Bizarrely the new leader of the Council thinks these nominations are somehow a reflection on the work he plans to do over the next 4 years. They are in fact a reflection of the work done by the Liberal Democrat administration over the last 4 years.
Many thanks are due to the fantastic commitment and work from staff over what was a difficult time as the budget was reduced year on year.
the new LD leader, Cllr Dine Romero said “These awards are a recognition of the work done over the last 4 years in creating in Bath and North East Somerset a climate of innovation and acceptance of change. Under our leadership the Council made some big strides forward and hence it is no surprise to us that we have these 3 award shortlisting.
It will be interesting to see in a years time whether the new administration has managed to keep this progress up and whether we are submitted for awards. The way the Conservative administration has completely messed up on its Park and Ride strategy leads me to think these may well be the last award nominations we get for some time.”
Council shortlisted for three national awards
Bath & North East Somerset Council has been shortlisted in three categories in the Local Government Chronicle Awards.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Tim Warren (Conservative, Mendip), said: “It’s good to see that so much of the innovative work going on within our organisation is being recognised nationally in this way. Our four-year financial plan aims to protect essential frontline services as far as possible by increasing efficiency, growing income and finding new and innovative ways of delivering vital local services.
“This is the 20th anniversary of the awards and this is our best performance yet – we have had finalists before, but never three in one year.”
Bath & North East Somerset Council has been shortlisted in the following categories:
Business Transformation – Workplaces
The Council has been shortlisting for its ambitious four-year Workplaces programme which has transformed the way it works. This has saved over £3 million a year, introduced multi-agency One Stop Shops and reinvented ICT systems, with staff working flexibly from fewer offices whilst putting customer service to the forefront. The savings are already being reinvested to protect essential frontline service. One small example of the success is the annual energy bill for the new Civic Centre and One Stop Shop in Keynsham; this is now just £7,000 compared with £180,000 for the old Riverside Offices and Library.
Team of the Year- Early Years ‘Dealers in Hope’
A team working in the Children’s Services department has been shortlisted. Faced with budget challenges, they have remained focused on high quality delivery whilst exploring new models of delivery to support activity which will benefit local children and families.
Health and Wellbeing Board of the Year
The strength of the close relationship between the Council and Bath and North East Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group and successful collaboration with organisations across the local health and care system, has been recognised through this shortlisting ‘Effective Health and Wellbeing Boards’. The Board has a clear and ambitious vision to deliver outstanding health and care for local people and is committed to tackling the difficult issues faced locally around health inequalities and pressures on urgent care.
Local Government Chronicle editor Nick Golding said: “To be shortlisted for an LGC Award shows that a council’s work in this particular area is something that can inspire the rest of local government. We have had, just about, a record number of organisations entering this year’s awards, making the competition stiffer than ever. The quality of the entries goes to show that councils are striving to innovate to improve services at a time they must cut costs.”
There will be judging days for each award category between January 25 and February 1, with the awards final being hosted on Wednesday March 16, at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London.