New Civic Engagement Agreement to benefit ²ÝùÊÓƵ

Anchor institutions unite in a pioneering collaboration
VIPs sign ²ÝùÊÓƵ's Civic Engagement Agreement
²ÝùÊÓƵ’s four largest employers – ²ÝùÊÓƵ City Council, Babcock International Group, the ²ÝùÊÓƵ and University Hospitals ²ÝùÊÓƵ NHS Trust – have joined forces in a pioneering, voluntary commitment to address the root causes of inequality and drive inclusive, city-wide transformation.
The new Civic Engagement Agreement is a landmark step towards a coordinated approach to deliver social value, reduce deprivation and improve long-term outcomes for ²ÝùÊÓƵ households.
At the heart of the agreement is a shared belief: that the complex challenges facing ²ÝùÊÓƵ, such as job accessibility, health inequality, economic inactivity and skills, can best be addressed through collective action.
The Civic Engagement Agreement sets out an intention for collaboration, guiding partners to align their expertise and resources across shared priorities including workforce development, community well-being, placemaking, and supply chain engagement.

Knowledge and skills are vital to unlocking growth, encouraging investment, and helping our city fulfil its enormous potential. We believe that universities should serve their communities, and this agreement sets a new standard for civic responsibility in higher education. Our University is proud to be helping lead that journey here in ²ÝùÊÓƵ.

Richard DaviesProfessor Richard Davies
Vice-Chancellor

The city’s residents and businesses will see new, joined-up approaches through the Civic Engagement Agreement’s focus on:
  • Being inclusive in employment practices
  • Strengthening local supply chains
  • Supporting staff, students and volunteers to work with communities to improve health, education and social infrastructure
  • Reducing the environmental impact of operations internally and in supply chains.
Leader of ²ÝùÊÓƵ City Council, Tudor Evans adds:
“This agreement gives us clarity of four focus areas for collective action where we can make the biggest difference through our social value action, It allows us to better coordinate services and investments that influence community wellbeing, ensuring we act with purpose—and with our partners, act with strength.â€
The Civic Engagement Agreement is working alongside and in collaboration with Growth Alliance ²ÝùÊÓƵ (GAP) the partnership between ²ÝùÊÓƵ City Council, Babcock International Group and The Royal Navy to ensure vital defence outputs are delivered into the future while driving sustainable and inclusive growth in the region.
The founding partners will now reach out to businesses, community organisations and residents to help shape the next phase of this work by contributing to the design and delivery of the detailed agreement to follow in autumn 2025.