Your chance to acknowledge councillors' hard work in your community with award scheme
Residents across the region are being urged to recognise the hardest-working councillors in their area by nominating them for a national award.
There is a month to go until the 2024 Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) and CCLA Cllr Awards, the only national ceremony that celebrates the outstanding contributions of councillors across England, Wales, and Scotland.
The LGIU and CCLA’s 15th annual Cllr Awards in England and Wales and 7th annual Cllr Awards in Scotland celebrate the vital work being done by councillors across England, Wales and Scotland.
The awards will shine a light on the achievements of local elected representatives who have made a tangible impact in their communities.
Nominations are open to anyone who wishes to acknowledge a councillor’s exceptional commitment to improving their community and achieving remarkable results over the past year.
The 2024 Awards has five categories, with Community Champion, Leader of the Year, Young Councillor of the Year, Innovator of the Year and Lifetime Legend all up for grabs.
Some notable names from the region have been acknowledged with nominations in the past, with several going on to win one of the awards.
In 2015, Wolverhampton's children and families chief Val Gibson won Innovator of the Year, while Elias Mattu was shortlisted for Community Champion.
In 2016, Pleck councillor Naheed Gultasib was shortlisted for Young Councillor of the Year, a category which has also seen Wolverhampton councillors Beverley Momenabadi win in 2020 and Chris Burden shortlisted in 2022 and 2023 and Dudley councillor Adam Davies shortlisted in 2022.
Former Wolverhampton Council leader Roger Lawrence won Leader of the Year in 2018, with the late Ian Brookfield shortlisted for the same award in 2022.
Other councillors nominated in the past include former councillor Shaz Saleem, who was shortlisted for Community Champion in 2021, Smethwick councillor Parbinder Kaur for Resilience and Recovery in the same year, Blakenhall councillor Jas Dehar for Community Champion in 2020 and current Walsall Council leader Garry Perry for Lifetime Legend in 2023.
Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the LGIU, said: “The LGIU is proud to once again host the annual Cllr Awards, paying tribute to our locally elected representatives and sharing examples of the innovation and dedication our councillors demonstrate day in, day out.
"More than ever local communities rely on councillors, whose positive contributions impact our daily lives in many ways, from maintaining streets to funding community projects and shaping the character of our towns.
"Often working tirelessly behind the scenes, elected members frequently go unnoticed, making the Cllr Awards essential in highlighting their invaluable work.
"We anticipate a wave of nominations this year and look forward to hearing the remarkable stories behind them.
"These awards are made possible through the generous support of founding partners, CCLA.”
Nominations close on Friday, September 13, and the shortlisted candidates will be announced in the autumn, with winners in England & Wales announced at the illustrious Guildhall in London on Wednesday, November 20.
To find out more about the awards and to make a nomination, go to lgiu.org/events/cllr-awards/cllr-awards-categories.
