2007 Communications Awards winners announced

The winning entries for the LCR/Co-operative Bank Communications Awards have been announced. Knowsley Parish Council was crowned the winner of the Annual Report of Year 2007, Offerton Park Parish Council won the Website of the Year 2007, and the winner of the Newsletter of the Year 2007 was Loughton Town Council.

The awards were presented at a ceremony during the National Association of Local Councils' (NALC) Annual Conference and Exhibition in Bournemouth, on 6 October.

Presenting the awards, David Dunn, senior manager, Public Sector and Community Development, Co-operative Bank, commented, "We all know and understand how important communication with our communities is, and all the judges have been impressed by the high standards which continue to be set by non specialists within this arena."

Mike Burton, editor of the MJ, commenting on the newsletter of the year stated: "As always there were excellent examples of newsletters put together with great dedication, often by volunteers, and non specialist staff. I am always impressed by newsletters which show commitment to local advertisers, as this displays good readership penetration. I would however urge more space for readers letters and feedback from communities, which is always proof that the publication is being read and appreciated."

NALC and its magazine, LCR, would like to thank the Co-operative Bank for their continued sponsorship of these awards. This year each of the category winners will also receive a contribution of £350 towards a community project in their area. We look forward to seeing the difference that this helps to make in these local communities.

The winners

Knowsley Parish Council - the judges commented that Knowsley's Annual Report was excellent and very hard to find fault with. It carries all the necessary information in a relatively eye-catching way. And it works as a publication for the un-initiated as it gives an introduction about parish councils which is very good. The publication was very glossy with good use of images and illustrations.

Offerton Park Parish Council - the judges commented that this website has a good layout and design, clear navigation and excellent usability. Access to local information was never more than a couple of clicks away. The website asks you questions and leads you through via your response, which is a novel way and good form of navigation. Information is split into clearly defined groups and serves notice on the local community as a call to action.

Loughton Town Council - in the judges opinion Loughton's newsletter was clearly laid out, and you get a sense of what is going on in the community. It is eye catching, and makes good use of local advertisers to generate revenue. It was a reader friendly size with a hard news lead, which attracts the attention of the local people.

Full list of winners

Annual report of the Year

• Knowsley Parish Council, Merseyside - Winner
• Billericay Town Council, Essex - Second Place
• Misterton Parish Council, Nottinghamshire - Third Place

Website of the Year

• Offerton Park Parish Council, Stockport - Winner
• Denmead Parish Council, Hampshire - Second Place
• Sandwich Town Council, Kent - Third Place

Newsletter of the Year

• Loughton Town Council, Essex - Winner
• Miserden Parish Council, Gloucestershire - Second Place
• Horden Parish Council, County Durham - Third Place

Notes for Editors

The National Association of Local Councils is the national representative body for 10,000 community, parish and town councils throughout England and Wales. In all, there are over 100,000 community, parish and town councillors throughout England and Wales. These councillors, who serve electorates ranging from small rural communities to major cities, are all independently elected. The councils have powers to raise their own funds through council tax. Community, parish and town councils provide employment for over 25,000 staff while their annual expenditure exceeds £400 million.

Together, they can be identified as the nation's single most influential grouping of grassroots opinion-formers. Over 15 million people live in communities served by 10,000 community, parish and town councils nationally - this represents up to 30% of the population. Over 150 new community, parish and town councils have been created since 1997.

For more information contact: Alan Jones on 020 7290 0316 or alan.jones@nalc.gov.uk