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categories criteria
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Council of the Year
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The winner of this award will need to demonstrate a level of excellence and innovation which takes their work well beyond basic service provision. The judges will seek to balance relative size and function with quality of output, so even the smallest council can win. Entries are welcome from all county, district, borough, London borough, metropolitan, unitary and islands councils in the UK. Judges will visit shortlisted councils to examine their entries and meet privately with relevant staff and service users.
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This award allows all councils, not just those ranked highly by the Audit Commission, to demonstrate how they are striving for excellence. Winners will have to demonstrate their progress through real service improvements, which are recognised by citizens, and judges will visit those shortlisted to investigate their claims. All councils throughout the UK, whatever their size or status, are welcome to enter.
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Entries to this category should show how they are providing seamless children’s services. They should demonstrate excellent and innovative approaches to tackling and delivering the range of services for children. Entries can be team or project based.
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Projects to involve the community are central to the activities of local authorities, acting as a link between the council and its citizens. They often show councils at their best as they work hand in hand with local people, with imagination and enthusiasm, to meet local needs. The scope of this award ranges from schemes to combat social exclusion to environmental projects. Entries are likely to be project based and could cross departmental or even administrative boundaries
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Efficiency & Modernisation
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This category aims to uncover councils who have used efficiency to drive service improvements and modernisation. Entries to this category need to show not just where they have made savings to meet the 3% target, but how this has brought about measurable improvements for citizens, such as by driving more resources to the front-line and re-engineering delivery.
Click here to enter this award. |
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Entries for this award should demonstrate more than tight fiscal controls, although these will be taken into account. Other factors will include improvement in basic services, good innovation and use of IT, and team development leading to increased efficiency. Entries, which could be project or team-based, should also demonstrate how they have met the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
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Local government has a central role in improving the wellbeing of residents and is showing greater leadership in working with local partners to create healthier communities. Judges will look for entries that demonstrate the impact of councils’ joint working on tackling health inequalities. They will look for councils that have strong partnership working and have engaged with their communities to create services to improve health and wellbeing.
Click here to enter this award. |
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Innovation is the next step in local government’s improvement journey. Judges will be looking for projects that have not only broken new ground but can demonstrate that they have had a major impact on service delivery and the lives of local people. These can be in any shape or size, in any area of service provision and with local partners.
Click here to enter this award. |
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Lawyers play a central role in many areas of council service delivery. Their involvement in issues, such as partnerships, service innovation, regeneration and community leadership, is crucial. The judges will look for evidence of how the work has benefited citizens. Entries could describe the successes of a legal team or a specific project.
Click here to enter this award. |
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Local Leadership
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Communities need strategic leadership to help bring together local partners to improve the services and environment in which they live. Whatever the arena, be it in the area of climate change or the local economy; judges will be looking for entries where teams can prove they have used all the powers at their disposal and worked to influence key partners to help make a physical, economic and/or social difference to the place and people for which they are responsible.
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Local Strategic Partnerships
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Local Strategic Partnerships are one of the mechanisms for local partners to agree priorities across a range of areas. The most effective are those that include a wide range of partners from the private, public, community and voluntary sectors and also have a means to reflect the make-up of the communities which they represent. This award will go towards the LSP which can prove it really has brought together the key players in their community to agree joint objectives, local area agreements and community strategies, and has brought about significant, measurable change and improvement on the frontline.
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The best local government management surpasses anything else the public and private sector has to offer. There are likely to several teams within a council managing the needs of the community. But wherever the management team works, it should demonstrate excellence and innovation in its approach to clients, colleagues and the outcomes it delivers. Entries could come from any management team within a council, not just those at the centre.
Click here to enter this award. |
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Public/Private Partnership
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Public-private partnerships are at the forefront of some of the most exciting developments in local government. This award is the showcase for these achievements. It gives councils an opportunity to celebrate the use they have made of business partnerships during the year through, for example, community projects, education action zones, urban regeneration initiatives and children’s services.
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The regeneration of communities is crucial to minimise social exclusion develop local economies. Work to regenerate neighbourhoods can range from the development of a new football stadium or rebuilding a housing estate to a major redevelopment of a town centre or river front. Effective partnerships with many other agencies are crucial to pull these projects off. Entries could come from councils on their own or in partnership with each other or with private and voluntary agencies.
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The local environment is a major concern for citizens, who always cite the state of their streets, parks and waste collections as issues of particular concern for them. Problems with local environments such as fly tipping and litter are linked to crime and disorder and other economic and social issues. This award will go to the local authority that can demonstrate it is tackling these issues sensitively, imaginatively and effectively. Judges will be looking for a concerted effort across departments, a real joining-up of service delivery and strong engagement with the public. Entries could come from projects ranging from the imaginative solution to a local fly-tipping or graffiti problem to the broader question of enhancing the built environment.
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The majority of members and officers feel that maintaining high standards of behaviour for members is one of the most important issues facing local government. This award will go to the authority that can prove they have put ethical standards at the heart of their culture and at the core of their governance. The judges will be looking for entries which describe how their authority’s commitment to promoting ethical standards has improved public trust in local democracy. Entries must also provide evidence of an innovative approach to promoting high standards of member conduct and how the ethical standards agenda has the full, proactive support of the council’s leadership. Entries are welcome from authorities of any size or status.
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Transformational Government
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Transformation and performance improvement is at the heart of every department. Entries for this award should demonstrate how the innovative use of technology has transformed service delivery, helping it to become increasingly customer focused while also demonstrating best value. Judges recognise that ICT solutions and teams can come in different shapes and sizes and therefore applications are welcome from in-house ICT teams, those working with the private sector, or project work for individual departments. They will be looking for entries that highlight the impact and the difference that have been made to peoples’ lives and that demonstrate the sustainability of their innovation.
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