Telford & Wrekin Council

LGC’s Council of the Year will be the council which has the most learning and inspiration to offer the rest of local government. The winner should demonstrate underlying sustained strong performance, innovation and excellent leadership across the broad spectrum of its work. Judges will be asked to disregard any advantages a council has based on its size or location, and they will not award Council of the Year on the basis of the scale of the Covid challenge a council has faced. The winner will be chosen on the basis of the delivery of strong outcomes, the quality of the council’s community leadership, and the evidence that the council is doing the best for its area, all in response to the specific challenge the council has faced in all areas of its work. Judges will also look for qualities including resilience, compassion, inclusion and adaptability, as well as the quality of the council’s cooperation with partners. This award is open to a council or, in exceptional circumstances, a partnership of councils – for instance when two councils share the same officer leadership.

We’ve spent the best part of a decade building what has to be one of local government’s biggest success stories. Telford & Wrekin has outstanding children’s services, our adult social care is regarded as exceptional and we’re leading by example on the climate change agenda by dramatically reducing the council’s carbon emissions. The pandemic brought to the fore our strong bonds with communities and partners as we supported the borough’s most vulnerable residents. At the same time, we’ve worked to create the conditions for inclusive economic growth and brought forward pioneering regeneration schemes that will transform the borough.

At Zurich Municipal we know how much time, effort and teamwork goes on behind the scenes at councils across the UK – this is why we are particularly proud to sponsor the Council of the Year award. With more than 25 years working alongside local authorities it is a privilege for us to have seen and worked alongside them as their visions are brought to life, bringing benefits to millions of people in communities around the UK.