognised how East Riding’s approach has influenced internal culture, strengthened partnerships and set a national benchmark for impact measurement that delivers tangible benefits to local communities.

This award shows the difference that strong social value infrastructure can make. East Riding’s journey demonstrates how an evidence-led approach can support funding applications, improve strategic decisions and raise the standard of impact reporting throughout the public sector.

It reflects the purpose behind the Social Value Engine: helping organisations demonstrate the difference they make and use that insight to generate even greater social value.

If you would like to understand how the Social Value Engine can support your social value aims, please get in touch with our team.