Staffordshire authority named UK Council of the Year
South Staffordshire District Council has been handed the title of UK Council of the Year at a national awards ceremony.
The council beat off stiff competition from authorities across the country for the prestigious award, after being nominated for the accolade by public sector awards body iESE.
iESE said this year’s awards were ‘one of the most competitive years ever’, after its judging panel received more than 260 nominations from 81 different public sector organisations from the UK and overseas.
The district council also won two gold awards at the London event – the asset management and regeneration award category for its community hub project, and the working together award category for its localities+ model.
The three awards were handed to South Staffordshire District Council at the eagerly-anticipated iESE Public Sector Transformation Awards 2022.
All submissions are tested against a set criteria and are sent to iESE partners globally to check the quality of submissions.
The council was also awarded two certificates of excellence for its local plan consultation and its workplace health and wellbeing programme rolled out during the Covid pandemic.
Leader of South Staffordshire District Council, Councillor Roger Lees, and chief executive Dave Heywood were among those in attendance at the ceremony in the capital to collect the awards.
Councillor Roger Lees said: “I was very proud and honoured, as leader, to collect the main award of the evening on behalf of South Staffordshire District Council.
“But I must pay tribute to the hard work and dedication of the staff that help us achieve this award.
“Winning the UK Council of the Year Award, two gold awards for the community hub and localities+ model, plus two certificates of excellence, is a fantastic achievement for our council.
“However, we will not rest on our laurels; we will keep moving forward with our transformative work in trying to give our residents an efficient and value-for-money service.”
The community hub, based in Codsall, is the new council building, which through its innovative design and concept has allowed South Staffordshire District Council and its 25 partners across public, private, community and NHS sectors to integrate into a modern, energy-efficient working environment. Among its tenants are Staffordshire Police, Russell House GP Surgery, Codsall Library, and many more.
