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  Hi Reg, there is now a 'Social Value' calculator available through the Dept for Communities. It was this calculator that ARUP used when calculating that £15m cash into the PDCT over 5 years would be worth £90m to the community. Also enshrined in government guidelines (and I think law now as well) is that bids for government contracts and for the purchase of publicly owned assets no longer go to the highest cash bidder but to the bidder whose combined cash and Social Value bid is the biggest.
  
  In the case of DHB and OUR port, if DHB get a 'minded to approve' (which we sincerely trust that they do not), then the highest conforming bid would be the one that offers the most combined cash and social value. DHB have already proscribed the Social Value for bids which conform to their model and on the basis of the Social Value calculator, this will be £90m. Add to that then the cash offer of maybe £250m for the equity and the private sector bid would be counted as being worth £340m.
  
  Using the same Social Value calculator plus the cash offer that has been made by DPPT, we get a total bid value in excess of £500m. The simple fact is, that no private sector bid can match one made by a community cooperative in terms of cash plus social value and the DHB are desparate to remain in charge of the process so that they can exclude a community cooperative/mutual on the grounds that it is a non-conforming bid and then sell to the private equity group that they choose after a 'fair and open' bid process.
  
  The Ports Act, in regard to Trust Ports, is an ass of a piece of legislation. No public corporation or independent statutory body should be allowed to write the rules on its own sale and then be in charge of the process of sale.
  
  Let's ensure that the DHB get a 'not minded to approve' from the decision Minister and then sort out the future ownership and governance of the port under the provisions of the Public Bodies Act.

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