Our contracts are developed with consideration of any factors relevant to the purpose of the contract. Where relevant, the specification of goods and services will set out our requirements with regard to ethical sourcing.
This will align to Fairer Futures, a strategy the Council and other community planning bodies in our area are working towards. Every contract plays a part in how the Fairer Futures recommendations can be delivered. We will include a review of employment practices of the organisation's which deliver contracts, as well as the impact of contract delivery locally - on employment, community benefits and delivery of essential services.
For example, the Council has a strong record of working towards Zero Waste and to contribute to this objective there are mechanisms in place to reduce, reuse and recycle products in Council departments. This has meant we have reduced our consumption by introducing a policy to reuse office furniture and recycle what cannot be used.
When we do source new goods, we take account of their origins - an example of this is the sourcing of timber products for repairs to our Council Housing. In accordance with UK Government Timber Procurement Policy, all recommended suppliers have evidenced that only legal and sustainable timber will be supplied through the framework.
We are also working with our full supplier base to identify risks of unethical trading where it could exist. This ties in with emerging national policy development on modern slavery and focuses on identify risk areas for human rights abuses.
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