Winning The MJ Awards' Local Authority of the Year has been the culmination of years of dedicated work by staff, members and management at Telford and Wrekin Council to ensure residents and local businesses are their top priority. Indeed staff were given an extra day off after the council won the award as a thanks for their contribution to its success.

The award judges said the council ‘is a place shaper with a positive approach to its partnerships. It also has a dynamic and robust focus on its residents. A sense of empowerment is felt across its staff community, with inclusive leadership at the heart of decision making. Indeed, staff cite making a difference to communities as their number one reason for working there. While the council is a leader in areas such as children's services, its hyper local approach to service delivery also enables it to quickly make a positive difference in very targeted areas.'

The council covers both the new town of Telford and rural areas providing a mix of challenges. So what has been the secret of its success? Council leader Shaun Davies says a deliberate focus on ‘the basics' is vital. He adds: ‘We have a focus on what we call brilliant basics. If you don't have brilliant services you can't do the bigger stuff. It took us a good five years to get the basics right. Focusing on the basics is what residents want.'

In its submission to the awards the council set out what it regarded as the key ingredients to a high performing authority. These are an absolute drive to evidence-led community focused decision-making; outstanding children and adult social services, broadened cabinet portfolio responsibilities to drive cross-organisation collaboration; investment in the development of staff; hyper-local communications recognising all the council's communities are different.

A Local Government Association peer review in 2021 concluded: ‘There is strong and effective political and managerial leadership of the council. The leader and chief executive are held in very high regard both within and beyond the organisation, but it clearly isn't just them. Phenomenally hard work has been delivered over many years to get the organisation to where it is.'

Backing this conclusion, a staff survey in 2021 showed that 92% understood how their work contributed to delivery of the council's priorities, 83% would recommend Telford and Wrekin Council as a great place to work and 78% felt proud when telling people they work for the council.

The council has been praised for its social services. Its children's services have gone from ‘requires improvement' in 2016 to ‘outstanding' in 2020, only the second local authority in the country to make the improvement in one leap and driven by strong leadership and investment. The council has now been appointed by the Department for Education as a sector-led improvement partner supporting other local authorities and sharing good practice. The in-house adult social care Shared Lives service is rated ‘outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission.

The council was also praised for the way it tackled challenges during the epidemic. Its 2020 resident survey found that 74% of respondents found the support the council provided its residents during this pandemic was helpful, 75% thought that the leadership of the council had done a good job in responding to Covid and 91% agreed that they felt well informed by the council about the support available. The 2021 peer review said ‘the authority, partners and communities can be extremely proud of the borough's Covid-19 response'.

Telford and Wrekin is one of the fastest growing local authority areas outside the South East but the council is consistently in the top three local authorities for housing growth according to the Centre for Cities with 1,000 new homes each year while the regeneration of Telford is transforming the new town. Through the unique Telford Land Deal with HM Treasury the council is effectively finishing the New Town's development after decades of sites lying dormant.

Cllr Shaun Davies says the award has been a huge morale-booster for the council adding: ‘The MJ Awards are the "Oscars" and this award is particularly special. You can't over-estimate the importance of the award for staff and residents as well as helping recruitment. It gives a real sense of pride and I was determined to make it clear this was an award for all the staff. It's been a highlight of my political career.'

Local Authority of the Year

Sponsored by

Green Park

Winner

Telford and Wrekin Council

Finalists

Caerphilly CBC, North Kesteven DC, North Lanarkshire Council, Tower Hamlets LBC, Wigan MBC

Judges

• Deborah Cadman, Chief Executive, Birmingham City Council

• Tracey Lee, Chief Executive, Plymouth City Council

• Neil Lupin, Managing Partner, Green Park

• Paul Martin, Interim Chief Executive, London Borough of Ealing

• Joanne Roney, Chief Executive, Manchester City Council

• Jenny Rowlands, Chief Executive, London Borough of Camden

• Rachael Shimmin, Chief Executive, Buckinghamshire Council

The MJ Awards provide the people in local government with the recognition they deserve. If you and your team go above and beyond, enter the 2023 Awards now.