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Social Value

A strong commitment to customers, communities and the planet.

Social value is important to us. It’s even mentioned in our mission statement: 

To raise the threshold of excellence in highway maintenance, and inspire our clients and suppliers to be as passionate about safety and social value as we are. 

Our partnership with Emmaus UK

We started our partnership with Emmaus UK in October 2025 and have extended that for a second year.

We have used our skills to provide practical support to their communities. From fixing potholes to providing one of our electricians to carry out Portable Appliance Testing, we’ve focused on making a practical difference to companions. We also invited Emmaus to join us at Highways UK at the NEC, giving them a platform to explore partnerships with others in the industry. Furthermore, we visited three locations to host National Highways regional community Social Value Working Group meetings, letting other suppliers see for themselves the difference Emmaus make.

We might not have moved mountains, but we’ve climbed one to raise funds and provided donations to make a difference to companions at Christmas. Sharing our approach with others across the industry has also encouraged Tarmac and National Highways to support Emmaus through their own initiatives.

To see the Carnell Partnership and Impact Report for 2025/26 click here

Visit Emmaus UK

Our social value approach

Over the past few years, we have completely changed our approach to reporting and delivering social value. From merely recording the number of hours volunteers delivered on reactive community initiatives, to planning and delivering targeted social value to create legacy and impact.
To support us in our journey, we have implemented Community Wants and Needs Assessments (CWaNA) around our offices to target local initiatives that deliver impact to our local communities. We have since extended these reports to our larger schemes and frameworks which have enabled us to gain true insights into local areas and to deliver target activity to those specific communities. 
To actively measure and certify our Social Value progress, we engaged with Social Value Quality Mark (SVQM) to support us along our journey. Our transition through the levels of the SVQM has provided structure to our delivery. The outputs from this have led us to create our own definition of what Social Value means to Carnell and have created pledges and Key Value Indicators around SVQM themes.
Internally, we have taken steps to invest in our people: improving our provision of employee assistance and training, demanding fairness, inclusion, and respect. Low-carbon innovations have in many cases delivered efficiencies to us and our clients, while re-thinking what we buy and from who has also provided value to local communities.

 *Carnell had an average of around 300 employees during 2023. 

** The figures above are just some of the KVIs we implemented under each theme. 

Some examples of our achievements:

Social Value Quality Mark - Silver award

In February 2024, Carnell were presented with the Social Value Quality Mark (SVQM) Silver Award.

Representatives from National Highways and SVQM CIC were on hand to present the award following a rigorous audit of the evidence provided by Carnell.

The Quality Mark recognises distinction in values-led business that benefits customers, communities and the planet. It is one of the most rigorously tested standards of its kind in the UK.

PRU Case Study

Carnell invited a local Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) along to their A38 Fradley compound, so that students could experience highways maintenance operations and get an insight into careers in construction.

The class were given a tour of a segregated area of the compound, where they could get up close to several pieces of plant.

The students also went on a tour of the nearby site where they could see the progression of the on-going works during an escorted drive-through as well as from the footpath.

Read more here. 

 

Renovation of Tabor Living community space

Carnell worked alongside other CECA Midlands members to renovate a new outdoor community space for a project that supports homeless people in the Midlands – Tabor Living. 

The renovation involved cleaning and tarmacking the whole area, installing planters with plants, a new garage door and more.

CECA Midlands and its members invested more than £65,000 including materials and labour to create the new space and Total Social Value added to the project came to £93,394. 

Read more here.

Social Value Quality Mark - Bronze Award

Chairman of Penkridge Parish Council, Councillor Victor Kelly presented Carnell with the award which recognises the achievement of Social Value Quality Mark (SVQM) Bronze in December 2022.

The Quality Mark was created to assist organisations to legitimately demonstrate social impact and value claims. It also helps organisations align themselves to the (Public Sector) Social Value Act 2012.