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East Riding of Yorkshire Council has earned the Outstanding Impact award at the prestigious Institute of Economic Development (iED) Annual Awards 2025 for its sustained work empowering communities through social value.
The awards, which were hosted at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester on 25th November following the iED Annual Conference, Good Growth: Driving the UK economy with investment in our regions and communities, celebrate achievers in the public and private sector through a series of individual, team and organisational categories.
This year saw a record-breaking number of entries, with almost 60 submissions received for seven award categories, and shortlisted nominations were assessed by an expert judging panel in September.
The Outstanding Impact award, which this year is sponsored by Pegasus Group, recognises projects delivered and concluded in the last five years, which demonstrate benchmarked evidence against other similar initiatives. Impacts could include environmental, social, business support (from start-up to growth and scale), rural development and regeneration.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council received the award for work on its co-created Social Value Engine. The engine has been used to evidence outcomes, secure funding and champion social value across the council’s services. It was successfully used in a pilot with the council’s culture services, and utilised with the evaluation of ‘Classically Yours’, a collaborative project between the Council’s arts team and national partner Orchestras Live. It showed that the project provided £8.73 of social value for every £1 invested. The award panel cited the pilot as one of the most ‘outstanding outcomes’ of the initiative.
iED Director and former Chair Bev Hurley CBE, who hosted the awards honouring achievements across the public and private sectors, said: “Our judges praised this as a pioneering approach to embedding social value across cultural services. 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. They highlighted East Riding’s work as transformative, noting that its approach to social value has reshaped internal culture, strengthened external partnerships, and set a national benchmark in impact measurement, delivering tangible benefits to the community.”
Councillor Anne Handley, East Riding of Yorkshire Council leader, commented: “It is fantastic that the Social Value Engine has been recognised for its outstanding impact in delivering benefits to the community, and we congratulate the team for their hard work in rolling it out across council services.”
iED Executive Director Nigel Wilcock added: “When we first created these awards during the Institute’s 40th anniversary celebrations, our ambition was clear: to recognise excellence – individuals, teams and organisations making a real difference in economic development across the UK. Every year since, the quality, innovation and commitment displayed has been extraordinary, and this year is no exception.
“Shortlisting the finalists was no easy task for our judges. My congratulations go to all those who were shortlisted, to each of our winners, and my sincere thanks to everyone who submitted entries. Their work showcases the diversity, creativity and impact of economic development in action – precisely what these awards exist to celebrate. It was wonderful to welcome so many familiar faces, along with new colleagues, to share in this special evening.”
-ENDS-
Contact: Phil Smith, Institute of Economic Development PR consultant, on 01778 218180 / 07866 436159 / phil@philsmithcommunications.co.uk.
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Institute of Economic Development (iED) is the UK’s leading independent professional body representing economic development and regeneration practitioners. Established over 40 years ago, the iED’s key objective is to represent the interests of economic development practitioners and ensure their views are widely expressed and noted. The iED is committed to demonstrating the value of economic development work for local and regional communities; the pursuit of best practice in economic development and the attainment of the highest standards of professional conduct and competence.
