Lancashire Constabulary increase local investment by 11% to £36m

Brought in 12 months ago with support from Lancashire Constabulary in order to ensure all procurement and commissioning activity maximises benefit while also delivering value for money, the policy has seen almost 57% of funds spent in Lancashire, while the local spend in the North West region is up from 60% in 2016/17 to 71% in 2017/18.

Much of this increase is due to the building of the new West Division Headquarters, with businesses in Lancashire involved in the project, creating jobs and apprenticeships, but the Social Value Policy has an impact on all contracts, ensuring that social value - such as location, whether an organisation pays the real Living Wage, and whether the contract will create or sustain jobs and apprenticeships in the county - are also considered.

"This is real evidence of the positive impact that my Social Value policy is having, maximising benefit for Lancashire wherever we invest or procure goods and services whilst delivering the best possible value," said Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive Grunshaw. "Creating safe and confident communities is one of the priorities in my Police and Crime Plan and investing responsibly is a key part of that.

"From the West Division Headquarters new build through all of our procurement at every value, I'm really pleased that my office and Lancashire Constabulary are playing such a key role, providing opportunities for local people," he added.

Craig Veevers, whose farm supplies the hay for the horses at Lancashire Constabulary Mounted Division, said: "I'm really proud to have this contract with Lancashire Constabulary, as a local businesses based just a couple of miles away.

"Focusing on locally produced goods where possible is a great thing for the community and it seems to work really well for us both," he added.