Commissioning is one of the Government's main levers for social change. Local government across England collectively spent more than £64bn on public services in 2020-21.

Traditionally, however, the commissioning process does not involve the communities impacted and lacks collaboration with the local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector. I think this is a huge missed opportunity for creating social value and supporting communities in left-behind places in the UK, in line with Government's levelling up plan.