National recognition for Aberdeen as Council of the Year shortlist is revealed

04/12/2019
Marischal College on Broad Street

ABERDEEN City Council has been named as a finalist in a prestigious national award celebrating achievements in local government.

The Council of the Year category is the highlight of the annual LGC Awards and Aberdeen is the only Scottish authority to have been shortlisted. The other finalists are: Adur and Worthing Councils; Brent LBC; Bristol City Council; Calderdale MBC; Hull City Council.

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Aberdeen has also been shortlisted in the Community Involvement and Campaign of the Year categories, with the winners to be announced in March.

Angela Scott, Chief Executive of Aberdeen City Council, said: “We are proud to have been shortlisted for the Council of the Year award and in the two additional categories, with judges recognising the innovation and commitment shown by teams throughout the organisation.

“The city and the Council is in a period of significant transformation and our aim is to drive positive change in every aspect of our operations. There are challenges across the public sector at present but our approach has been to focus on the opportunities to embrace new ways of working, particularly by harnessing digital technology, to enable us to better meet the wide-ranging needs of all of our customers.

“The recognition by the LGC Awards judging panel is a valued external endorsement of the work done to date and the plans we have to continue the journey we’re on. It is a reward for the efforts of the thousands of Aberdeen City Council staff who are at the heart of everything we do.”

Aberdeen City Council is driving the most significant period of transformation in the city’s history, radically enhancing the built environment through a £1billion capital programme and driving social and cultural change with significant investment in the arts, events, education and communities.

Council Co-Leader Councillor Jenny Laing said: “The vision for Aberdeen is for a place where everyone can prosper and we work closely with community planning partners towards realising shared ambitions. We cannot work alone, but as a Council, we recognise we have the responsibility to drive positive change in all aspects of city life.

“The investment being made in infrastructure, both in terms of showcase developments such as The Event Complex Aberdeen and Aberdeen Art Gallery as well as in communities with news schools, hubs and thousands of council houses, is matched by a commitment to social inclusion and inclusive economic growth designed to tackle inequalities and open up opportunities.”

The unprecedented change is being delivered in tandem with the most ambitious and comprehensive redesign of the Council’s structure and approach to service delivery ever undertaken, embracing innovation in demand management and digital opportunities to build the council of the future.

The transformation is set against a backdrop of rising demand for public services, evolving customer needs and increasing financial constraints. In 2019/20 alone efficiencies of £41.2million were identified to bridge a funding gap created by reduced grant funding and rising costs.

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