LANDMARC ADDS £70 MILLION GVA TO THE UK ECONOMY

Landmarc Support Services (Landmarc) has launched its new Landmarc Difference report, demonstrating the positive impact and added value of its activities in the communities in which it operates.

The Landmarc Difference

Key findings demonstrate that the company, which manages the Ministry of Defence National Training Estate, has added £70 million Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy through its supply chain in 2016-17, supporting over 1,800 jobs.  A further £4 million plus has been used for various ‘Spend to Save’ energy efficiency projects, with 91 per cent of all waste diverted from landfill, up from 70 per cent in 2015-16. In addition, over £1.2 million has been spent in conserving and enhancing sites, habitats and public access to the Estate.

Steve Utley, Managing Director at Landmarc explains, “We manage the military training estate on behalf of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) to ensure that it delivers a safe and sustainable place for our armed forces to train. Part of this commitment is to support the local people that live and work around the Estate and to ensure that our activities have a positive impact on these communities.

“The Landmarc Difference report is a vital tool in helping us to ensure we are making a sustainable contribution to rural communities around the UK. This is the second time that Landmarc has commissioned such a report, working once again with Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) and CAN Invest to develop specific measurement tools, targets and milestones for social value reporting that build on the previous 2013 findings.

“Our ethic is to create and add value in all aspects of our business activities and this report will ensure we remain focused on increasing the positive impact of the business in the future. Coupled with a new sustainability strategy aligned to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, we have set clear objectives to help deliver on this commitment.”

The report applies two approaches to measuring impact; value chain analysis, which identifies the activities that Landmarc undertakes to deliver its services and consolidated impact and investment reporting, which aims to isolate the impact that Landmarc has made beyond its contractual obligations to DIO.

Grouped in to economic, environmental, social and investment categories, the report demonstrates that Landmarc makes a significant difference in total contribution terms. For example, it has invested almost £70,000 in to its local communities through its community fund, works with a number of social enterprises and actively recruits from its local areas, currently employing over 30 apprentices among its workforce.

Environmental achievements include over £100,000 generated for forestry reinvestment and an eight per cent reduction in annual carbon emissions from all Defence Training Estate sites in 2016-17, a further reduction year on year.

As a rural employer, Landmarc also aims to invest heavily in retaining local employment opportunities, spending nearly half a million on staff training, development and sustainability skills.

Commenting on the report, Brigadier Neil Dalton, DIO’s Head of Overseas Region and Defence Training Estate, said, “The Defence Infrastructure Organisation is delighted to be supported by a company that shows such a keen interest in the contribution that it makes to the rural communities, environment and heritage at the sites where it works across the MoD’s UK Defence Training Estate.  Landmarc’s contribution is substantial and extremely positive, as highlighted clearly in The Landmarc Difference report, and we look forward to this continuing in the future.”

Neha Chandgothia, representing Social Enterprise UK said, “Social Enterprise UK is delighted to have been commissioned for the second time to deliver the impact report for Landmarc. The report demonstrates the genuine concern that Landmarc holds for the society, economy and the environment. The company is creating positive impacts for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) as well as working with local communities at the ground level to support its plans for change and sustainability. Landmarc has announced that its future strategy will be aligned to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals which should see its social and environmental impact continue to grow.”

Greg Woolley, Senior Social Business Analyst from Landmarc’s social impact analysts, CAN Invest added, “We are delighted that an organisation with Landmarc’s extensive reach has again commissioned a report to further understand its impact. This report demonstrates that Landmarc makes a significant difference, particularly through economic means, additional financial value generated for DIO and its substantial employment opportunities in rural areas nationwide. We look forward to seeing Landmarc’s future developments, aligned to its new Sustainability Strategy, and the consequent impact in the months and years to come.”

A copy of the full report and key findings can be downloaded here.