LGC award winners revealed

The winners of the annual LGC awards have been announced at a black-tie event at Grosvenor House in London.

Manchester City Council won LGC Council of the Year, beating Great Yarmouth BC, North Kesteven DC, Staffordshire CC and Telford & Wrekin Council.

Of Manchester City Council, the judges said: "This council is a generous partner that has transformed services with outcomes that buck the national trend. The way lived experience was taken into account in the design of services makes this winning council a deserving winner."

This year's awards saw councils honoured in 22 categories, with a record number of entries. 1,300 people gathered at the event, where Barry Quirk, one of the longest-serving chief executives in modern local government history received the Editor’s Special Award. The Kensington & Chelsea RBC chief executive won The Editor’s Special Award for outstanding contribution to local government.

LGC editor Sarah Calkin called councils, their staff and elected members “the backbone of our country”, and mentioned their important work in areas such as care for the elderly and vulnerable, housing those with nowhere else to go, reinvigorating town centres and creating opportunities for all.

“Time and again councils have answered central government’s call for support with local, national and even international crises.

“In recent months alone, that has meant supporting those struggling as the cost of living spirals out of control, steering your local economies as they recover from Covid lockdowns, and helping refugees arriving with little more than the clothes on their back to settle into their new communities.

“And you still find time to collect the bins and fill the potholes. Quite simply, you are the people that get stuff done.”

Image: Pixabay

The sponsors of the awards include Zurich Municipal, Agilisys, Attenti Consulting, Connected Places Catapult, HSO, Liberty Charge, Local Partnerships, Norse Group, Odgers Interim, Penna, Repic, Technology One and Tile Hill.