Council in line for two prestigious honours
PIONEERING work dealing with climate emergencies and supporting children and young people has resulted in a council being shortlisted for two prestigious national awards.
Calderdale Council is a finalist in two categories of the MJ Local Government Achievement Awards 2020, for the Senior Leadership Team and Innovation in Children’s Services categories.
The awards recognise councils’ outstanding work and commitment to local communities.
Entries for the awards were submitted before the Covid-19 pandemic, and the results will be announced at a virtual awards ceremony on October 2 due to social distancing requirements.
The council’s senior leadership team has been shortlisted for its work leading the way locally to address the climate emergency and significantly reducing flood risk, having successfully secured more than £85m of new investment to help build resilience.
It has taken the lead in mobilising and co-ordinating the community response, working with local residents, businesses and schools to raise awareness of flood risk and build preparedness, and also supporting nature-based ways to reduce flood risk.
Additionally, successful projects such as tree planting across the borough, encouraging more walking and cycling through Active Calderdale and a range of energy schemes to help residents and businesses to heat and run their properties more energy-efficiently also strengthen the nomination, it believes.
In terms of children’s services, the council focuses on offering creative opportunities to help children and young people meet their aspirations and live and work independently in their local communities.
The council has worked closely with children, young people, families, the voluntary sector and education and health providers to transform services for young people with special educational needs and disabilities, such as support available to help them prepare for adulthood.
Last year this work was recognised by Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission
and IMPOWER’s ‘Which Councils are Best?’ report.
Robin Tuddenham of Calderdale Council, said it was a huge privilege to be chief executive at Calderdale Council working with such a talented leadership team.
“Even before the current health pandemic, we were responding to the climate crisis and other huge challenges.
“The talent, resilience and kindness of Calderdale teams and our entire community are getting us through these difficult times together,” he said.
Calderdale Council’s Director of Children and Young People’s Services, Julie Jenkins, said her team was highly ambitious for all of Calderdale’s children and young people, and wants them to have the best possible start in life.
“I’m thrilled that our work to give children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities the best opportunities has been recognised.
“It’s really promising that we are seeing increasing numbers of people with special educational needs staying in education, employment and training in Calderdale,” she said.