NALC announces Star Councils 2015 winners

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has announced the winners for its Star Councils Awards.

The NALC Star Councils 2015 awards is an all important recognition of all the amazingly effective hard work this being undertaken by local (parish and town) councils, local councillors, local council officers and workers as well as County Associations of Local Councils.

NALC was inundated with hundreds of nominations, which shows and highlights the ‘localist powerhouse’ work undertaken at the neighbourhood and community level. This all comes within the background of opportunities available through devolution and localism; and the challenges of the difficult financial climate many local areas face at the moment.

Cllr Ken Browse, NALC chairman said: “The Panel was chaired by myself and included representatives from NALC, the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG), Action with Rural Communities England (ACRE), Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC), the Localism Alliance, as and the award sponsors.

“The judging panel on the day had to make some very tough and difficult decisions because the standard of entrees were so high. Indeed the judging panel remarked it was wonderful and amazing to see all this incredible community engagement going on in our sector. It was a day to make us proud of the sector!”

The winners in each category were announced at the Star Councils 2015 awards ceremony at the NALC Annual Conference in Birmingham on 27 October 2015. The Awards were hosted by Paul Twivy, co founder of The Big Lunch and Your Square Mile and former adviser to the last three UK prime ministers.

See the winners below:

Council of the Year

• Winner: Frome Town Council, Somerset
• Runners up: Oswestry Town Council, Shropshire
• Runners up: Campbell Park Parish Council, Buckinghamshire

Councillor of the Year

• Winner: Cllr Derek Ailes, Chrishall Parish Council, Essex
• Runners up: Cllr Alix Martin, Alston Moor Parish Council, Cumbria
• Runners up: Cllr Susan Jones, Dover Town Council, Kent

Young Councillor of the Year (Aged 18-30)

• Winner: Cllr Alex Collier, Cottenham Parish Council, Cambridgeshire
• Runners up: Cllr Hannah Marsh, Westerham Town Council, Kent
• Runners up: Cllr Simon Gibson, Verwood Town Council, Dorset

Chair of the Year

• Winner: Cllr June Saltmarsh, Woodham Ferrers & Bicknacre Parish Council, Essex
• Runners up: Cllr John James, Newland Parish Council, Gloucestershire
• Runners up: Cllr Pat Baldwin, West Haddon Parish Council, Northamptonshire

Local Council Outstanding Project of the Year

• Winner: Oswestry Town Council, Shropshire
• Runners up: Frome Town Council, Somerset
• Runners up: Newland Parish Council, Gloucestershire

County Association of Local Councils (CALC) Outstanding Project of the Year

• Winner: Hertfordshire Association of Local Councils – Clerk Leadership Programme
• Runners up: Essex Association of Local Councils - Police Partnership Conference
• Oxfordshire Association of Local Councils - Oxford University Digital Partnership Project

Digital Communications of the Year

• Winner: Stone Parish Council, Kent
• Runners up: Bognor Regis Town Council, Sussex
• Runners up: Farnham Town Council, Surrey

Clerk of the Year

• Winner: Debra Roberts, Feock Parish Council, Cornwall
• Runners up: Fiona Palmer, Castle Donington Parish Council, Leicestershire
• Runners up: Jan Nowecki, Wokingham Town Council, Berkshire

Council Worker of the Year

• Winner: Allan Moffat, Bracknell Town Council, Berkshire
• Runners up: Frances Lawrence, Hermitage Parish Council, Berkshire
• Runners up: Nigel Saunders Ditton Parish Council Kent