How we’re powering positive change in Coventry through social value

We caught up with the Coventry SEP’s social value team – Ben Tuck and Cayleigh Beecham-Marshall – to discuss the impact we’re having working with Coventry City Council and various partners to deliver positive social outcomes. So far, we’ve generated more than £1.6m of social impact across the city, as measured through the TOM social value measurement framework.

Can you tell us about your roles as social value managers and what this entails?

Cayleigh: We both work within the Coventry SEP team., focusing on ensuring the work we do goes beyond just delivering energy solutions. It’s about creating lasting positive outcomes for Coventry communities, people, and the environment.

We work closely to embed social value into every stage of our projects, from planning and procurement through to delivery. This ensures the partnership works to reduce – not widen – inequality, as part of our inclusive approach to the energy transition.

We aim to leave a legacy that is felt in the community beyond the duration of individual projects. That includes developing and implementing initiatives that support local employment, skills development, supply chain inclusion, and community engagement. It also means measuring and reporting on the social impact we generate.

Ultimately, our roles are about making sure that social value isn't just a "nice to have" – it’s an essential part of how we work, deliver, and leave a positive legacy.

What exactly is the Coventry SEP and how did it come about?

Ben: UK cities face the challenge of decarbonising heat, power, and transport at pace while tackling fuel poverty, improving air quality, and building climate resilience. Progress is often slowed by fragmented procurement and the need to coordinate multiple partners, each with different priorities, funding models, and delivery timelines. This makes it difficult to deliver joined-up, long-term solutions at the scale required.

The Coventry SEP is a 15-year collaboration between E.ON UK and Coventry City Council designed to take a holistic, city-wide approach to energy, sustainability and growth. It’s not just about installing infrastructure but delivering environmental, economic, and social benefits for residents, businesses, and communities.

The partnership emerged from Coventry City Council’s search for a long-term energy partner that could deliver on its One Coventry Plan and Climate Change Strategy. The council explored options to coordinate investment, skills, and infrastructure in a single, joined-up programme.

E.ON has had a home in Coventry for more than 30 years, and with our extensive experience in large-scale decarbonisation projects, we were selected through a two-year competitive process. And in 2023, our partnership was formally launched as the first agreement of its kind in the UK.

It integrates commercial delivery with community benefit targets, social value commitments, and measurable environmental outcomes. Now, it’s considered a nationally significant example of how public–private partnerships can tackle the climate crisis while generating measurable social value. Other cities are taking note with all eyes on Coventry.

What does the Coventry SEP hope to achieve?

Cayleigh: At its core, the SEP aims to:

• Accelerate the city’s journey to clean energy by decarbonising heat, power, and transport.
• Reduce inequalities by ensuring the energy transition is a just and fair transition, improving outcomes for those most at risk of being left behind.
• Maximise social value, creating local jobs, boosting skills, improving green spaces, tackling fuel poverty, and supporting community wellbeing.

Why is social value so important in the context of the Coventry SEP?

Ben: Social value really matters in this partnership because it's about making sure the work we're doing benefits real people in Coventry – not just now, but in the long term.

The energy transition isn’t just about installing new technology or reducing carbon; it’s also a chance to create jobs, boost local skills, support small businesses, and make sure communities feel the positive impact.

A big part of my role is about working with people, listening to what communities need, and making sure we shape our projects around that. Whether it’s creating apprenticeship opportunities, supporting local suppliers, or delivering initiatives that help tackle climate change and inequality, we want the benefits to go far beyond the technical side of energy.

Coventry has big ambitions when it comes to sustainability, and social value helps make sure that ambition is shared and that everyone has a chance to be part of it.

Are there highlights you’d be happy to share?

Cayleigh: I recently set up and ran a work experience programme for Care Leavers in Coventry, a group that often faces big challenges getting into work or education. I worked with different teams and new external partners to create a hands-on programme with placements in green energy, workshops on job skills, confidence building, and practical technical training.

By tapping into E.ON’s wider network, including supply chain partners, I was able to give these young people real experience and support. Seeing the positive impact and knowing I helped open doors for them has been incredibly rewarding for me.

And it was great to help bring the community together recently, when a team of E.ON volunteers supported Coventry City Council’s Henley Green Grub Hub to champion digital inclusion, offer  energy efficiency advice, and provide discounted food parcels.

Ben: Coventry Grows is a new community-driven initiative launched through the city's SEP with E.ON, alongside partners Grapevine, Garden Organic, and Citizen, to create up to three community growing spaces in some of Coventry’s most green-deprived areas. These new gardens will promote physical and mental wellbeing, foster social cohesion, enable local fruit and veg growing, and support biodiversity, backed by training, resources, and long-term community ownership structures.

And so far, E.ON has engaged over 2,000 young people in schools across the city, inspiring the next generation to lead on sustainability and green careers. Highlights include the Youth Energy Summit, where hundreds of pupils attended a two-day event at the Coventry Building Society Area to discuss the city’s clean energy future, and interactive Net Zero workshops in schools that challenge students to design greener homes, schools, and transport. These hands-on experiences connect classroom learning to real-world change, empowering young people to see the role they can play in shaping a cleaner, fairer future.

We’ve also been proud to donate books to 1,000 primary schools across the city in an initiative which aims to ignite local pupils’ interest in Coventry’s rich history. Schools across Coventry have received 1,000 free copies of Aaron Ashmore’s ‘The Time Travelling Coventry Hotel’; that’s enough copies for every Year 1-6 class in the city.

The Coventry SEP is driving social value forward for E.ON, embedding a place-based approach that delivers lasting benefits for communities while opening doors for people who may otherwise be excluded from opportunity.

By aligning social value delivery with local priorities, we’re creating pathways into employment, supporting green skills development, tackling fuel and food poverty, and enhancing community spaces. This approach ensures that every project, investment, and partnership not only contributes to E.ON’s clean energy goals but also leaves a measurable, positive legacy for the people and places we serve.

This is something that has never been done before in this way by the business, and so far, we’ve generated more than £1.6m of social impact as measured under the TOM social value measurement framework.

What advice would you have for other organisations seeking to deliver social value in their community?

Cayleigh: My biggest piece of advice is to engage with the community. Social value isn’t something you can just tick off a list; it must be shaped by the people it’s meant to benefit. Take the time to understand what matters to the local community, what their challenges are, and where your organisation can make a real difference. That insight should guide your priorities.

Second, make it part of your core business, not just a side project. The most meaningful impact happens when social value is embedded into everyday decision-making, from procurement to project planning to who you hire and how you work with suppliers.

Also, don’t try to do it all alone. Collaboration is key. Work with local partners, councils, schools, charities, and community groups who already have strong connections and insights. You’ll get better outcomes by building on what’s already working.

Finally, be honest and measure what you do. Social value can sometimes be hard to quantify, but tracking your impact and being transparent about it helps you stay accountable and keeps improving what you deliver.

At the end of the day, social value is about people, so if you keep that at the heart of your work, you're on the right track.

We’re excited about the future and the positive changes we’re making in Coventry. We look forward to continuing our work and seeing the lasting impact of our efforts.

To find out more about how E.ON is delivering for Coventry and its people, visit eonenergy.com/coventry