service awards 20135 September 2013

Annual dinner and service awards programme

In association with the MJ

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Contents page

Evening programme 3

Service award categories and sponsors 4-5

Awards presenter: Liz McClarnon 6

A guide to the annual service awards finalists 2013 7-39

Service award sponsors 40-47

Annual dinner menu 48

Photographs from tonights awards may be requested free of charge via email atenquiries@apse.org.uk

For details on how to enter the 2014 service awards, contact;

Laura McNabAPSE (Scotland Office)

Brandon House Business Centre Unit 18-20

23-25 Brandon StreetHamilton ML3 6DA

Email: Lmcnab@apse.org.ukTel: 01698 459 051Fax: 01698 200 316

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Evening programme

19:00 Pre dinner drinks reception

19:30 Annual dinner commences

20:45 Comfort break

21:00 APSE Annual Service Awards 2013

22:00 Evening entertainment commences

Note of thanks

Thanks to the elected members and officers of Liverpool City Counciland to the APSE national chair Cllr John Kerr Brown and APSE nationalsecretary John Coates for their help in bringing this event to Liverpool.

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Best Employment & Equality initiative

Kindly sponsored by UNISON

Best Local Democracy Initiative

Kindly sponsored by Toltec

Best Housing & Regeneration Initiative

Kindly sponsored by Multihog

Best Efficiency Initiative

Kindly sponsored by British Gas

Best Health & Wellbeing Initiative

Kindly sponsored by UNISON

Best Public/Private Partnership Working

Kindly sponsored by Luton Traded Services

Best Public/ Public Partnership Working

Kindly sponsored by DAC Beachcroft

Best Public/Voluntary Partnership Working

Kindly sponsored by De Montfort University

Best Community & Neighbourhood Initiative

Kindly sponsored by The Trolley Collection Service

Best Information Technology & Communication Initiative

Kindly sponsored by IQ Software Systems

Best Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Initiative

Kindly sponsored by Walker Morris

Service award categories and sponsors

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Best Service Team Construction & Building

Kindly sponsored by Geason

Best Service Team Catering

Kindly sponsored by Theo’s Food Comapany

Best Service Team Building Facilities Management & Cleaning

Kindly sponsored by Numatic International

Best Service Team Highways, Winter Maintenance & Street Lighting

Kindly sponsored by Nu-Phalt & Jetpatcher

Best Service Team Transport & Fleet

Kindly sponsored by SMA

Best Service Team Waste Management & Recycling

Kindly sponsored by U6 Media

Best Service Team Street Cleansing & Streetscene

Kindly sponsored by Love Clean Streets

Best Service Team Parks, Grounds & Horticultural

Kindly sponsored by Nordic Poineer

Best Service Team Sports, Leisure & Cultural

Kindly sponsored by APSE Solutions

Overall council of the year in service delivery

Sponsored by Big Belly Solar

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Awards presenter: Liz McClarnon

Liz McClarnon, will be best known to you asone third of Britain’s most successful girlgroup of the noughties: Atomic Kitten, butrecently she has shown herself to be somuch more than that – the proof as theysay, is in the proverbial ‘pudding’!

Atomic Kitten went on to have 15 top 10singles in the UK including 3 number 1’s,along the way selling 10 million recordsworldwide. This phenomenal success sawthem have hits and perform in Asia, NewZealand and Australia and even perform atBuckingham Palace for the Queen’s Jubileein 2002.

Solo success was to follow in the shape oftop 5 hit ‘Woman in Love’ the BarbaraStreisand classic, that was produced for herby Robin Gibb (The Bee Gee who wrote thehit back in 1979).

More recently Liz has been back on ourscreens for an altogether different reason –swapping microphone for apron, sheembarked on a new challenge when she

entered ‘Celebrity Masterchef’. This may seem like a huge departure for Liz, but she said“What’ve I got to lose? I’ve never tried to cook and hey, maybe I’ll learn something!”

Her natural culinary ability and hard work helped her win the title of Celebrity Masterchef2008.

It was only a matter of time before Liz fronted her own TV show and last year she did just thatfor BBC3. ‘Hotter than my Daughter’ debuted in February 2010 surpassing everyone’sexpectations and gaining viewers each week. The second Series was aired on February 2011,with great viewing number again and she will be filming the third series around Septemberthis year.

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A Guide to the finalists

Best Employee & Equality Initiative

Chesterfield Borough CouncilGrowing Our Own – the Project Academy TeamProject Academy is a simple but effective idea to address a shortage of skilled project managerswithin Chesterfield Borough Council needed to deliver corporate projects designed to makeefficiency savings.

Rather than pay consultants the council decided to ‘grow its own’. It recruited talented staff fromany job or grade, gave them specialist training and asked them to deliver projects, working acrossdepartments.

It has resulted in more Corporate Plan projects being delivered, making financial savings andcustomer service improvements.

City of Edinburgh CouncilWorkstyleHome working was introduced in Revenues and Benefits originally as an effective way to reducecosts, reduce sickness absence, increase productivity and promote a healthy work-life balance.

To date there has been:

• A forecasted annual saving of £61,000.00

• A reduction in sickness absence in the division to below the Council’s 4% target

• On average a 20% increase in productivity

• A 67% improvement in job satisfaction

• An 86% improvement in life satisfaction

Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue ServiceCommunity Safety Adviser ApprenticesGMFRS not only provides an emergency response to the community, the service also hascomprehensive Community Safety, Volunteering and Youth Engagement strategies. The serviceundertakes a huge range of safety activities and delivers a suite of Youth Engagement initiativesincluding the Modern Apprenticeship programme.

In October 2012 GMFRS, employed 12 Community Safety Adviser Apprentices to work within itsPrevention Teams countywide.

The scheme aims to increase the life chances of the young people whilst delivering the servicessafety agenda.

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Lisburn City CouncilHR 20:20 – HR Developing a clear vision for the future through continuous improvementThe HR team underwent a one year transformation journey to build HR capability and fostercontinuous improvement. The solution: the development of HR sub-groups with a focus on keyHR values and continuous improvement across a number of HR themes branded as “HR 20:20 –HR developing a clear vision for the future through continuous improvement”.

The programme has delivered wide-ranging benefits for a range of internal and externalstakeholders with cost savings in year 1 representing 20% of the overall HR salary costs.

The improvements achieved support the council’s commitment to move towards an accountableand performance orientated organisation and culture.

South Ayrshire CouncilWork Out! ProgrammeYouth employability is a key priority for the Council and we endorse the national aspirations thatLearning is not restricted to schools or to school years. Rather, Learning needs to be lifelong anddesigned to develop the skills necessary to flourish in life, learning and work. Therefore, inaddition to supporting and encouraging our school pupils to maximise their academicachievements, we recognise the importance of vocational skills and experience and ‘job readiness’when entering the labour market at the end of school.

Staffordshire County CouncilSaving A Generation – Procurement’s Role in Local Youth EmploymentStaffordshire’s manufacturing economy has suffered during this recession, and Staffordshire hasalso experienced a growth in its number of young people. Staffordshire’s economy needs to growwith the provision of jobs and a skilled workforce.

We have used our purchasing power to aid local youth employment. This initiative involved theCouncil partnering with a local social enterprise, PM Training, and hosting supplier events with theCouncil’s key providers where we promoted trained apprentices. The initiative has created over170 apprenticeships.

Wolverhampton HomesLearning, Employment and Achievement Programme (LEAP)With unemployment rates in Wolverhampton rising, the largest social landlord in the city steppedin to make a change. Wolverhampton Homes created and is successfully delivering a Learning,Employment and Achievement Programme to guide their customers back into work. With 80tenants benefiting from the programme since its launch (2012), it continues to grow providinglocal residents with work-related skills and training to get back into the world of work.

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Best Local Democracy Initiative

Derry City CouncilY H.I.D.E? (Youth, History, Identity, Democracy, Equality)‘Y HIDE?’ (Youth - History – Identity – Democracy – Equality) is a youth/community democracyinitiative developed by Derry City Council (N.Ireland) within a process including schools,education authorities and politicians. Council officers wrote and published a magazine on votingand politics with an accompanying website and teachers/facilitators resource pack. Despite thisbeing a contentious area of work given past ‘Troubles,’ this project gained broad party politicalsupport and is used by Catholic, Protestant and Integrated schools and local reconciliationfacilitators.

Staffordshire County CouncilElections 2013 - Commissioning for ChangeStaffordshire County Council has used the elections in 2013 as an opportunity to reconsider howit can most effectively support its members; to ensure that whatever is in place is fit for purpose– helping, not hindering – their successes. We have listened harder. Our endeavours have madeus more focussed, giving confidence in our direction of travel and after the election we willcontinue to go from strength to strength with and for Staffordshire people.

Stockton on Tees Borough CouncilYouth Participation…to infinity and beyondIn her election address, Stockton’s newly elected MYP, Jessica Belch, said that her “dedication andpassion goes to infinity and beyond”. We have sought to transform our approach to youthparticipation to provide a vehicle for enthusiastic young people like Jessica to have their voicesheard and make a difference for young people across the Borough.

Stockton’s new youth participation model seeks to achieve a step change in youth participation,establishing a representative Youth Assembly and holding formal MYP elections.

Best Housing & Regeneration Initiative

Conwy County Borough CouncilPorth EiriasPorth Eirias as a Project has seen the combination of both coastal protection and Regenerationto produce an end product that is not only an attractive area to draw the public and tourists butan area that protects local residents, businesses and infrastructure from the threat of the sea.

The design was picked through a competition and numerous consultation sessions have takenplace to ensure a high quality offering is provided for all.

Cornwall CouncilPrince Charles HousePrince Charles House, a partnership project between Cornwall Council and Ocean Housing, is anaffordable housing development of 31 self-contained apartments and communal areas purposelydesigned for those aged 50+ years and people with support needs. The scheme, located in St

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Austell, Cornwall achieved the highest BREEAM (Building Research Establishment EnvironmentalAssessment Method) ‘Outstanding’ sustainability rating whilst meeting Lifetime Homes and HAPPIdesign principles. The communal areas are open to the local community, facilitating integrationand socialisation within the neighbourhood.

Dundee City CouncilDundee’s Dallfield Housing and Regeneration InitiativeThrough its Dallfield Housing and Regeneration initiative, Dundee City Council installed a districtheating system and external insulation on 4 multi-storey blocks to provide energy efficient homeswhich tenants can heat for 30% less. The project has also transformed the appearance of the area,improved housing management and tackled crime and anti-social behaviour through multi-agency action, making Dallfield a sustainable community where demand for properties hasincreased and tenants are playing an active part in the future of their community.

Fife CouncilWestport Regeneration ProjectFife Council Building Services is established as the Council’s Maintenance Contractor, whilstdeveloping as a leading innovator in constructing sustainable homes and delivering carbon,financial and energy reduction commitments. Cupar, Westport is Fife Council’s first in-house NewBuild Housing project for over 20 years. The development is constructed on the footprint of theprevious Bell Baxter High School, incorporating the listed façade of the high school, anddemonstrates innovative breathable wall systems, renewables and innovative energy monitoringsystems.

London Borough of BrentSouth Kilburn: An Innovation in RegenerationThe South Kilburn Regeneration Programme is an excellent example of a local authority beinginnovative and brave in its attempt to transform one of its most deprived areas.

The London Borough of Brent is being proactive, innovative and strategic in its regeneration ofSouth Kilburn, delivering high quality new homes in a sustainable, safe and desirableenvironment. A focus on social and economic regeneration also ensures a human scale to theRegeneration Programme.

South Kilburn isn’t just changing; it’s being transformed.

South Tyneside HomesBiddick Hall Non-tradsThe Biddick Hall Non-traditional project transformed 357 homes from poorly insulated houseswith excessive fuel costs, into fully refurbished modern homes. The project has completelyregenerated the Biddick Hall estate. The works have reduced carbon emissions by 1,821 tons peryear and has saved each household £1160.00 per year in heating bills. The project has receivedawards, local and national positive press coverage, as well as being held up as a benchmarkamongst our competitors.

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Best Efficiency Initiative

Aberdeen City CouncilCHP District HeatingAberdeen City Council set up Aberdeen Heat & Power Co Ltd (AH&P) a locally based, not-for-profitorganisation in 2002 to develop and run CHP district heating schemes. The objectives of the CHPschemes were to reduce fuel costs for tenants, eradicate fuel poverty, reduce carbon emissionsand contribute revenue cost savings.

These heating schemes will continue to provide low-cost, low-carbon heating for many years tocome in support of the City’s commitment to help tackle global warming.

Bradford Metropolitan Borough CouncilThe Property ProgrammeThe Property Programme has made the best use of council space and money by producingrevenue savings of £7.8m and generating capital receipts of £21.1m which have been reinvestedback into retained property making it fit for purpose. This reinvestment has enabled over 1000staff to become agile workers giving them up to date modern technology and reduced the floorspace by 31,598m2.

Cheshire West & Chester CouncilPutting the Right People in the Right Place at the Right TimeThe Streetscene Service has transformed its operational delivery and met targets to reduce itsbudget by £500k. This has been achieved through innovation/creativity; through lean thinking;an approach that protected frontline pay and jobs, improved performance, brought services backin house, and increased the ability to respond quickly to service requests through the use ofmobile technology. Who would believe that a local authority would introduce a way of workingmore traditional to the industrial warehousing private sector!

City of Edinburgh CouncilFoster Me Foster Us‘Foster Me Foster Us’ recruits foster carers to care for Edinburgh’s most vulnerable children. Thispartnership project saw foster care recruitment team working with two communications officersto create a wide-reaching and engaging recruitment campaign with a recognisable brand toincrease the number of approved foster carers in the city. The campaign was so successful for2012/13 that it recorded a 55% increase in registering new carers and saved the Council £800,000.

East Ayrshire CouncilThe Road to Efficiency – ASN School TransportEast Ayrshire Council is definitely on the right road to efficiency, when transport costs and inflationhave increased by 18%, savings from ASN school transport of 23% has been achieved whilstdelivering service improvements and meeting increased demand.

Reduced journey times; more robust vehicle compliance testing; improved ID system, mandatorytraining for contractors; and pupil passports introduced, transport staff are more prepared forthe pupil’s needs, giving parents/carers confidence that their child’s needs are met on the journeyto school.

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Fife CouncilEfficiency in Fleet ManagementFife Council’s Building Services needed to “provide a modern, fit for purpose fleet to support, inthe most efficient manner possible, our operational needs’. This vision is being realised with thedeployment of the 2012 Fleet Strategy.

Mid & West Wales Fire & Rescue AuthorityPontardawe Community Fire & Rescue Station’s Self-Rostered Crewing ModelThe Self Rostered Crewing System at Pontardawe Fire Station was specifically designed toinnovatively match resources to levels of operational activity. Pontardawe has proved anoverwhelming success and the SRC crewing model is now being copied by other Fire & RescueServices.

Not only does self rostered crewing save £342k per annum, the station now hosts a specialist linerescue team and the overall operational efficiency of the station now makes Pontardawe the bestperforming station in the Service.

North Ayrshire CouncilDelivering Operational Efficiency through Workforce ModernisationStreetscene is a new service delivery model introduced by North Ayrshire Council, which hasdelivered recurring revenue savings of £1.68M. In addition this workforce modernisationprogramme has brought new role profiles, a wider skill base, changed cultures and attitudes andimproved service standards to the public. These changes have been achieved whilst maintainingemployee relations, improving employee communications and innovative employee involvementmethods. Sickness absence has reduced by 35% and the levels of workplace grievances are alsolower.

Tayside Contracts‘LEANING’ towards a new cultureTayside Contracts is on a journey to embed lean thinking throughout its construction operations,this is not an easy task with long term sustainable improvements the aim of this changemanagement programme.

Using modern and innovative LEAN construction tools and techniques, £669,660 of savings havebeen delivered to date. Further opportunities are developing with £1,422, 380 of future savingscurrently identified.

This efficiency initiative is delivering tangible benefits to Tayside Contracts constituent Councilsof Angus, Dundee City & Kinross.

West London AllianceChildren’s Services Efficiency ProgrammeThe WLA Children’s Services Efficiency Programme is a highly successful partnership programmeinvolving 9 London Boroughs. Using a sub-regional category management strategy it hasenabled the Boroughs to control costs by using a collaborative approach that goes beyond pricingissues. It has brought together the expertise of the market place and that of children’sprofessionals and commissioners, improved competition, and created a variety of cost effectivepartnership arrangements with providers.

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Best Health & Well-being InitiativeAberdeen City CouncilThe Aberdeen Golden GamesIn recognition of an ever growing older population the Aberdeen City Community Health andSocial Care Partnership devised a packed programme of sporting activities suitable for peopleover 65 living in Aberdeen known as the Golden Games.

The Golden Games is about being physically active and encouraging residents to continueparticipating in social, economic, cultural and civic affairs.

The Golden Games are now a key part the Partnership commitment to Reshaping Care for OlderPeople and in particular Active Ageing.

Ballymena Borough CouncilMum’s Health MattersThe Mum’s Health Matters Project is an innovative eight week programme aimed at improving thephysical and mental wellbeing of post-natal mothers with a child under twelve months, throughimproved nutrition, increased physical activity and cognitive behaviour therapy. The Project wasdeveloped by Shauna Lagan of the Environmental Services Department in Ballymena BoroughCouncil but was adopted by the local Ballymena Sure Start and is now running on a recurringbasis in their schedule.

Blackpool CouncilCare and Repair – Winter WarmthThe Winter Warmth service improves the health and wellbeing of vulnerable people living withoutadequate heating provision. It specifically aims to reduce the effect of fuel poverty by helpingthe vulnerable population in Blackpool access appropriate home heating and energy efficiencymeasures through effective partnership with the health service, social services, the privatehousing sector and other services including the voluntary sector.

The service is provided by Care & Repair with the support of NHS Blackpool.

Broxtowe Borough CouncilCreating a Healthy VibeWith the themes of activities for children and young people and healthy living, this submissiondetails the journey of the council’s youth gym facility and it’s changing focus. From redundantspace to mainstream youth gym, through relocation and rebranding in order to maximisecapacity; and finally to a multifunctional provision catering for the whole spectrum of BroxtoweBorough Council’s children and young people.

East Ayrshire CouncilFM Darvel Primary Catering ServiceEast Ayrshire Council has demonstrated creating the right environment for school food improvesnot only the experiences but the outcomes for children.

Darvel Primary provides a dramatic illustration of how the Council has invested in school food,making it an important part of the school. This year a new extension with dining room,production kitchen and introducing a new catering manager has strengthen the relationshipwith the school, all resulting in uptake doubling with more pupils enjoying healthy nutritiousfood.

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East Dunbartonshire CouncilDementia Advisory ClinicsEast Dunbartonshire has the highest older people population in Scotland, and the number isrising. The percentage of population with dementia in the area is also greater than the nationalaverage and is expected to increase even further. In response to these current and futurechallenges, the Council in partnership with other partners established a new innovative co-production model of dementia care that provides a flexible and local service that swiftly identifiesand supports people with dementia and their families.

East Renfrewshire CouncilSexual Health, Wellbeing and Parenting Support for Young PeopleYoung Persons Services – a team of youth workers – has designed and developed three interlinkedprogrammes to address teenage pregnancy and tackle issues facing young parents. Theseprogrammes support young women that engage in high-risk sexual behavior, are pregnant ornew mums. They are achieving tangible results among some of the hardest to reach groups:reducing underage and unplanned pregnancies; increasing breasting feeding rates; andsupporting young parents to give their children a stable, healthy and strong start in life.

Walsall CouncilMove-itWalsall Council embarked on a large scale residents’ research programme to align the Sport &Leisure Service with improved health outcomes. The Service now has a specific focus on attractingtarget “hard to reach” groups into the borough’s leisure centres. This change has had a spectacularimpact, quadrupling the number residents from target groups who access the service on a regularbasis.

Best Public/ Private Partnership Working Initiative

Bedford Borough CouncilFare Deal for Bedford RuralBedford Borough Council has succeeded in maintaining and improving rural bus services at atime of financial austerity. This has been achieved by creating a strong partnership with a localbus operator and by listening to local communities. This, together with adopting an innovativeapproach to procurement and providing services in a proactive, responsive and flexible manner,has led to increased patronage and enhanced economic sustainability of rural services.

East Ayrshire CouncilBusiness Enterprise FundEast Ayrshire Council’s Business Enterprise Fund has led directly to the creation of nine BusinessEnterprise Centres, one in each of the Council’s secondary schools. These Centres are designedto encourage young people to develop entrepreneurial skills and to inspire them to be successfulin the world of work. Working with business leaders, the Business Enterprise Centres haveestablished a number of successful in-school businesses and developed excellent partnershipswith local and national companies.

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North Tyneside CouncilMarden High School Food QubeA successful partnership based on recognising challenges, assessing need, bringing in expertsupport and tailoring a bespoke catering solution. Partners included North Tyneside Council, PKLGroup, and the staff and pupils of Marden High School. Results for the partners included foodprovision with a difference that matched expectations and delivered on Marden High School’s‘stay on site’ policy, increased revenue, improved customer service and boosted staff morale.

Nottingham City CouncilNottingham City Council and inspiredspaces (Local Education Partnership) Nottingham LocalEducation Partnership (LEP) was formed in 2008 as a partnership between Nottingham CityCouncil and private sector partner inspiredspaces.

The LEP was set up to transform educational spaces through Building Schools for the Futurefunding. Since 2008 the LEP has delivered over £250m of education and leisure projects to timeand budget. It has created c400 local jobs, supported 100 apprenticeships and provided over400 training weeks. The LEP’s genuinely collaborative approach has ensured its success.

Redcar & Cleveland Borough CouncilStray and Illegally Tethered Horses – A Partnership ApproachThis submission outlines the proactive approach of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council andour Partners in dealing with the issue of stray and illegally tethered horses in our Borough, withthe overarching aim being to improve public safety and wellbeing, by reducing the number ofhorses in our neighbourhoods.

Our approach has seen a dramatic decline in the number of horses now being tethered, and asubsequent reduction in complaints and risk.

South Oxfordshire & Vale of White Horse District CouncilsExcellence in RecyclingOur partnership is truly exceptional. We are delivering a service that is recognised as being oneof the best in its class nationally (the top 2 councils in the DEFRA recycling league table 2011/12)in a professional and caring way. What is even more remarkable is that this partnership crosses theprivate and public sector boundaries and both council and Biffa staff work tirelessly towards thecommon goals of providing an excellent service while reducing waste and maximising recyclingsuccess.

Staffordshire County CouncilDelivering Safer Roads through Public Private PartnershipStaffordshire Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP) aims to reduce the number of people killed orseriously injured (KSI) on the county’s roads. It also works to raise awareness about road safety,vehicle safety issues and to encourage safe and responsible road use. The Partnership deliversprojects which meet these objectives through a coordinated approach involving a variety ofpublic and private sector organisations. Public and private sector skills, expertise and resourcesare combined effectively, creating an array of Public Private Partnerships.

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West Lindsey District CouncilFive Star PartnershipA Victorian house and an ex-council car park in one of the most deprived areas in the countryhave been given a unique makeover.

The £1 million plus eco-town scheme in Gainsborough, is an excellent example of cross sectorpartnership working.

West Lindsey District Council teamed up with Longhurst and Havelok Homes and RobertWoodhead Limited to deliver the exemplar scheme.

It created seven high quality, energy efficient, affordable homes, whilst meeting local housingneed and stimulating the housing market.

Best Public/ Public Partnership Working Initiative

Blackpool CouncilVitaline – Falls Lifting ServiceFalls Lifting is a simple responsive service available to over 3500 people with a Vitaline communityalarm in Blackpool as well as uninjured fallers calling 999 for an ambulance. When a person fallsat home they press their alarm for help or a special sensor is triggered. Unless the person is clearlyinjured needing an ambulance the falls lifting team are dispatched to help them to quickly getup and regain their independence with a minimum of fuss.

Bridgend County Borough CouncilConnecting FamiliesSince August 2011, the multi–agency Connecting Families team has made savings ofapproximately £1,771,808 and has significantly impacted on the lives of complex and vulnerablefamilies so that children can remain at home rather than be taken into care.

The project is unique in that it encompasses a whole range of issues and services rather thanconcentrating on just one area. It is highly valued by all its stakeholders including the familiesinvolved.

East Renfrewshire CouncilThe Barrhead Melo Velo Club – a partnership approach by East Renfrewshire CriminalJustice Social Work and Learning Disability ServicesService users at the Barrhead Centre for adults with learning and other disabilities secured fundingfor the ‘Barrhead Mellow Velo Club’, a unique cycle and repair project, to purchase a range ofcycles. 100 cycles are now for sale, refurbishment and use by club members. 110 free cycle safetychecks have been provided to East Renfrewshire residents, while offenders undertook 1400 hoursof unpaid work to support the Mellow Velo club. This successful partnership will continue as theclub seeks to meet increasing local demand.

Gedling Borough CouncilSporting Legacy for Gedling YouthGedling’s Competition and Activities Organiser post goes beyond organising inter-school sportscompetition. The progress of young sports leaders has been put at the heart of building asustainable sporting legacy for Gedling both within schools and the wider community. Local

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clubs are now linked into school based sport and new opportunities are being offered to themost vulnerable children and young people in the Borough’s deprived communities.

Hull City CouncilBringing together Housing, Health and Social Care to enable people to have a safereintroduction back into community lifeThornton Court has been transformed from a sheltered housing scheme on an inner city estatewith under 50% occupancy where tenants felt isolated and vulnerable to a safe and vibrantcommunity hub with a 14 bed intermediate care service delivering person centred care TheJointly funded and commissioned Council and NHS partnership opened in August 2012 and nowdelivers marked improvements in care outcomes with 80% of people confidently returning totheir homes with little or no support needed.

Inverclyde Council

Positive School Leaver Destinations – Getting it Right for Every Child, Citizen andCommunity in InverclydeIn 2003, Inverclyde had 2nd highest levels (14.7%) of negative post-school destinations inScotland.

By 2006, Inverclyde no longer one of 7 identified “NEET Hotspots”.

By 2009, Inverclyde’s SLDR’s were 0.2% shy of the Scottish average.

By 2010, Inverclyde’s SLDR’s were 2.3% better than the Scottish average.

In 2012 – Inverclyde is ranked 3rd best in Scotland. Only 5.2% of school leavers were not in positivedestinations.

We celebrate the success of partnership working and sustainability in achieving these milestones.

Mid & West Wales Fire & Rescue AuthorityHillympics 2012Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Hillside Secure Centre raised their game topromote Sport during 2012 –the year the Hillympics was founded!

The event was steered by the young people within the Centre followed by the launch on the 27thSeptember 2012.

Cardiff City Football Club, South Wales and Dyfed Powys Police, Scarlets Rugby Club, Mid andWest Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Hillside Secure Centre decided to start “working together tochange our tomorrows”.

Renfrewshire CouncilPartnership in action – Renfrewshire Community Safety HubLocal Authorities, including Renfrewshire, face problematic community safety issues arising fromsocial demographic factors. A holistic partnership approach is required to address anti-socialbehaviour and the underlying causes.

Renfrewshire established a ‘Community Safety Hub’ co-locating Council Services and communityplanning partners who meet daily, ‘pool’ resources and share information. Emerging trends andissues affecting young people are identified and in tandem with targeting offenders andsupporting vulnerable people, educational activity is undertaken conveying community safetymessages through co-ordinated partnership approaches

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South Tyneside CouncilHome Safety ChecksThousands of Council homes are now safer from fire thanks to an ongoing initiative beingdelivered by South Tyneside Homes and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service.

As part of the annual housing inspection programme, over 100 staff from South Tyneside Homesincluding electricians and gas fitters have received specialist training from the Fire and RescueService on how to complete safety checks. These checks include offering tenants general firesafety advice and fitting smoke alarms where needed.

Best Public/ Voluntary Partnership Working Initiative

Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council“Triumph Over Adversity” - Halal AccreditationSince the 1980 s Bolton Council has been proud of its well-integrated approach to Halal schoolmeals provision. In 2007 Bolton’s Race Advisory Group requested that Halal meals should beauthenticated by a more stringent Muslim monitoring body. This heralded 6 years of sensitivepartnership working and community communications, scrutiny of all practices, and a revisit ofCouncil policy. The outcomes led to a rise in Halal meals uptake, a modernised corporate policyand a new perspective on partnership working.

Broxtowe Borough CouncilOne, Two, Tree! Working in partnership to plant 100,000 treesRecognising we had planted very few trees in recent years, the time had come for a radical rethinkand a borough-wide partnership campaign to change this.

Hence the launch of the 100,000 tree initiative to raise the importance of trees and make thepublic and partners, look to see how they could work together to rethink ideas on where treeswere planted, what type of trees were planted , how the work was funded and who undertook theplanting.

City of Edinburgh CouncilThe Lighthouse Keeper122 families travelled on a transition journey from nursery, through summer and into primaryone by way of six enjoyable challenges, developed around the stories by Ronda and DavidArmitage. The need for the project was identified through low attainment figures. As a collegiategroup our aims were to create a high quality, interactive and creative learning experience for localfamilies and in doing so, raise attainment by supporting parents /carers to become more fullyengaged in their children’s learning.

Gedling Borough CouncilPlay For AllPlay for All summarizes the approach to play opportunities in Gedling Borough through thedevelopment partnership work with Gedling Play Forum and Debz4coffee, a voluntary runorganisation that offers support to children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and theirfamilies and carers. Gedling Borough Council have embraced the principals of this group that

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insists that play should genuinely be for everyone and Play for All is now delivered at all of GedlingBorough Councils key events and Play Days.

Preston City CouncilPreston’s UnitedIn 2012 Preston witnessed a hugely successful and memorable year of sport, both locally &nationally. The London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics took centre stage and rightly so; althoughin Preston, the cities designation as the European City of Sport 2012, came a very close second!

The cities successful 2012 was made possible by a collaboration of partners, led by Preston CityCouncil with over 40 voluntary organisations. This partnership approach provided the catalyst toentice, motivate and inspire over 40,733 visits from participants to take part in helping to achievethe ambitious target of delivering over 100 sporting events.

Redcar & Cleveland Borough CouncilFinancial InclusionRedcar & Cleveland Financial Inclusion Partnership (FIP) is made up of representatives from thepublic and voluntary community sector (VCS), this initiative has enabled partners to be moreeffective in supporting residents to better manage their money and deal more effectively withother issues relating to housing, health and employment opportunities. FIP has responded inchallenging economic times in assisting local people to access cost effective services and mitigatethe impact of poverty in our local communities.

Warwickshire County CouncilWarwickshire Community Recycling PartnershipWarwickshire County Council has insourced the operation of its Household Waste RecyclingCentres – saving £6.3 over seven years whilst maintaining or improving service levels andcustomer satisfaction.

Many of these facilities are being operated in partnership with a social enterprise whose proceedsare benefitting hundreds of grassroots community groups through a landmark partnership witha grant-making, community foundation.

The initiative is also empowering local people and communities – in line with the Government’sstated agenda for the Big Society.

Wiltshire CouncilGet Wiltshire WalkingGet Wiltshire Walking is a Big Lottery Funded programme of led walks across Wiltshire,that targetsmore sedentary people in order to increase participation levels and improve health and wellbeing. The project also supports and trains volunteers to become Volunteer Walk Leaders who willeventually lead the walks ensuring the long-term sustainability of the project. To date 18 walksare available across the county and 50 volunteers are actively leading walks.

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Best Community & Neighbourhood Initiative

Ballymena Borough CouncilBallymena Borough Council Enabling SchemeBallymena Borough Councils Enabling Scheme is promoted through Council’s CommunityPlanning and Localism Agenda and seeks to enable communities to take ownership and controlof regeneration and development within their local areas.

Council’s investment of £2.4m for the period June 2012-March 2015 seeks to build on the successof a pervious scheme where a similar investment secured significant leverage of an additional£10.6m to enhance the community regeneration process and create in excess of 330 jobs withincommunities in Ballymena.

Broxtowe Borough CouncilOne, Two, Tree! Planting 100,000 trees with the CommunityRecognising we had planted very few trees in recent years, the time had come for a radical rethinkand a borough-wide community campaign to change this.

Hence the launch of the 100,000 tree initiative to raise the importance of trees and make thecommunity rethink ideas on where trees were planted, what types of trees were planted , how thework was funded and who undertook the planting.

Calderdale Metropolitan Borough CouncilThe Valley of Lights – A community and Neighborhood InitiativeThe three towns of the Upper Calder Valley were repeatedly devastated by floods in the Summerof 2012. Town centre shops, the heartbeat of the communities, faced closure for several months;900 homes were affected and many lost their entire contents.

Calderdale Council faced the challenge of reinvigorating the local economies and demonstratingto the outside world the areas were making a full recovery. The Valley of Lights was created anddelivered in a challenging timeframe – six weeks.

East Dunbartonshire CouncilBe Your Own Boss (BYOB) Underage Drinking CampaignThe 'Be Your Own Boss' initiative is a unique multi–agency initiative to tackle underage streetdrinking and the associated antisocial and violent behaviour. Focusing on education, enforcementand diversion, and with support from Celtic FC and Rangers FC, Scotland’s biggest football clubs,the initiative resulted in significant decreases in street drinking, antisocial behaviour and thenumber of young people attempting to buy alcohol. Numerous warning notices were also issuedto various licensed premises and two licences were permanently revoked.

Gateshead Metropolitan Borough CouncilSafer Communities – Protecting Vulnerable ResidentsGateshead has adopted an innovative and co-ordinated approach to protecting and supportingvulnerable people. The model brings together the local Safeguarding Adults, Community Safetyand Resilience and Emergency Planning functions to deliver better outcomes for our mostvulnerable residents. We have developed a closer strategic alignment ensuring that cross-cuttingissues are effectively tackled. If residents are an adult at risk of abuse, victims of crime/ ASB or

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someone who has been affected by a major accident, we provide an effective response.

Lisburn City CouncilThe Downshire Community Benefit Take-Up Pilot ProgrammeDeveloped by the Mayor, Alderman Leathem, and Councillor Mackin this pilot enables Council toproactively work with the Department of Social Development (DSD) and groups locally to ensurethat benefit entitlement is maximised.

Consequently, by maximising income for those most vulnerable in the community and theirfamilies real economic, social and health befits to all can result.

The DSD supports this initiative and the Minster, Nelson McCausland MLA, launched the pilot inOctober 2012.

South Tyneside CouncilBored in BoldonThis project was initiated when the area was identified with exceptionally high levels of anti-socialbehaviour, particularly ASB fires.

Over 150 young people became involved in activities such as environmental projects, footballagainst the local policing team, activities during ‘Lighter Nights’ Campaign and residential trips.

As a result:

• ASB fires fell dramatically;

• Crime reduced by 15.6%;

• Youth disorder decreased by 31%;

The project has been a huge success and feedback from local residents has been extremelypositive.

Stockport HomesTransforming CommunitiesThe Stockport Homes Community Fund has been a huge success, surpassing all expectations. Todate in excess of 183 projects have been supported with a total of £130,000 of funding. Theseprojects have opened up new channels of communication between us and residents andpositively impacted on the lives of thousands of people, some of who live in our most deprivedareas or are the most socially isolated.

Best Information & Communication TechnologyInitiative

Broxtowe Borough CouncilShared ICT Service: Innovation, value for money and excellence in front line serviceAlthough ICT often plays an unseen role in improvements, it is fundamental to business changeand critical in supporting many resident facing services.

As the economic squeeze continues to demand more for less, a shared ICT service betweenBroxtowe, Newark & Sherwood and Rushcliffe Councils has improved efficiency and made savings

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of £863,860 to date, without stifling innovation and by keeping up-to-date with constantlychanging technology.

Caerphilly County Borough CouncilIntroduction and impact of the Caerphilly CBC SmartCardIn 2007 Caerphilly County Borough Council introduced the Caerphilly SmartCard scheme. Theinspiration to create this multi-functional SmartCard stemmed from the authority’s desire tocreate a management information system for its Leisure Services, and update the existing Librariessystem. From its humble beginning as a system serving 2 council departments the SmartCardhas evolved into a core information and communication tool which now benefits and supportscitizens by accessing 10 separate services across the authority via the one system.

Carmarthenshire County Councilwww.recycleforcarmarthenshire.comThe council has to meet targets for recycling and the amount of waste it sends to landfill. Muchwork is underway to raise awareness of issues relating to waste minimisation and recycling via anongoing branded campaign. www.recycleforcarmarthenshire.com aims to give residents all theinformation they need in relation to their waste collection and their nearest recycling centres aswell as help and advice on how they can reduce their waste and recycling as much as possible.

City & County of SwanseaThe LIFE ProgrammeWith a clear vision of how 21st century technology can enhance classroom experiences,Casllwchwr Primary in Swansea has embedded ICT into all aspects of school life. Handheld deviceshave become as fundamental to everyday work as pen and paper. Learners and staff haveembraced technology to enhance the learning experience, develop skills, improvecommunication and engage parents/carers. The iPad is the new king of classroom technologyand its success is now breeding success with others through the LIFE Programme.

City of Edinburgh CouncilCECiL – City of Edinburgh Communications & Interactive LearningThis submission focuses on how CECil has transformed learning and communications not only atthe Council but also through its network of partners. This approach has widened access to qualitylearning/communications and enhanced service provision. The success of CECil was instrumentalin achieving both Customer Service Excellence and IIP Gold status. In addition, the transformationhas already saved the public purse in excess of £3m via multiple initiatives as opposed to purelytraditional methods of learning/communications. Furthermore, sharing protocol for learningmaterial across 20 Councils has resulted in further efficiency gains.

Derbyshire County CouncilNo info to Snow infoSnow poses a reputational risk to local councils. Heavy snowfall results in hundreds of closedschools, thousands of parents unable to work and many elderly people unable to leave theirhomes. Gritting – or lack of it – is the most tangible sign of the council’s response to snow.

Often there’s a perception gritting hasn’t taken place when it has.

The submission highlights how Derbyshire transformed the quality and availability of WinterService information from “no info to snow info”.

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Preston City CouncilOvercoming Digital Exclusion: Free Internet Training “on people’s own doorsteps”Preston Council has been taking internet training direct to the heart of it’s communities using itsmobile information centre known as the Citizenzone.

Citizenzone is a 71/2 tonne interactive vehicle packed with technology. It allows people to accessservices provided by the Council.

By offering free training “on your doorstep” the Council has been able to actively support a widerange of different groups and communities to overcome inequalities caused by digital exclusion.Over 1150 people have already taken part.

South Lanarkshire CouncilCreating Clarity: Using Clear Information to Deliver Good Asset ManagementSouth Lanarkshire Council for 14 years has successfully developed and managed an overall assetmanagement communication system.

There are currently over 400 direct users of this single information source.

The key principal activities are:• consideration, evaluation and management of property information• development of integrated information framework• allow strategic property overview• providing customers with solutions to key property information objectives

Wiltshire Council‘Active Health’ On-Line Referral ToolWiltshire Council’s ‘Active Health On-Line Referral Tool provides a quick and easy solution foreffective exercise referral. It is unique to Wiltshire and places ’Active Health’ at the forefront ofexercise referral and data collection in particular. 77, (97%) of GP surgeries and 15 medicaldepartments are signed up to deliver ‘Active Health’ through the ‘On-Line Tool’.The databaseensures progress is tracked and evaluated leading to improved completion and adherence ratesand improved health and well-being.

Best Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Initiative

Bedford Borough CouncilEvaporative Cooling Project, Borough Hall Evaporative Cooling saves the council £32,400 and 243 tonnes of CO2 each year!

One of the key areas for reducing carbon emissions was the council’s data centre, which housesthe Council’s servers, associated communications and storage systems.

Following investigations into several technologies, evaporative cooling was identified as thepreferred technology for Borough Hall, the Council headquarters.

Now complete, the project has met our three specific aims: cooling the server room, reducingcosts and reducing the amount of energy consumed.

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Birmingham City CouncilBirmingham Energy SaversThe Birmingham Energy Savers partnership with Birmingham City Council will see up to 60,000households by 2020 offered an affordable way to have those properties made energy efficientthrough insulation and new boilers, under the Green Deal programme. This will take up to 26,000households out of fuel poverty, help create 360 new jobs, cut CO2 emissions and be self-financing.The initial deal worth £600 million could be extended to 35 midland authorities making theproject worth £1.5 billion.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council (joint submission with Hull City Council)Green Port Growth – establishing a major renewables growth programme in the East Ridingof Yorkshire and HullThis submission demonstrates how creative use of external funding and joint working betweentwo local authorities (East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) and Hull City Council (HCC)), theUniversity of Hull and the private sector has enabled the development of a £300+ millioninvestment programme which will transform the renewables sector in the East Riding of Yorkshireand Hull without significant impact on the core budgets of either Council.

Hampshire County CouncilInsulate HampshireInsulate Hampshire was delivered in partnership with all Hampshire Local Authorities andprovided Hampshire residents with free cavity wall and loft insulation.

In the 18 months it was running, the programme delivered over 18,600 installed measures, saving9,500 tonnes of CO2 and £2.3million in energy bill savings in the first year. In addition, over100,000 people had direct contact with the scheme and are now more aware of the benefits ofenergy efficiency in their homes.

Manchester City CouncilSchool Food Waste Recycling InitiativeSchool meals provider Manchester Fayre has launched a new food waste recycling serviceresulting in dramatic increases in recycling rates in the first few months of its introduction. Overhalf of school waste comes from the kitchen and dining hall but now, with the help of pupils,teachers and school catering staff, over 50 tonnes a month of food waste from Manchester schoolsis being sorted, separated and sent to be made into compost for use by UK food farmers.

Preston City CouncilGreen Retrofit Scheme – High Rise StyleSandown Court, comprising of two tower blocks, has been a landmark in Preston since the early1960’s. Since that time they have remained relatively untouched but the combination of singleglazing, solid concrete walls and electric storage heaters were having a negative impact on theliving conditions of the residents. For this reason the Council sought CESP funding which has nowtransformed the blocks making them virtually zero carbon, fuel efficient and attractively modern.

South Tyneside Homes

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South Tyneside Homes Renewable Energy ProjectThe last 12 months have seen South Tyneside Homes deliver a number of hugely successfulenergy and environmental projects in partnership with South Tyneside Council. Installingrenewable energy systems has been at the forefront of our achievements. Our latest project hasseen us working closely with partners to replace electric heating systems to 90 properties with AirSource Heat Pumps, which has helped reduce carbon emissions and residents fuel bills.

Stockport HomesBiomass Environmentally Sustainable Technology (B.E.S.T)Stockport Homes has built on the success of delivering one of the largest solar PV installations inthe UK; with the successful implementation of £14m of energy efficiency & renewable technologyinvestment during 2012/13. We’ve improved over 1,600 properties with measures includingbiomass district heating upgrades, thermal over-cladding and window replacements. This schemewas the largest UK CESP funded project using renewable technologies delivered in partnershipwith British Gas. The project will realise over 300,000 lifetime tonnes of CO2 reduction.

Best Service Team Construction & Building

City & County of SwanseaCorporate Building & Property ServicesSwansea Council’s Corporate Building & Property Services (CB&PS) is an all encompassingoperation which has significantly improved customer satisfaction and employee engagementresulting in:• Improved satisfaction levels, • Investors in People (IIP) & International Standardisation Organisation (ISO 9002) accreditation• Significant reduction in sickness levels• Over 100 apprentices recruited• 77% of waste diverted from landfill• Short listed in 2008/2009 and 2010 for APSE “Most Improved Building Maintenance Provider” • Won a prestigious National Constructing Excellence award for its Leadership and PeopleDevelopment

Fife CouncilMethilhill Primary School – Roof RefurbishmentDue to continuing vandalism of the roof at Methilhill Primary School a new roof was required.An innovative approach was agreed through a partnership agreement between Fife Education,Property and Building Services to install a state of the art roof. This incorporated automaticwindows with rain sensors and Solar PV, providing electricity for the school and also supportingthe school’s carbon reduction programme.

The project required a full decant of the school and was completed on time and within budget.

Kingstown Works Limited (KWL)Progression through RecessionDuring difficult economic times on a national and international scale, KWL have ‘bucked the trend’by increasing turnover almost 50% in one financial year! Not only this, a ten year contract has

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been secured, undeniably demonstrating that progression through recession can be achievedby those with the passion to succeed. Whilst embracing growth, performance, customersatisfaction and contributions to the local community, the bottom line has been maintained atimpressive levels – congratulations KWL!!

Lisburn City CouncilLisburn Building Control Service, building an ethos of continuous improvementLisburn Building Control Services (LBCS) demonstrate a deep commitment in the developmentof excellent customer services and provision of “the best service possible.”

The team displays a culture of continuous innovation, with endless drive and enthusiasm,believing in quality improvement through people development, partnership building,management of business processes and the innovative use of technology to achieve value-addingresults toward the promotion of a sustainable future.

LBCS have harnessed these capabilities exceeding customer expectations through an ethos of“continuous improvement”.

London Borough of BrentProperty & Asset Management – Unlocking the PotentialBrent’s Property & Asset Management (PaM) is succeeding in delivering in two major workstreams: renewal and expansion of Brent schools, and the rationalisation and renewal of Brent’soperational property, centred on a move to a new “state of the art” Civic Centre. PaM has at thesame time transformed working practices: combining property specialists from across the Council,embedded within a regeneration focussed department; with outsourced facilities management;whilst working seamlessly with internal and external partners.

Powys County CouncilBuilding Control: Building ExcellencePowys Building Standards Consultancy is committed to protecting people and the environment.Operating as a team of expert professionals we provide a successful modern and flexible BuildingControl Service.

We guide our customers through the legal requirements of increasingly complex buildinglegislation and ensure building projects comply with the national building regulations whilstachieving the highest possible standards of construction.

Our aim is to continuously improve our service and increase our customer satisfaction whilstmaintaining our market share.

Renfrewshire CouncilJourney of ChangeRenfrewshire Councils’ Building Services team have undergone an extensive journey of changewhich has transformed them from an organisation threatened with outsourcing to a highlysuccessful and commercially competitive business unit.

The key improvements include delivering a substantial financial surplus and achieving Investorsin People Gold Award.

Building Services look forward to consolidating their success by continuing to expand thebusiness to provide secure ongoing employment opportunities for the local community.

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Best Service Team Catering

Gateshead Metropolitan Borough CouncilThe Brand IdentityGateshead School Catering has implemented a range of customer led service improvements.Catering teams have been reconfigured within 30% of primary schools to refresh the service.Secondary schools have been successfully rebranded and their new modern uniforms portray acatering service comparable to any high street food outlet. Through our ambitious plans wecontinue to improve the service for our customers. We have high customer satisfaction levelsand are certificated to ISO 14001 and Customer Service Excellence standard.

Knowsley Metropolitan Borough CouncilCatering and Technology – The Perfect RecipeThe School Meals Catering Service is provided in-house to all 63 primary, secondary, and specialschools in Knowsley. The service has undertaken a significant service improvement programme,including the introduction of technology into its operations to improve and streamline how theservice operates. This has included the introduction of a fully integrated catering managementinformation system to support and improve service performance and reduce costs. The servicehas also developed its quality management systems by introducing ISO 9001.

North Lanarkshire CouncilClarkston Primary Pre-order System.Clarkston Primary School is situated in Airdrie North Lanarkshire. Partnership working betweenthe catering service provider Facility Support Services (FSS) and Learning & Leisure Services havedeveloped a new pre-order school meal system that has increased the footfall to 54.78% of theschool role against the national average uptake of 48% reported by APSE (12/13). There was anincrease of £4,493.00 in income in 2012/13 compared to 2011/12. Through innovation andpartnership working Clarkston Primary School has surpassed all expectations.

North Tyneside CouncilNorth Tyneside Council Catering Services TeamNorth Tyneside Council is very proud of the fact that not only does their catering team have a100% success rate in retaining school business, but its reputation for excellence has gainedadditional business outside North Tyneside. They attribute their success to building strongpartnerships with schools, parents, students and suppliers and continually challengingthemselves to seek new and innovative solutions. With uptake increasing and 97% ofHeadteachers rating them very good or excellent, they clearly have a successful formula.

Renfrewshire CouncilRenfrewshire Council’s Schools Catering ServiceOver the last 2 years, Renfrewshire Council's School Catering Service has undergone a rigorousreview of their service, challenging existing methods of service delivery and provision of BestValue.

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The review objectives were to:

1. Identify £950,000 of efficiencies to contribute to the Council’s overall efficiency targets.

2. Introduce innovative alternative catering service delivery models in primary and secondaryschools.

The achievement of objectives is mainly based on the continued efforts of our knowledgeable,dedicated, and enthusiastic School Catering Teams.

Tayside ContractsInternal Service Team of the Year - Catering ServiceTayside Contracts is a commercially based local authority organisation with IIP status that providesschool catering, for Angus, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross Councils. The Catering Service isimportant for the future of our young people. Not only do we try to increase their awareness ofthe healthy aspect of school meals, but we are also forging strong links with the ‘Curriculum forExcellence.’ The Catering Unit produces on average 28,500 meals per day for 27 Secondary schoolsand 172 Primary Schools.

Wrexham County CouncilInnovative Catering for Improved ServicesDuring 2012/3 the catering team have had to react to significant changes and ambitious andtesting challenges.

Under the Local Authority restructuring the service was placed into a more commercially-centreddepartment, with new managers who refocused our priorities.

With efficiency savings being imposed on all departments, the team have shown that the cateringservice is viable and efficient.

An agreed plan of efficiency savings was submitted along with creative and innovative ideas todevelop and grow the business.

Best Service Team Building/ Facilities Cleaning

Caerphilly County Borough CouncilBest Service Team of the Year Building Facilities Management Cleaning ServiceBuilding Cleaning Services (BCS) is Caerphilly County Borough Council’s in-house service provider.We provide a cost effective, quality service and strive to be amongst the leading providers of localauthority cleaning. We benchmark against other local authorities, providing evidence of goodperformance and practices. We have provided support and training to other local authorities,colleges and SMEs. Our team work hard to provide a wide range of specialist cleaning servicesand have continuous high levels of customer satisfaction.

Gateshead CouncilA Clean VisionThis submission looks at the continuous improvement of Gateshead’s Building Cleaning Team. Itfocuses on their ambitious drive to retain contracts and win new business within the open marketto expand their customer portfolio. It also looks at the development of a brand identity to raisetheir commercial image.

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Knowsley Metropolitan Borough CouncilNew Horizons for Building CleaningKnowsley’s Building Cleaning Service provides an in-house service to the majority of schools andpublic buildings in the area. This includes the PFI Soft FM contract for Knowsley’s seven newsecondary schools; a 25 years contract renewable every five years. As these are PFI communityfacilities with multiple usages the contract required development of a new service delivery modelto meet the different service needs in these facilities and enabled the service to meet challengingnew horizons in building cleaning.

Liverpool City CouncilProvision of House Cleaning and Clearance Services - Supporting Vulnerable People inLiving Independently.Liverpool City Council’s Building Cleaning Team employ a team to undertake cleaning andclearances of domestic properties, supporting various health and social work teams in supportingvulnerable adults in living independently.

This work was previously undertaken by the private sector and a decision was taken to deliver theservice in-house. This has led to a marked improvement in the quality of the service received anda cost saving of nearly 60% when compared to private sector provision.

Stockton-on-Tees Borough CouncilInternal Service Team of the YearBuilding Facilities Management Cleaning ServiceThe Building Cleaning Management Team in Stockton have not only grown their business thisyear, but have partnered with a neighbouring authority, delivering a successful joint partnershipbid that has retained current and achieved new contracts across 2 local authorities.

The workforce has been increased using a social enterprise group of socially and economicallydisadvantaged young people who are now cleaning the very building they live in, a greatachievement for the community and great pride in their own environment.

Tayside ContractsInternal Service Team of the Year - Building Facilities Management Cleaning ServiceTayside Contracts provide Cleaning Services for Dundee City, Angus and Perth and Kinrosscouncils. In a period where budget savings are a high priority, it is important that we continue toregard quality as the most important aspect of our Cleaning Service. We’ve invested over £161Kthis financial year in new cleaning machinery and have made it our goal to give all our clientsbest value, increasing our productivity in schools and offices and supporting our staff to achievethis.

Warwickshire County CouncilGoing for Growth” – A Peripatetic Team’s journeyDue to declining market share in services to schools, schools converting to Academies and thecounties Property Rationalisation Programme (PRP) reducing its building stock, we became indanger of becoming non-financially viable.

In order to address this we diversified into the development of additional services.

By multi-skilling our peripatetic team we used existing resources to enable us to develop moreservices to offer to the market and remain financially viable as a result.

Our “Going for growth” initiative was born.

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Best Service Team Highways, Winter Maintenance &Street Lighting

East Riding of Yorkshire CouncilPaving the WayThe quality of highway networks, surface dressing and paving, is directly related to the trainingand skill of its front line maintenance teams together with appropriate investments in ‘fit forpurpose’ equipment. In the East Riding of Yorkshire a commitment to the development of a skilledin-house Network Surfacing Team (NST), rather than out-sourcing, secures commitment,motivation, flexibility, and pride. Opportunities to carry out similar works for neighbouringauthorities ensures best value is being achieved whilst providing an important income source.

Hull City CouncilHighways Reactive Maintenance ImprovementIn an attempt to improve efficiency in highways reactive maintenance service, the analysis ofexisting practices was undertaken in 2012. By understanding and reviewing existing processes itwas hoped that improvements could be made that would increase output whilst maintaininghigh quality outcomes.

London Borough of Waltham ForestLondon Borough of Waltham Forest Highways and Street Lighting Team – Delivery of 2012 Olympics Related Public Realm SchemesThe team at Waltham Forest overcame many logistical challenges to prepare and implement aprogramme of improvements to the area of Leyton immediately adjacent to the Olympic Parkand two other key areas in the borough. Works involved a dramatic step change in the appearanceof the area whilst working within the constraints of tight deadlines, satisfying a variety of funderswhilst limiting disruption to busy high street areas.

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough CouncilBest Service – Highways, Winter Maintenance and Street LightingStreetpride is driven to achieve high quality service delivery and customer satisfaction, changingtimes has meant the need for careful service development.

As local authority austerity cuts have been implemented, budgets have reduced and many areashave come under pressure. It has been imperative that work areas become streamlined but arestill able to deliver programmed works and services, whilst maintaining the ability to beresponsive. This has been achieved through partnership working, sharing best practice andinvest-to-save initiatives.

Staffordshire County CouncilStreet Lighting PFI Contract ModernisationIn May 2003 Staffordshire County Council commenced the delivery of its street lighting servicevia a PFI contract with Lighting for Staffordshire Ltd, with the primary objective of delivering a

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‘Gold Star’ service. However, given the current financial climate it was felt that a review of thecontract was required, with the intention of achieving increased value. This review led to themodernisation of the contract, achieving significant financial benefits for both parties whilstexceeding the original service delivery expectations.

Vale of Glamorgan CouncilVale of Glamorgan Council Highways, Winter Maintenance & Street Lighting ServiceThe Vale of Glamorgan strives for excellence through their Highways, Winter Maintenance & StreetLighting service.

Safety is at the heart of what this team does - effectively communicating, harnessing I.T. advancesand evaluating service efficiencies to offer a year round service, that makes a difference toresidents, visitors and those who work in the county.

What is more, this team listens and cares enough to consult regularly to review what they do forthe future through invaluable feedback.

Wigan CouncilKeep on movingWhilst average winter temperatures are down the performance of Wigan Council’s WinterMaintenance team is definitely on the up.

During the last two winter seasons the team has repeatedly proven their ability to deal withchallenging and unprecedented winter weather to keep Wigan moving.

Using the latest weather prediction techniques and with flexible plant and salt storage solutionsdedicated team members are deploying a strategic approach to keeping Wigan moving andkeeping Wigan safe.

Best Service Team Transport & Fleet

City of York CouncilYork Independent Living & Travel Skills (YILTS) ServiceThe York Independent Living & Travel Skills (YILTS) Service supports students with a full range ofspecial educational needs & disabilities aged 11 to 19, who are currently provided with council-funded taxi transportation but who, with an individually-tailored risk assessment andindependent travel plan; are trained to become independent travelers.

Gateshead Metropolitan Borough CouncilManaging and Maintaining ChangeGateshead Council’s Transport Services have built on past successes to sustain the process ofevolution of service delivery. The austerity measures have acted as a stimulus to theentrepreneurial spirit within the team. The avoidance of knee jerk reactions to reductions inbudgets and continued concentration on improvement have turned the service into a surplusgenerating, customer focussed organisation that challenges itself, adapts to a changingenvironment and sets demanding targets.

Inverclyde CouncilDriving Changes in Fleet ServicesInverclyde Council’s Transport and Fleet Services have transformed fleets provision in Inverclydethrough the Implementation of Vehicle, Plant & Equipment Procurement, Management &

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Maintenance Review and a reviewed of the services charging structure.

Through this the service has reduced the age profile of the Council fleet from 7.1 years in 2009/10to 2.9 years and achieved efficiencies of ￡618,00. All this while continuing to improve servicesincluding tracking and development of a purpose built new depot in 2013/14.

Luton Borough CouncilHow much work can we handle? How much work have you got!Luton Borough Council's Fleet Transport section is responsible for the provision, maintenanceand disposal of all Council-owned vehicles and plant from a single site workshop, together witha significant amount of external repair and maintenance work.

A well-run machine targeted around users’ needs, with each area of the operation acting as aseparate business area, the section generates a significant amount of income from its ‘can do’approach and pursuit of external income opportunities.

Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough CouncilBest service team of the year, Transport & Fleet serviceRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council is the largest school transport service in Wales. Byundertaking a comprehensive review of the service we have been able to introduce newinitiatives ie ‘Travel Packs’, a new management information system and ‘No Pass No Travel’, whilstcontinuing to improve the quality of the service we provide; all within tight budget constraints.We are well placed to address the exciting challenges ahead, as the lead authority on a regionalcollaboration project.

South Tyneside CouncilThe Fleet Management Section Supplies Reliable, Safe, Clean and Green VehiclesFleet Management supplies reliable, safe, clean and green vehicles for South Tyneside Council,which are vitally important to ensuring the most visible front facing services are provided to ourresidents.

Our vision is to ensure that the fleet has a minimal effect on the environment. We are costeffective, project a positive modern image and provide a support and maintenance service thatis highly valued by all.

We have introduced innovative new systems, procedures and strategies to achieve this.

Thurrock CouncilRe-engineering Fleet ManagementOver the past few years careful plans have been laid to enable the Fleet Management Division ofThurrock Council to be re-engineered. This includes transitioning to an owned fleet; restructuringthe team and building a state of the art workshop. All this work has been focused on the end goalof being able to bring all maintenance and repairs of the diverse fleet in-house whilst creatingcapacity to support shared service initiatives with a range of public and private sector partners.

Wakefield CouncilGrounds for SuccessWakefield’s Transport Services have become accustomed to challenge. Over the last 25 years wehave continued to win vehicle & plant maintenance contracts in house; under direct competition,throughout CCT, Best Value, VFM and in times austerity. We are proud of the package we offer;quality, customer care and competitive rates. When a customer decided to out source themaintenance of their 400 Grounds Maintenance plant fleet; we remained confident that it would

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soon be observed that the grass was not always greener…

Best Service Team Waste & Refuse Management

Caerphilly County Borough CouncilCaerphilly’s Waste Management Team of 2013Year on year Caerphilly County Borough Council are found at the top of the recycling tables foroutstanding recycling and composting rates. Increasing customer satisfaction levels complimentour efficient and effective services. Our success is no doubt a result of the first class serviceprovided by our “pleasant, helpful and polite” Waste Strategy and Operations team who possessa “fantastic spirit” and deliver an excellent service in best value. Continuous improvements willensure Caerphilly remains a top performing Welsh authority.

City & County of SwanseaCorporate Building & Property Services Waste and Sustainability TeamSwansea Council’s Corporate Building & Property Services (CB&PS), previously Corporate BuildingServices (CBS) launched its Waste and Sustainability agenda in 2007 to address the wasteproduced at their depots and construction sites.

The changes implemented to date have led to significant improvements, including costreductions of £1.1M, a reduction of 48% in waste produced of which 77% of the remaining wasteis diverted from landfill.

CB&PS has also reduced its overall utilities within the scope of the Green Dragon Standard by45%, water consumption by 36% and reduced CO2 emissions by 58% since 2007 and achieved theEnvironmental standard of Green Dragon Level 5 in March 2010 which it has continued to retain.

Conwy County Borough CouncilRecovering best value for residents from their resourcesConwy has designed its Waste Service around the concept of managing waste as a resource to berecovered. The ‘Recycle More’ weekly resource collection service was planned, designed anddelivered in-house, with the objective of getting the best value for our residents from theirresources. It has incorporated new ideas and current best practice into a single, efficient,sustainable and replicable service model that has created jobs, reduced costs and resulted in thehighest recycling rate in Wales.

East Renfrewshire Council`The need for Innovation’- Waste Management and Recycling ServiceIn June 2010 the Scottish Government published its Zero Waste Plan which contained ambitious

targets for local authority recycling performance. Against a backdrop of significant budgetsconstraints, limited manpower and resources and an increasing landfill tax charge (an additional£8 per tonne per year from £56 in 2011to £80 in 2014), it was recognised that action was requiredby the Cleansing and Waste Strategy Team. In November 2010 we came up with a project toincrease recycling performance and reduce waste to landfill incurring minimal costs andoperational disruption.

East Riding Of Yorkshire CouncilLocal Authority Team of the Year – Waste Management and Recycling Service

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Our team excels in being dedicated and passionate about all aspects of waste management andensures the best service is delivered to all our customers.

In addition to managing a network of bring sites and household waste recycling sites, the teamhave successfully supported three major recycling schemes and given continual commitment toeducate and encourage customers to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Through behaviour changeand being adaptable, they give continuous improvement to ensure the service is sustainable andfuture proof.

London Borough of MertonMerton Flats Food Waste Project TeamThe success of Merton’s flats food waste rollout and doorstepping campaign was the result ofprecise project planning and dedication of a team who worked together to maximise contactwith residents, to encourage uptake of our food waste collection service. The campaign meansthat our food waste service is now accessible to 98 % of Merton residents.

Stockton on Tees Borough Council‘Joined up Thinking’Refuse and recycling collections continue to be the most important service to the residents ofStockton. Successive MORI satisfaction surveys illustrate this clearly when asking residents areasked what they value most – it is seen as being more important than other essential servicessuch as elderly care, education and social care. We have responded to this by adopting a rangeof innovative service delivery methods to ensure that we are able to meet the high expectationsof our residents.

West Lindsey District CouncilGoing for greenOur award-winning waste and recycling service achieved significant savings and maintained itsposition as one of the best services in the UK.

Against a backdrop of Government funding cuts and the challenges of operating in a large, ruraldistrict we saved more than £156,000 without cutting services.

This was achieved - thanks to an entrepreneurial team who supports the council’s vision ofbecoming a leading green authority, which led us to achieve an impressive 55% recycling rateacross the district.

Best Service Team Street Cleansing & Streetscene

Broxtowe Borough CouncilProud To Be CleanThe quality of the local environment in Broxtowe is relatively high, and yet the council managesto operate a lean street cleansing service. The council maintains this standard of performancewith a limited budget by making best use of a small team through collaborative working, byworking with other services within the council and with the county council to maximise resources.Area pride and dedication together with motivation and loyalty has been the key to its success.

Cardiff CouncilBest Service Team of the Year: Cardiff Council’s Waste Street Cleansing Team

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A submission which champions Cardiff Council’s Street Cleansing team. They ‘Olympic’ effortsduring the summer of 2012 helped to showcase the capital of Wales at its very best, presentinga city centre that was, and remains clean, and free from litter and graffiti.

Gedling Borough CouncilStreetscene improvement and the issue of sidewasteGedling Borough Council, Street Cleansing Service forms part of the overall in-house frontlineParks and Street Care Service and was tasked in late 2011 with the need to improve localperformance whilst delivering efficiencies in Service Delivery.

Staff in response to changes facing local government undertook a service review to identify, thechallenges they faced, the improvements they needed to achieve and their vision for the future.

They then set out to deliver visible improvements in a time of austerity.

Halton Borough CouncilEnvironmental Regulation and EnforcementThis submission highlights the success of Halton Borough Council’s Environmental ImprovementTeam in tackling environmental nuisance in Halton. Performing a strong role in sustaining thequality of the local environment through proportionate and consistent enforcement whilstimproving public satisfaction and public safety, helping to increase recycling and reducing wasteto landfill at a time of austerity.

Hull City CouncilHull City Council - Street Cleansing and Streetscene ServiceAfter the initial reduction in 2011 of front line street cleansing operatives and continued budgetreductions, a large amount of time was spent optimising the street cleansing service.

In addition, through consultation with members, residents and operatives, the service was re-aligned to incorporate public priorities.

By September 2012, the street cleansing service was demonstrating significant improvedperformance, with levels of cleanliness far better then previous years.

Best Service Team Parks, Grounds & Horticultural

Bedford Borough Council‘Team GB’ (‘Team Green Bedford’) – Delivering innovation and excellence in Parks, Groundsand Horticultural ServicesBedford Borough Council’s Parks, Grounds and Horticultural Service - ‘Team GB’ (Team GreenBedford) - has a proven track record of delivering excellence and innovation on behalf of the localcommunity. By adopting a Green Space Strategy with plans for service improvement up until2021, the team continues to work hard with partners to build on its achievements while meetingthe ongoing challenge of further budget cuts and restructuring, an expanding estate and thepressure to maintain standards.

Birmingham City CouncilBirmingham Parks – Thriving Through the ChallengeBirmingham City Council’s Parks Service is meeting the challenges of austerity delivering a quality

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service to all citizen’s, including thousands of national and international visitors to the city. TheParks Team continues to provide a quality service at low cost, equal to £4,151 per hectare whichis 30% below the UK APSE average of £5,957 for parks and green spaces.

Further, the service thrives, winning top floral awards such as Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medaland National in Bloom winners.

Douglas Borough CouncilSustainable Plant Production InitiativeDouglas is the capital and heart of the Isle of Man, with Douglas Borough Council being the largestlocal authority on the Island. The Council’s Parks Nursery at Ballaughton, grows around 450,000bedding plants every year and produces 650 floral displays for the capital. Producing this volumeof plants on an Island can be challenging, particularly obtaining sustainable growing compost,however the Council came up with a solution to produce its own from recycled green waste. Thissustainable process is completely peat free and generated from around 170 tons of Parks greenwaste, providing between 60-80 tons of recycled compost for new plants every year. The foresightby the Council to invest in setting up this process during 2006, is now bearing fruits with theannouncement during 2012 of the withdrawal of the Governments £5.7 million annual wastedisposal subsidy from 2013, for local authorities and private businesses which will be phased outover the next six years. To date it is win win for Douglas Borough Council, producing high qualitycompost and plants with no material cost and reducing the waste disposal costs to the taxpayer.

Knowsley Metropolitan Borough CouncilKnowsley Cemetery Team. ‘Protecting the Future of Our Past’Knowsley’s Cemetery Team is dedicated, innovative, cohesive and highly motivated displayingexcellence in bereavement services and cemetery provision. The highest levels of customer careare exhibited daily whilst demonstrating sensitivity to individual needs and performing aboveand beyond expectations. Cemetery provision provides a focal point for grieving relativesproviding choice in terms of internment and memorials and allowing for quiet public enjoyment.Evolving best practice meets financial pressures head on and enables efficiency and incomegeneration opportunities to be maximised.

Nottingham City CouncilA positive mixed economy package delivers a £21.5million investment programme, strongpartnerships and a high profile service.

This ambitious, creative and proactive team has secured £21.5million investment over the pastfive years for a programme of high-profile improvements. The team continues to forge ahead -with plans for £10million investment in the next two years. The ongoing drive towards incomegeneration and efficiencies has resulted in a successful mixed economy approach, withprogressive new partnerships producing extra capacity and a programme of profitable andpopular fringe activities. Political support is buoyant, and public satisfaction has reached 85%.

Oxford City CouncilOxford’s Greening SpiresTermed an ‘Iconic Landscape’ Oxford’s recognised for its skyline of ‘dreaming spires’, with parksproviding the views. However, parks represent more than just an iconic landscape, they areintegral to the city’s life, its economy, significantly contributing to improving people’s health andwell-being, building stronger, engaged communities, providing a sense of place, preservingcultural heritage and

biodiversity. In a rapidly changing environment their protection and enhancement is vital andour Parks Service embraces this responsibility with passion and dedication.

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Stockton on Tees Borough CouncilGrowing for GoldStockton has won Northumbria in Bloom every year since 2004 and has been Gold Medalchampions in Britain in Bloom three times.

Stockton won the European Champions League of the horticultural world in 2010 when winningEntente Florale – Europe’s largest horticultural competition.

And when Stockton went on to achieve the highest possible Gold Medal award as Britain in Bloom“champion of champions” in September 2012; the team knew it had to enter the APSE ServiceTeam of the Year award.

Best Service Team Sports, Leisure & Cultural

Broxtowe Borough CouncilFit for BusinessHistorically Local Authority health and fitness provision has often been perceived as the cheaper,less appealing alternative to that of the private sector; but as purse strings tighten and buyinghabits change, Broxtowe Borough Council has leapt to the rescue providing state of the art,desirable facilities without the associated price tag. The combination of investment, training,forward thinking and an unashamed commercial approach has resulted in unprecedentedsuccess for the Borough’s health and fitness portfolio.

Caerphilly County Borough CouncilContinuous improvements within Caerphilly CBC Leisure ServicesWith an embedded culture of continuous improvement and a workforce dedicated to providingcustomers with the best possible experience, Caerphilly Leisure Services have deliveredconsistently high standards to customers whilst achieving the needs of the business. Caerphilly’smission statement is ‘more people, more active, more often’, with this in mind Caerphilly has notonly exceeded its performance targets but since 2009, year on year, improved its actualperformance against the previous year.

Calderdale Metropolitan Borough CouncilMoving Sport Froward in Challenging TimesCalderdale Sport Services is moving sport forward in challenging times. Within the context of25% cuts Calderdale have been able to significantly reduce our subsidy and still invest, attractexternal funding, increase membership & Usage, mainstream services and give young people anexperience if a lifetime.

City of Edinburgh CouncilUnafraid of the FutureEdinburgh’s Library and Information Service is delivering a new model for libraries across the city,based on a strategic approach which borrows from the retail sector “Next Generation library andInformation services” and has forged a coveted international reputation for its innovative,visionary approach. Our key strengths have been externally acclaimed as our partnershipapproach, delivery of a range of services for hard to reach readers, cutting edge website and

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Library App, and engaging social media activity.

East Riding of Yorkshire CouncilContinually going beyond what the customer expectsThe East Riding Leisure Team has nationally recognised, innovative customer relationshipmanagement processes. Over the last year the Team has taken the service to a new level througha process of demand lead transformation encompassing lean system thinking. This has ensuredthat the customer is at the heart of every process.

Being close to our customers and continually going beyond what they expect has substantiallyreduced the cost of the service whilst increasing income, customers and addressing social needs.

Gedling Borough CouncilGedling Leisure – Making a DifferenceOfficers working in the Leisure Department are a highly motivated team with a passion for makinga difference. Adapting to change and embracing opportunities the department has delivered abroad range of activities with a focus on engaging with hard to reach groups. “The staff haverecognised and encouraged my own personal achievement of losing 7 stone 12 pounds andthrough their support I know I will never put that weight back on”

Oxford City CouncilGetting Oxford Active in 2012 and beyond2012 has been an outstanding year for sport and physical activity outcomes within Oxford. TheSports Development team seized this opportunity by leading and galvanising wide-rangingpartners. Successes include increases in participation across our programmes with demonstratedpathways for participants. Barriers to engagement were removed by delivering an extensivenumber of events and activities on the doorsteps of communities, whilst also enhancing oursports facilities. Improved quality and Olympic legacy have been demonstrated with bothnational and local recognition.

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Finalists

Bedford Borough Council

Broxtowe Borough Council

Caerphilly County Borough Council

City of Edinburgh Council

Conwy County Borough Council

East Riding Of Yorkshire Council

Preston City Council

Renfrewshire Council

South Tyneside Council

Stockton on Tees Borough Council

Overall council of the year 2013

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Service award sponsors

APSE Solutions

Through its consultancy arm APSE delivers expertassistance to councils with the overt aim of drivingservice improvement and value for money throughservice review and redesign. This provides realbenefits to councils. APSE delivers in excess of 100projects a year and clients benefit from theconsultancy’s not for profit ethical approach toconsultancy services.

APSE solutions draws strength from the unrivalledin-depth knowledge of service delivery present inthe APSE team and network of associates. APSEsolutions only uses experienced practitioners withdemonstrable knowledge and expertise to deliverits unique approach to the provision of support tothe APSE membership.

If you think you might be able to benefit from theservices APSE solutions provides please contactAndy Mudd on 0161 772 1810 or emailamudd@apse.org.uk to discuss your needs.

Big Belly Solar

The BigBelly Solar Compactor Street Bin isrevolutionising street waste collection across the UKand internationally. Completely self-powered,BigBelly uses solar power for 100% of its energyneeds. An internal compactor increases the littercapacity by 6 - 8 times that of a normal street bin &sends an email/ text when 85% full. The real gem isthe wireless monitoring system in each unit. Filllevels and other key data is transmitted to apersonalised website which can be accessed on-line. Management and operatives can view the realtime fill levels of all bins on desktops andsmartphones, eliminating “milk run” type collectionrounds.

Following six years of extensive trialling with over162 Councils and with completed business cases,

the Big Belly has been proven to reduce the numberof street bin collections by 86%. Big Bellycompactors are provided on an operational lease atonly £21 per unit per week, providing each councilwith an average net operational saving per unit of£77 per week. No Capital Funding is required.

•Eliminates overflowing bins & weekend collections.

•Eliminates birds/vermin scattering rubbish acrossstreets, parks & beaches

•Substantially reduces street cleaning & litterpicking requirements due to enclosed nature of bin.

Our bins have been tested and piloted extensivelyin the UK. Their durability and cost efficiencies inurban streets, parks, colleges, stadiums andbeachfronts have been comprehensively proven.

For More Information or a full demonstration,contact our Customer Services Team:

Tel: 0844 800 6393 www.bigbellysolar.co.ukinfo@bigbellysolar.co.uk

British Gas

British Gas is the leading UK-energy partnerworking closely with local authorities to reduceenergy bills for their own building and for those oftheir residents, improve energy management forlocal businesses and invest in tackling fuel povertyacross social and private housing residentialhousing.

Our ongoing relationship with APSE and itsmembers allows us to assess and understand yourchallenges before developing bespoke solutionsunique to your needs. When our customers told usthat energy efficiency was their biggest concern, welistened, but more importantly, we took action. Werealised that to deliver more affordable energy, wehad to make significant changes. So we have:

• Built a team of over 2,500 peoplededicated to reducing energy consumption andcost.

• Developed a unique portfolio ofcapabilities from renewable technologies tobuilding management systems.

• Created end-to-end guaranteed andfully-financed Energy Performance Partnerships.

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We are now helping local authorities across thecountry understand how they and their residentsreduce their energy consumption. In many cases,we have reduced energy consumption by over20%. As a Local Authority you may be particularlyinterested in promoting or providing the GreenDeal or ECO for homes and social housing withinyour area? As an energy supplier and an energyservices provider, British Gas are uniquely placed tofocus its ECO investment through area-specificpartnership with Local Authorities.

A partnership with British Gas focuses upon yourcritical targets: energy cost, renewable generation,job creation, poverty, health and the environment.Our services include everything from educationand energy advice programmes for homes, schoolsand employers to investment programmes for thereduction in energy use by businesses and publicsector buildings. Our partnerships can also gobeyond the provision of ECO and Green Deal andbring together other services, employing localresource to deliver lasting benefits in areas of SmartGrid technology, Electric Vehicle infrastructure andenergy efficient street scene.

In summary, British Gas is no longer an energycompany that also offers energy services. We are anenergy services company that also offers energy,providing the full range of measures, products,solutions and funding options to help you attractinvestment, reduce costs, improve energy efficiencyand counter the rising cost of fuel bills.

British Gas is committed to local government. Weare delighted to sponsor the Best Efficiency awardand look forward to continuing our valuablerelationship with APSE and its members.

www.britishgas.co.uk/business-services

DAC Beachcroft

Legal Partners for Local Authorities

DAC Beachcroft LLP is a leading law firm with along-standing and highly regarded LocalGovernment team headed by Judith Barnes, aformer local authority Chief Officer andMonitoring Officer. We understand your needsand challenges and how government policyimpacts on your organisation. Years ofexperience advising local authorities' in-houselegal teams and working with local authorities atstrategic and operational levels have helped us

put together a range of support tailored to yourneeds.

They are brilliantly supportive and veryresponsive and incisive. They go above andbeyond what they need to do." — Chambersand Partners UK 2013, Administrative and PublicLaw

Ranked No.1 in Administrative and Public Law byChambers and Partners legal directory.

Geason

Geason is the leading UK provider of up-skillingcourses, training and apprenticeship programmesin the Insulation sector. The training we organisewill provide your employees with nationallyrecognised qualifications and transferable skills thatcan be tailored exactly to your businessrequirements. All our Insulation courses will directlylead your company to obtaining Green Deal, PAS2030 and CSCS accredited. We provide training fornewcomers, experienced construction workers andthose who have been in the construction industrythat require specific training in External WallInsulation. We deliver courses in external, internal,loft, cavity and thermal insulation. Our team ofexperienced trainers make sure that your businessexpectations are addressed as accurately aspossible. Working directly with you and youremployees we are able to deliver perfectly tailoredsolutions whether you are looking for apprentices,new skilled workers or wish to up-skill the existingworkforce. Our on-the-site assessors operate allover the UK with training centres opening acrossthe country. With long term experience anddedicated enthusiasts behind all our operations,Geason is a company that delivers a perfectlytailored service that is 100% beneficial to ourcustomers.

Call us on 0141 221 4141 or emailian.kilpatrick@geason.co.uk

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IQSS

IQ Software Systems have worked with APSE andit’s members to develop the hugely successfulPerformance Networks model.

IQSS can help local authority front line services tocollect, analyse and cross reference critical customerdata to help focus resources and build effectiveService Improvement Plans as well as comply withGovernment inspection regimes. The IQSS modelcan also facilitate comparison of customersatisfaction levels across different Councils and overa period of time to demonstrate the effectivenessof service improvement programmes.

For more information about IQ Software Systemsplease e-mail enquiries@iqss.co.uk

Love Clean Streets

"Love Clean Streets™ the award winningenvironmental reporting app, "Love Clean Streets™the leading public engagement platform for localgovernments and municipalities who want toprovide efficient ways for citizens, their partners andtheir employees to report and deal with images andlocation based reports." Citizens need only installone app and they can use it everywhere. Yet theauthority still gets a branded app that can bepromoted in the app stores and through localmarketing? How? Our apps are clever enough toknow where they are and adapt automatically.Smart. Primarily for environmental reporting ofgraffiti, fly-tipping, etc. the technology has beensuccessfully adapted to other scenarios. Forexample we have deployed the technology in thehousing sector allowing residents to report repairs

directly to the housing association, and in othersectors such as facilities management and security.Love Clean Streets is expanding its functionality thisyear to include exciting new functionality availableas add-on modules. This will include Enforcementsupport, payment services, councillor support andmore. www.bbits.co.uk – www.lovecleanstreets.org

Luton Traded Services

Luton Traded Services (LTS) is an exciting newcompany for clients across the public and privatesector. LTS provides a range of specialist services tooffering choice, value for money and serviceexcellence. We can assure you of our competitiveprice and expertise in working with manybusinesses in Luton and beyond. Our businessmantra is simple: Making a Visible Difference.

Our services range from Estate Management rightthrough to Pest Control and Cleansing.

Our workforce is highly skilled and trained to thetop of their profession. We have a proven trackrecord of success in both job and customersatisfaction.

Offering directly supplied best value products andservices in:

• Fleet

• Passenger transport

• Cleansing

• Estates and Property

• Geospatial Information Systems

• Building Control and Access Services

• Green Space Solutions

• Highways

• Human Resources and Training

• Legal Services

• Pest Control and Dog Warden services

• Event Management and Venue Hire

We really are a one stop shop for your everydayneeds.

For more information visitwww.lutontradedservices.com or contact theBusiness Development & Marketing Manager on01582 546265.

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Multihog

More Groundbreaking Achievements withMultihog

More and more customers in the municipal andcontractor sectors are choosing Multihog to meettheir requirements for cost effective and productiveoperations. The Multihog’s robust, diesel poweredbase unit can be fitted with a wide range ofattachments for almost unlimited highwaymaintenance and ground care applications.

The Multihog patch planer for example is a muchfaster, cleaner and quieter solution to pothole repairthan any other machine on the market. It enablesroad surfaces to be planed to a width of 400mmand a depth of 125mm and saves on the costs ofinfill materials by only removing what is necessary.The combination of the powerful

90 hp Multihog base unit and the planerattachment enable literally groundbreakingperformance when it comes to coverage. At leastfour times more productive than other methods, animpressive 400 m2 per day can be achieved.

Branching out into forestry applications, Multihoghas recently developed a brash wood chipper andstump grinder attachments which are packed withinnovative features to make them stronger, moreuser friendly and straightforward to use.

Multihog’s quick release mechanism enables allattachments to be changed or demounted in just acouple of minutes. The hydrostatically driven baseunit has a 2000kg carrying capacity front & rear, a3000kg towing capacity and hydraulic poweroutputs simultaneously operational on the frontand the rear. The 360° driver visibility and largespacious cab with low vibration & noise levelsensures a safe and exceptionally comfortableoperating environment.

Tel: 01254 703 212 Fax: 01254 707 407

E: info@multihog.co.uk W: www.multihog.co.uk

Nordic Pioneer

Young Apprentice Programme

There has never been a better time to run anapprentice programme! Apprentices are avaluable asset to your workforce and allow localyoung people to gain an Apprenticeship inCleaning & Support Service L2. They providevaluable work experience and a salary (typicalapprentice wage £110 per apprentice).

Nordic offers a full service including recruitment,screening, full training & support.

Employability Programmes

Is an excellent way to recruit your seasonal staff.We require a job description, number ofvacancies and interview date. We do all thescreening and provide all learners with Level 1qualifications such as License to Clean orIntroduction to Facilities Management.

As an added incentive if you employ any of ourlearners aged 18-24 for over 26 weeks (thisincludes apprenticeships) you will be eligible to£2,275 per person as part of the governments“youth contract”.

Train your existing workforce

Nordic have funding available to train caretakers,cleaners, street cleaning operatives and refusecollectors to gain their first Level 2 qualificationin Cleaning & Support Service or SustainableResource Management. The QCF qualification isdelivered “on the job” via 1:1 coaching andassessment so causing minimum disruption toyour frontline service

Graffiti Removal Products

Nordic has a range of environmental friendlygraffiti removal products. Our non classifiedproducts are safe for community groups and weoffer a range of graffiti removal technical trainingcourses to compliment this range.

Want to find out more speak to Michelle, Bev orDavid on our stand

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Numatic International

It’s certainly true to say that you never have tolook far to find a Numatic product keeping allindustries clean... right across the globe. Whetherit be a hotel, home, hospital, kitchen or publictransport Numatic provide a cleaning solution.We all demand ever increasing standards ofcleanliness and hygiene, this is delivered by asimple formula found in all Numatic Products...Innovation, Quality and Price

Numatic continue to innovate across all productranges. New commercial energy saving vacuumsprovide “Greener” cleaning to all. Compact floorscrubber dryers and HEPA vacuums are raisingthe standard in cleaning across the board.

Nu-Phalt &Jetpatcher

Cheaper and Sustainable urban and rural patchrepairs

It has becoming a huge challenge for highwayengineers to balance their maintenance budgets inthese financially challenging times. Stakeholdershave had to review existing methods of practice byconsidering alternative proven technologies.

Nu-phalt’s award winning single vehicle solution,delivers a permanent, right first time, hot patchrepair. Over the last 5 years the facility has proven itscapabilities to drive cost and sustainable efficienciesdelivering a genuine alternative to traditional repairmethods. The future is very positive with 5 newsystems delivered to customers in 2013, and severalnew trials on going. Our customers continuedinvestment confirms the system’s ability to delivercost saving which can be replicated across all urbannetworks.

Jetpatcher has seen considerable demand fromexisting and new customers during 2013; this hasresulted in continued investment in new Jetpatchersystems. We have a current fleet of 8 units with 4additional units forecasted by year end so we are

best placed to meet customer requirements. Toensure customer confidence we have introduced aclient reporting process which is second to none.As a result we are able to offer the highest quality ofrepair, transparency and accountability to help ourcustomers achieve best value.

Customers have been very impressed with the highservice levels delivered through our Nu-phalt andJetpatcher products. We are able to deliver flexibleand competitive solutions to help highwaysdepartments achieve best value from unyieldingmaintenance budgets.

As organisations look to work smarter, thecombined portfolio of Nu-Phalt and Jetpatcher giveLocal Authorities the ability to select the rightapplication for the right defect to manage limitedresources more effectively.

We would like to gain a better understanding ofyour network needs and demonstrate where thecost efficiencies gained by other clients could betransferable to your own network.

Call Robert Muir on 08442 571570 or emailenquiries@nuphalt.com or for more informationwww.nuphalt.com or enquiries@jetpatcher.co.uk orfor more information www.jetpatcher.co.uk

SMAG

Vehicle Disposals Made Easy

Speed, service and friendly knowledgeable help arethe hallmark of the way SMA Vehicle Remarketingwork to help a growing audience of customersacross the UK.

SMA’s customer support ethos is aligned to rigoroushigh quality processes, modern technology, stateof the art auction and preparation centres and anongoing programme designed to reduce thebusiness’ carbon footprint. In short, SMA hasdesigned an approach around customer needs. It isalso an approach that can be tailored.

SMA has grown to provide a national network ofauction centres, an industry leading digitalremarketing service and a wide range of supportfunctions. Additional support goes beyond simpleremarketing to include fleet manager support anda full vehicle preparation and remedial repairservice to enhance sales conversion and value.

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There is a real business pride across SMA in beingable to provide a total customer support package.

In addition to industry leading expertise on theremarketing of cars and LCVs, SMA has in depthresource focused upon the remarketing of the fullrange of commercial vehicles, plant and machinery.From road sweepers to ’yellow goods’, fromemergency vehicles to cranes and much more, it isthis expertise that customers rely upon. The SMAteam can guide the preparation of items and theoften worldwide marketing of what can be veryunusual items. The service also extends to thesecure storage and transportation as required.

For friendly and knowledgeable help contact GaryBryden on 01577 862564 or email the SMA team atkinross@smag.co.uk. We are always delighted tohelp.

The Trolley Collection Service

“Receive much needed revenue for your council byworking in partnership with TCS Ltd and removingabandoned Supermarket trollies from your streets”

TCS Ltd has been removing abandonedsupermarket trollies from streets, streams, rivers &lakes of the UK for over 23 years and we want towork with you.

We will provide a fully managed professional facilityin your borough at absolutely NO COST to yourCouncil and return to you 50% of all revenuegenerated. Our trolley collectors are experiencedlocal people with local knowledge. Even if thetrollies cannot be seen, we will know where to findthem.

Our proposal is underscored by the EVPA 1990

Section 99 schedule 4 & the Clean NeighbourhoodAct 2005 which allows Councils to charge for theremoval of any abandoned trollies. All your Councilhave to do is to adopt this act, publish your chargesand we will take care of the rest.

We operate 7 days a week, 364 days a year and ourbusiness has been built over the last 23 years byproviding a first class trustworthy service to ourclients.

TCS Ltd launched their new initiative in June 2013and are currently working with a large number ofCouncils who are reviewing their current operationsand considering implementing our proposal.

Steve Rowe and Phil Hiscott from TCS Ltd areattending the APSE Conference in Liverpool and areavailable to answer any questions you may have.You may also contact our Head Office on 01392882210 or via email: control@trolley-tcs.co.uk

TCS Ltd are proud sponsors of this years “BestCommunity & Neighbourhood Award”

Theos Food Comapany

Theo’s – A family business for over twenty years

Theo’s deliver a British produced product supportedwith flexible menu options. Our range of highquality chicken based food solutions and servicepackages provide a powerful alternative to bigbrand high street names who might challenge yourbusiness!

A healthy alternative presented with strong brandimagery, our offer has developed to give yourcustomers a consistent quality product, tailored tosupport a balanced diet. Equally important is theease of preparation and serving options whichmake our products both simple to handle andpractical to provide.

Theo’s gives you four key category offers, bringingtogether Fresh Wraps, Curry to go, Theo’s SouthernStyle Chicken, Chicken Shawarma (Lebanese StreetFood), Theo’s wraps with Dolmio and the brand new‘Our Greek kitchen. In addition we have anextensive hospitality and banqueting range tochoose from.

It is one thing having a great product, but quiteanother creating the best environment in which tosell as much as possible. Let’s face it time is moneyand space is profit so the right offer in the right

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location at the right time at the right price is vital toachieve impulse and incremental sales!

We support each of our offer categories with highimpact, flexible sales and promotionalcommunication packages which have beenspecifically designed to transform tired units, reviveboring counter space and create brand new saleslocations so every avenue to sell product andgenerate profit is explored.

Working in partnership to help our clients drivesales and increase footfall is what Theo’s is about.Healthy snacks from as little as 50p, comprehensiveon-site training packages, structured sales planners,free on loan equipment together with fixed priceterm contracts and much more have helped usachieve incremental sales!

Flexibility is vital to ensure that an offer doesn’tbecome stale to your customers so to keep themcoming back time and time again we will provideand work with you to produce menu optionstailored to time of day and time of year, thusallowing you to ring the changes to ensure youkeep your customers on their toes and money inyour tills.

Toltec

Toltec are a leading, award winning company; thatdesign, implement and support informationsystems.

Building on the experience gained from over 15years in commercial IT; Toltec grew quickly byfocusing on the real business needs of their clientsand compliment this service by providing highquality support for the everyday running of ITsystems in business. This simple approach, ensuresa very high client retention rate.

Today, Toltec are a thriving highly skilled IT networkinfrastructure business, dedicated to the use ofleading edge technologies, helping all our clientsmanage and grow their businesses effectively.

Toltec have particular specialist skills in HPclustered solutions, virtual infrastructure, ERPInfrastructure. System migrations, virtual privatenetworks (VPN), disaster recovery and highavailability network infrastructure.

Toltec can now also provide ‘Cloud Computing’solutions from its Data Centre’s facilities; from real-time online disaster recovery systems to fully

hosted solutions which can save organisations upto 60% of there annual I.T budget.

Phone: 0845 257 4447; Fax: 0845 257 4446; Website:www.toltec.eu Email: info@toltec.eu

U6 Media

U6Media design agency is a division of theSportFocus Group and was launched to offer webdesign and development services, onlinemanagement solutions (such as MembershipManagement) and mobile phone apps.

U6 Media's range of products is a recognised leaderin the market. This recognition comes from ourlong-term commitment on serving our clients andour strengths in the developing onlinemanagement and administrative solutions. U6Media not only offers one of the first fully hostedand integrated product ranges that bring benefitsto stakeholders at all levels of business butadditionally provide high impact dedicatedmanageable websites with an emphasis on thecreative visual edge.

Today, the U6 Media design agency is deliveringfully integrated, turnkey solutions to membershiporganisations of all sizes and levels, consistentlyreducing administration time by very highpercentages. Organisations only require acomputer and an internet connection toimplement a solution that is customised to theirneeds; the rest is up to you...

UNISON

UNISON is Britain and Europe's biggest publicsector union with more than 1.3 million members.Our members are people working in the publicservices, for private contractors providing public

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services and in essential utilities. They includefrontline staff and managers working full or parttime in local authorities, the NHS, the police service,colleges and schools, energy industries, transportand the voluntary sector.

UNISON provides negotiating and bargainingsupport for our 850,000 members who work in localgovernment. This includes people working for localcouncils, schools, voluntary organisations, housingassociations, the probation service and privatecompanies.

Being part of UNISON means you have the fullweight of the UK's leading trade union behind you.

As a campaigning organisation, UNISON stands forquality public services, delivered by a well-trained,highly-motivated, decently-rewarded workforce.We believe that cutting back public servicespending and putting services in the hands ofprivate companies through privatisation puts all ourcommunities at risk and is not the most effectiveuse of public money.

UNISON is speaking up for public services and forthe people who provide them, campaigning at anational, regional and local level to make the casefor properly-funded and publicly-provided services.Our branches and members are at the forefront ofa whole range of campaigns with this one commontheme – to protect the public services that localcommunities rely on.

If you are interested in joining UNISON please go to:http://www.joinunison.org/

Walker Morris

Walker Morris is a full service commercial law firmwith a long history of serving the local governmentsector throughout the UK and works closely withAPSE. Its public sector team's substantial in-houselocal government experience and deepunderstanding of the legal, commercial andpractical issues affecting local government offerclients unrivalled support and helps deliversuccessfully outcomes.

The team has provided legal advice to localauthorities and other public sector clients in areasincluding the efficiency agenda, localism, servicedelivery models, charging and trading,

procurement, funding housing and housing retrofit,asset management, waste management, leisureand culture, charities, energy efficiency andrenewables.

The team is recognised in the leading independentdirectories to the legal profession as leaders in thissector.

Walker Morris is regularly supports APSE, includingby providing speakers for seminars and jointtraining events. We are pleased to sponsor APSEonce again at its Annual Seminar and Exhibition inLiverpool and to be its preferred partner supportingits work in the energy and renewables sector.

Please contact David Kilduff or Ben Sheppard

david.kilduff@walkermorris.co.uk

ben.sheppard@walkermorris.co.uk

0113 283 2500