Social value and legacy
Background
Considering that the Our Town Hall Project is such a big undertaking, it's only right that we make sure that the people of Manchester get some positive benefits as a result of it. We set out from the very start that one of our key objectives would be to deliver economic and social value for Manchester, and we're aiming for the maximum positive impact for residents and businesses, with a lasting legacy in skills, experience and inspiration for those considering careers in a variety of related trades such as construction, architecture, heritage trades and engineering.
We’re making sure that the money invested in the Town Hall's revival is also invested in supporting Manchester people and businesses. And - so far - we’re more than meeting our targets: the numbers go some way to showing how the Our Town Hall Project is making a positive impact citywide.
Spending:
Up to the end of June 2021, more than half of the spending on the Our Town Hall project – 58% - has been with Manchester businesses, and almost 75% has been spent with firms in Greater Manchester.
Employment:
47% of those working on the project live in Manchester.
254 new jobs have been created across the project teams: over half were taken by Manchester residents, and all contractors on the project continue to pay a minimum of The Real Living Wage, avoiding offering zero-hour contracts.
93 apprenticeships have been taken up at level 2 and 3 in supply chain roles and heritage trades on the project, and 86 of these were people from Manchester. In addition, 54 Higher-level apprenticeships have been delivered.
Learning opportunities:
Despite the limitations of Covid, 304 placements have been provided for working age Mancunians, as well as school and college students. This includes T-Level placements and Level 3 Architectural, Construction Engineering (ACE) Scholarship placements with the Manchester College.
201 sessions have been held in Manchester schools, covering careers and employability, and a further 47 targeted STEM sessions have been delivered too. We’ve developed a STEM Podcast Channel (in collaboration with The Manchester STEM Hub) delivering episodes that provide insight into industry skills and routes into careers within heritage trades. And another, targeted piece of work saw several care-leavers given opportunities for learning on site.
In Higher Education, 40 research projects have been completed to date.
Volunteering:
Our project colleagues have collectively given 10,585 hours of volunteering time to support Manchester projects such as homelessness charity Barnabus and The Lord Mayor’s Charity, as well as supporting neighbourhood-led community projects like the Greek Street Gardens in Ardwick.
The combined value of the additional ‘social value’ generated so far is estimated at £5m. By the time we reopen the building, this is projected to rise to £16.5m of extra benefit for the city.