Local Council Award Scheme

Published: 10 November 2016

Gold Standard

The Award Scheme report highlighted the council’s particular areas of strength, including its vision and leadership.

The Local Council Award Scheme is a peer assessed programme that has been designed to both provide the tools and encouragement to those councils at the beginning of their improvement journeys, as well as promoting and recognising councils that are at the cutting edge of the sector. It is through the sector working together to share best practice, drive up standards and supporting those who are committed to improving their offer to their communities that individual councils
and the sector as a whole will reach its full potential.

Somersham Parish Council’s Chairman Steve Criswell was quoted as being delighted "As a parish council, we realised several years ago that we had an increasing role to play in the well-being of our residents and the strengthening of our community. I am proud that our commitment has been recognised with this Gold Award. However, I am very aware that challenges lie ahead and to meet them we will need to work more closely with our County and District partners"

In terms of the future, the council is now reviewing ways in which it can keep on improving its offer to the local community and welcomes input from local people and partners on this. Somersham, and other local councils like it, are at the front line of the government’s localism agenda and are doing as much as they can to delivery services whilst being efficient and cost-effective. Currently the council provides a range of services including a dedicated website and social media, sports facilities, a community library, Time Bank, Youth Club and designated Nature Reserve and intends to further improve its community engagement through this.