Council of the Year 2007

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) would like to congratulate Ivybridge Town Council, Devon, on winning the Aon/NALC Council of the Year 2007. Ivybridge received their award at the NALC National Conference in Bournemouth on 6th October 2007. The joint runners up in the competition were Misterton Parish Council, Nottinghamshire; and Sedgefield Town Council, County Durham.

Councillor Alan Wright, Mayor of Ivybridge Town Council, said: "Ivybridge Town Council is delighted to be named Council of the Year 2007. This was a momentus year with work finally starting on a much needed £4.1 million library and community resource centre, which will provide a key focus in the regeneration of our town. I hope that we have demonstrated qualities that are important in our sphere of local government, as well as understanding the needs of our community."

Justin Griggs, head of development at NALC, a judge on the panel, said: "The application for the award from Ivybridge Town Council clearly demonstrated the lead role which this council takes in pursuing community projects. They always look to work in partnership, but are not afraid to take the first step to spur others on."

Peter Lawrence, associate director, Aon said: "Aon Limited have worked together with the first tier of local government to provide for their insurance in a partnership which goes back more than 40 years. With the success of the Clerk of the Year award, Aon and NALC launched the Council of Year competition in 2002. This year we are pleased to be able to contribute £500 towards a community project in the winning council area. We look forward to seeing the benefits of this money in the local area."

Notes for Editors

1. 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 or 

2. Aon has worked with NALC to provide insurance for parish, town and community councils in England and Wales for over forty years. The present scheme, which is underwritten by Cornhill Insurance, comprises a broad package of covers specially designed to meet the particular needs of Local Councils. More than 6,000 local councils currently use the scheme. Aon is a world leader in risk management, insurance broking, reinsurance and human resources consulting services. For further details about the NALC scheme contact Peter Lawrence at Aon, Redhill (0845 753 7070).

3. The NALC/Aon awards were launched to recognise outstanding achievements in first tier local government. The winners received their awards at the Conference dinner in Bournemouth.