Winners Interviews & Archive

A Whole-Council Approach to Tackling Health Inequalities

St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council

St Helens is one of the most deprived areas in England and has large inequalities across the borough. In December 2021, we established an Inequalities Commission in St Helens to understand the barriers impacting residents, give local people a voice, and learn from expertise and best practice, all with the aim to try and tackle inequalities and make sure that the most vulnerable in the borough are supported. 

The priorities for the first year were: fuel poverty, food poverty and best start for children. Achievements include: expanding the number of food pantries and food provision in the borough, providing a number of much needed small grants to community groups to help them support residents who are struggling, and the significant improvement in engagement with the community and local partners which has helped us develop an understanding of the issues impacting them. This work also helped us, as a council, be in a good position to prepare and provide support for residents as the cost of living crisis grew.

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Best Council Services Team

Reading Borough Council - Highways Team

A desire to reduce waste sent to landfill and increase recycling rates and efficiencies were key drivers to a hugely ambitious project delivered over the last two years to introduce food waste recycling in Reading. This formed part of Reading’s climate emergency response, encouraging urgent action locally to help protect the planet. By introducing food waste recycling, Reading Borough Council has been able to lead by example and inspire residents to take responsibility and do their bit to help. Changing resident behaviour - 41% of weight in general household bins was food waste previously – in the UK’s largest town was successfully achieved thanks to an innovative approach including introducing smaller general waste bins, comprehensive communication and even the support of a global celebrity. The phased campaign defied challenges and has received widespread public support which has led to success far beyond that which was projected. The objective of boosting the recycling rate from 32% to 43.5% has been vastly exceeded and now stands at over 50%. Due to the success of the campaign which has seen greater public participation than expected, net revenue savings of £500,000 per annum have been achieved, well above the original projected £342,000 per annum. 

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Best Social Housing Initiative

Wokingham Borough Council

At Wokingham Borough Council we recognise the significant role that suitable, affordable, and good quality housing plays in our community and in the day-to-day lives of our residents. Our Adult Social Care Specialist Accommodation (ASCSA) Programme offers to support our most vulnerable residents to live more safely, confidently, and independently through the development of a range of specialist housing options. It is an ambitious and locally-driven initiative, that has built strong partnerships with landlords and care providers, and delivered for our most vulnerable residents. 

-Choice of Housing: Giving residents a choice in their own home with secure long-term affordable tenancies. 
-Quality of Life: Improving the lives of residents with appropriately adapted accommodation and support. 
-Reduced Care Costs: Reducing care costs through more efficient use of shared care and the right support. 
-Climate Change: Reducing our carbon footprint through sustainable development. 

Wokingham Borough Council is keen to showcase the success of the ASCSA Programme. We created thirty-six new supported-living spaces and moved thirty-five people to into new accommodation with long-term affordable tenancies. 

Most importantly, our residents have all settled into their new homes - allowing them to live more safely, confidently, and independently in our local community.

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Best Transport Decarbonisation Project

Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council

The formation of the new unitary Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council in April 2019 created an urban population of 400 000, the twelfth largest in the country. The BCP area is the economic hub of Dorset, with an expanding Port, University and Airport. Its renowned for quality tourism, with 9.6m visitors per annum.    
Congestion in BCP costs an estimated £300m per annum. Securing modal shift by bike, bus, train and on foot is a priority for the Council and follows the declaration of a Climate Emergency. 
In order to reduce carbon, congestion and encourage a healthy and environmentally friendly form of transport the Council therefore tendered for a Dockless Bike Share operator for 5 years. This was awarded to Beryl in 2019.
Close collaboration with partners has ensured delivery of an innovative, safe, well managed scheme. Demand far exceeds expectation. Over 188,000 users have undertaken 1.36 million journeys since launch in Summer 2019, covering a distance of over 5 million km.
The key outcome of modal shift has been achieved, with 33% of journeys replacing a motorised vehicle trip. 
35% of users returned to cycling after a break. 47% are cycling more often indicating long term behavioural change has occurred. 

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Care and Health Integration

Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council

Rochdale Borough Council and HMR Integrated Care Board have created a multi-agency alliance to improve support and outcomes for Rochdale’s 7,106 children and young people requiring special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support. 
Raising Rochdale's SEND Alliance includes those with lived experience as well as professionals responsible for making key decisions. 
The alliance has mapped early intervention offers to recognise gaps and patterns and developed a strong information sharing system. It is creating a multi-agency data dashboard which will include data from health, local authority, education and social care as well as indicators that come directly from children, young people and families. 
The team worked with children and young people with SNED and their families to create a set of outcomes which underpin its actions, To reduce the burden on specialist therapies, a minimum standard has been developed for early help services and the team has worked to ensure families are aware of what is on offer. 
Since the creation of the alliance, more children are receiving early intervention and support, enhanced the input of young people, and commissioned three new peer-led projects.  

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Chief Executive of the Year

Kate Kennally - Cornwall Council

Kate Kennally has made an incredible and lasting contribution to the local government sector, and particularly Cornwall Council and the Duchy since joining the organisation in 2016. Kate stands out in her ability to demonstrate sustained excellent performance, innovation and first-class leadership across the broadest spectrum of services and activity. This is symbolised by a set of historic firsts and exceptional outcome delivery, including: creating the first Spaceport in Europe; securing the first ‘county deal’; with a ‘rights-based’ approach to delivering Ofsted ‘outstanding’ Children’s services; leading a rural national bus revolution; together with successfully hosting the first G7 Summit since the outbreak of the pandemic. 

Kate's contribution has been truly exceptional over the last couple of years with her spearheading at the same time the national and local recovery from the pandemic, with Cornwall Council continuing to go above and beyond in rising to the challenges faced by communities and grasping exciting opportunities to improve lives and livelihoods. 

In summary, Kate is an outstanding and hugely successful Chief Executive and has made a significant and valued contribution towards improving the quality of life for all in Cornwall and championing the importance and contribution of local government on the national stage.

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Community Engagement

East Ayrshire Council

The Communities Team within Vibrant Communities has been at the forefront of working with and supporting local communities to plan, prioritise and progress community-led regeneration in their area, which has played a significant role in transforming the Council’s relationship with the communities it serves. The team supports community-led initiatives to mitigate against the impact of the Cost of Living. Their role is to empower and build the capacity of individuals and community groups. In doing so, this strives to improve, implement and identify solutions to issues and concerns that impact on their personal, social, economic, physical and cultural environment. 

There are currently 48 community-led and 11 partner-led warm spaces in East Ayrshire, all supported by the team. 776 individuals have been supported to date through this initiative. The warm spaces offer a comfortable, dignified space for warmth, company, food and advice. Of the 64 community facilities which are now in a management agreement, leased or owned by the local community, 36 of these are operating as warm spaces. This innovative approach has eased the challenges of Covid-19 and the Cost of Living pandemic in our local communities with local organisations delivering locally-led initiatives.

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Corporate Director of the Year

Theresa Leavy - Dorset Council

In Dorset, we are blessed and privileged to have Theresa Leavy as our Executive Director for Children’s Services. She has brought her extensive experience and expertise along with her unwavering commitment for improving the lives of our children in Dorset. Theresa has transformed the look, feel and importantly the performance of children’s services by improving outcomes for children, young people and families in or communities.

Theresa has led Dorset through a period of immense system challenge and change that has delivered an improved way of working both as teams and with our children and families. Facilitating a culture of working together and delivering through kindness.  She has created a strengths-based support and culture where staff are encouraged to champion the interests of children and young people being their advocates in everything we do.  

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Delivering Better Outcomes

Mayor of London's Violence Reduction Unit

It’s where your friends live, and where you spend your days, it’s where you hang out, it’s where you were raised.  
It’s the backstreets and shortcuts you know better than any map app.
It’s your ends – and whilst it might not always feel like where you truly belong, at the end of the day it’s still where you’re from. 
In some parts of London, violence is localised to areas as small as an estate or a cluster of streets.  
London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) leads a partnership approach to tackling violence that is rooted in prevention and early intervention. It’s a public sector partnership body that works alongside all 32 London boroughs.
Its MyEnds programme is unique. It puts communities at the heart of solutions.  
VRU funding is backed up by support from local authorities, enabling communities to deliver local interventions. It means better value for money and sustainable long-term change. 
It’s in eight neighbourhoods – not wards nor boroughs – and it’s delivering better outcomes.
In 18 months, it’s benefitted more than 5,600 young people and families, and delivered over 100 local interventions.
Prevention is working to improve mental health and wellbeing, behaviour in school, and employability.

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Digital Transformation

Stockton on Tees Borough Council

Stockton-on-Tees’ digital transformation journey is having a hugely positive impact on children and young people with complex special educational, health and social care needs. 

By embracing new technology, the Council and its partners have, in Ofsted’s words, “conducted a root-and-branch rebuild of the Education Health Care (EHC) planning process.” As a result, far more children have a statutory EHC plan that meets their needs and gives them equal opportunities to achieve what they want to in life. 

Coproducing a digital tool that guides those auditing, writing and contributing to EHCPs is having an enormously positive impact. In Emma Zenaj's words, Co-Chair of the Parent Carer Forum, “children and families now have hope that things are changing for the better.”

This hope is based on demonstrable improvements brought about by the coproduction of digital EHCP QA tool, Invision360. The online tool removes objectivity and bureaucracy and allows people to analyse the quality of each plan Section to target improvements. Resultingly, the percentage of EHCPs audited as ‘Good’ has increased from 14.7% to 87.6%, and those audited as ‘Inadequate’ has dropped from 29.4% to 1.7%. 

Stockton-on-Tees is changing the goalposts. What is ‘good’ is not good enough anymore; it’s what’s ‘outstanding’ now! 

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Innovation in Building Diversity and Inclusion

London Borough of Lewisham

At Lewisham Youth Justice Service (LYJS) we have recognised that it is not enough to say we are not racist and that we needed to explicitly state and show how we are actively anti-racist. Addressing disproportionality in the youth justice system is, and has been, a longstanding priority for LYJS, therefore we have pioneered and translated an anti-racist strategy into high-quality service delivery on our journey for racial equity and to improve outcomes for Black and mixed heritage children.
The TI-AR-RA Model
As a trauma informed, anti-racist and restorative in approach (TI-AR-RA) service, we are embedding these elements and weaving them through each juncture of the child’s journey at LYJS.
LYJS has developed an evidenced based model by applying the theories of childhood trauma, restorative approaches and unconscious bias within the context of contextual safeguarding. This model has contributed to significant reductions in children and young people entering the youth justice system, lower rates of re-offending and reduced numbers of incidents of serious violence leading to less use of custody.
We are resolved that our anti-racism commitment be reflected in the life and culture of the service through our policies, programs, and practices as we continue to learn about racism. 

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Innovation in Children’s and Adults' Services

Manchester City Council

Over a third of Manchester’s children are living in poverty and their challenges were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic as pupils missed school and opportunities were restricted. 

Through the ‘2022 Our Year’ campaign, Manchester City Council instigated a collective, city-wide drive to help children and young people build back stronger and reclaim their futures. 

By galvanising the city and uniting partners from all sectors, the Council developed a diverse and inspirational year-round programme that responded to the wishes and feelings of children and young people. 

Ambassador and sponsor programmes saw collective pledges of support from across the city with organisations’ pledges ranging from mentoring, work experience and equipment, to funding, events and experiences, all to support, inspire and enthuse Manchester’s young people and help them lift their horizons. 

Fundamental to the success of the project was the joint leadership approach by senior officers and elected members to ensure the campaign was a corporate priority with organisation-wide support. 

Although the 12-month campaign has ended, Manchester City Council is committed to keeping the momentum of the last year going, and to build on its legacy as it continues its ambitious journey towards becoming a UNICEF UK-recognised Child Friendly City. 

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Innovation in Delivering Sustainability and Social Value

Wokingham Borough Council

The Wokingham town centre regeneration project is an award-winning ambitious project to revitalise Wokingham town centre, through a combined approach of commercial, residential and environmental sustainable development, in parallel with local community and business support and engagement. The regeneration project is an excellent example of a local authority committed to supporting local economic growth and communities by providing the right environment for the town and local businesses and residents to thrive. Wokingham Borough Council has led this project as land owner, developer and investor and has committed over £100M in the physical regeneration of the town centre, whilst supporting local businesses in encouraging visitors and increased footfall into the town and building business networks, all through the turmoil of market uncertainties and challenges. The Council has led an innovative and bold approach to delivery, retaining the commercial assets and generating a long-term sustainable return to help fund services across the wider Borough.

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Innovation in Partnerships

Somerset Council

Ten new family-sized homes for children are due to open in Somerset over the next year, thanks to a trailblazing new 10-year partnership which aims to improve the lives of some of Somerset’s most vulnerable young people in care. 
Underpinned by a strong partnership ethos, Somerset County Council, care providers Homes2Inspire, and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust are working together to deliver 10 family-sized homes for children across Somerset, 20 specialist fostering households, and a brand-new therapeutic education service on 2 sites.  
This combination means that children and young people who require more in-depth help will have wraparound support, a safe and welcoming home, and tailored education with expert staff experienced in mental health, therapy, and social work. 
The service will support about 30+ children and young people at any one time, in homes with up to four children. These small numbers will ensure care is personalised and individually tailored to meet the needs of each child. 

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Leadership in Responding to the Climate Emergency

Oxford City Council

Oxford City Council’s vision is to build a world-class city for everyone, by creating successful places in which to live and work, supporting our communities and addressing the climate emergency. We will build a fairer, greener city in which everyone can thrive. Pursuing a zero carbon Oxford is one of the City Council’s 4 corporate priorities meaning climate action is central to everything we do. The Council was the first to host a Citizen’s Assembly on climate change, demonstrating its commitment to the cause and public consultation on the matter. It has devised and implemented a range of innovation projects across the sectors, showing climate delivery locally and nationally to progress its zero carbon ambitions, such as: working with the County Council to deliver the zero emissions zone, the implementation of the public sector decarbonisation scheme (PSDS), funded decarbonisation projects across key council sites, its investment in renewable energy production, the electrification of its fleet and development of electric vehicle charging points in the city.    We will take a lead in reducing the city’s impact on climate change by working with our communities and aligning our work with partners, creating shared insights and more joined-up solutions. 

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Local Authority of the Year

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council

In Barnsley, we’re looking to the future with excitement and optimism. We have big ambitions and are changing perceptions with our bold, brave, place-based plans.     
Our journey is hard-earned; a vision becomes a reality. We’ve reinvented, finding a new economic purpose. We’re bucking trends and delivering on our targets.     
We’re united by a shared sense of pride for our borough. Our ambitious Council Plan is aligned with our co-produced Barnsley 2030 ambitions guiding everything we do. We’re working together to make real differences for our residents and make every community the place of possibilities.     
We’re a high-performing and well-managed council. Our achievements are evident, attracting people to live, work, visit and invest, with our award-winning town centre built during COVID-19, nationally recognised accessible museums and culture offer, outstanding 0-19 Public Health Nursing Services and dedicated support for businesses, communities, and residents. We’re enabling everyone to be the best they can be here in Barnsley.   
As the 38th most deprived council in England, our funding has been cut by 50% since 2010. On paper, anyone would think our options are limited, but our past has not, and will not, stop us from believing in Barnsley as the place of possibilities. 

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Rising star

Lizzie Todd - Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council

Lizzie Todd works each day on a public enquiry desk and is the friendly face of the library service. Her calm and efficient demeanour mask a focused and driven champion of new ways of engaging with residents of all ages. She has embraced the library ethos of service planning coming from all levels of staff involvement, and has suggested many new an innovative experiences for the libraries to deliver. She has ambition for the service and herself and has realised there is no substitute for experience and she puts herself forward for new projects, some of her own devising. Her most challenging project to date has been a tablet loan project using surplus android tablets. She liaised with software developers across the globe, tendered for suppliers, developed processes for safe and effective loaning of tablets, trained staff in project delivery and promoted the live project to the digitally disadvantaged in the community. She has proved her digital skills but also a tenacious attitude to ensure delivery happens and deadlines are met. Her boundless enthusiasm, humour, honesty and integrity have been an inspiration to her peers and managers alike. She is certainly a rising star in the libraries and the council.

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Senior Leadership Team

South Hams District and West Devon Borough Council

Formed during the pandemic, honed during recovery, and perfected since, the shared Senior Leadership Team (SLT) of South Hams District Council and West Devon Borough Council has delivered on political ambition to secure tangible benefits for our communities.
Dynamic leadership, collective ownership and a depth of trust displayed by the team, with a tenacity to overcome problems, is at the heart of our success. 
SLT led the complete reimagining of service delivery to support communities through the pandemic, quickly implementing a recovery plan which became the springboard for new corporate strategies reflecting the distinct requirements of each area, supported by SMART delivery plans. 
Using these as the catalyst for change, we reshaped and refocussed the organisation to deliver results and overcome challenges:
1.    Protecting services for our residents, while achieving financial sustainability - leveraging the efficiencies of a single workforce and fully integrated systems serving two councils. 
2.    In-sourcing poorly performing waste services
3.    Leading on climate change - planning policy Dev 32+
4.    Lobbying to change national policy on second homes and supported accommodation 
5.    Landing the only Freeport in the South West: 3,600 jobs, £300m investment
6.    Winning LUF funding for a new integrated rail and transport hub

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Transforming Lives

London Borough of Redbridge

The Future Leaders Programme works with young people (16-18-year-olds) from disadvantaged, marginalised and vulnerable backgrounds to increase their life chances and empowers them to be agents of positive chance in their local community, therefore transforming their lives.  The 6-month leadership programme has weekly workshops, university and apprenticeship visits, career insight days and ends with the young people establishing Social Action Projects that better the local community. In total 100 hours of programming is delivered to each beneficiary over the 28 sessions. Each young person also receives an accredited leadership qualification. The programme is a council initiative. 
The aim of the project is to transform the lives of young people that may be at highest risk of social exclusion by providing them with a range of opportunities and putting them on a path of future success through education and employment opportunities. Over the last 4 years, the programme has supported over 500 Redbridge young people. 
An independent report published in 2022 confirmed that 97% of the young people felt much more positive and ambitious about their future and felt they had a pathway they could work towards. This finding was confirmed by the parents and teachers of the young people.

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Workforce Optimisation

Central Bedfordshire Council

One of the main barriers to the optimisation of our planning workforce was recruitment issues, both the cost of external recruitment and difficulties in securing candidates.  
Our proactive, ‘grow our own’ approach provides in-house dedicated resource, training and support for trainees and existing staff. It allows for quicker career progression alongside comprehensive training.  
The benefits of this have been reduced recruitment costs and a move away from the need to use temporary staff. When caseloads nationally are high, alongside resource issues within planning; our approach has kept them at a manageable level, helping with staff morale, wellbeing and retention. 
We have demonstrably improved performance in all areas and the multi-disciplinary approach of the Academy with technical specialist trainees has contributed significantly to the improvements in performance. The trainees within the Academy have created capacity across the service area allowing senior officers to focus on complex projects and adding value to these.  
Our approach has seen us make the most of our staff and reap the benefits of the investment in their training creating valuable assets for our service and ultimately our customers.