In this week’s And Finally: Our Cllr Award 2023 winners, plus loads of new open features and interviews.
Communities and society
And Finally: Cllr Awards 2023 – the winners!
And Finally... 17th November 2023
Our weekly round-up for everyone in local government.
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Highlights from this week: Our Cllr Award 2023 winners, plus loads of new open features and interviews.
Cllr Awards 2023 winners!
Last night, in the magnificent surroundings of the Guildhall in London, we welcomed the 25 fantastic Cllr Awards 2023 finalists, their guests and many local government friends for the 14th annual Cllr Awards ceremony.
The winners of each category have truly made a positive impact on the lives of their constituents and have shown exceptional leadership skills. We are proud to recognize their contributions and celebrate their achievements.
We extend our warmest congratulations to the winners and all the finalists for their commitment to public service and leadership. Thank you for your dedication and hard work in making a difference in your communities.
Global Local: Traveller communities
Traveller communities face unique challenges, ranging from inadequate access to education and healthcare to the struggle for respectable living conditions. Not all in the Traveller communities live on-the-move, but many still do and finding appropriate sites for temporary, semi-permanent or permanent accommodation can be difficult - meaning some choose to live in unsuitable and illegal sites.
At the same time, tensions between travellers and settled communities can be fraught and have been historically difficult at best - to disastrous at worst. And the worst can range from verbal threats, violence and for some communities, genocide. This history contributes to the struggle to achieve civil dialogue or a sense of shared norms and values between different groups in many places. These tensions can make it tricky for local governments to find appropriate accommodation sites without significant resistance from settled communities. It can also make it difficult for those in Traveller communities to seek support or justice when there are problems; including violence or abuse by perpetrators within or outside their communities.
Local government can make a huge difference in terms of providing culturally appropriate support - including the provision of housing. Convening conversations and developing resources to support access to education, skills, employment and health provision can help bridge the gap between outcomes in different communities and build trust that's much needed when difficulties might arise.
This edition highlights the work of communities advocacy groups, local governments that have developed positive approaches as well as case studies and resources - and a brand new briefing on tackling poverty within Traveller communities.
New collections!
This week, we have four new content collections for you to explore! From exclusive LGIU member content to our Global Local newsletters filled with innovation and inspiration, plus articles which are free for anyone to read, our latest collections provide resources to support better policy and practice for your communities. Click each title to find out more.
Young people and their futures 👩🏻🤝👨🏽
Future technology 💻
Food, agriculture and rural communities 🚜
Health and social care 🏥
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Something for everyone
We’re all about celebrating and showcasing the best of local government. Everyone can read, enjoy and share our open features and interviews.
Three key questions for local government finance in Scotland
To mark the launch of a research project on the State of Local Government Finance in Scotland, LGIU and Solace hosted a roundtable discussion with senior Officers in Scottish local government to give a “behind the scenes” picture of local government finance in Scotland.
What’s the point of decentralisation? Innovation, entrepreneurialism, and democratic engagement in the US
Professor Joanie Willett explores how decentralisation has improved the relationship between local governments and their citizens in two Appalachian communities.
The Holiday, Activity and Food programme in action across Wyre
This interview with Carol Southern from Wyre Borough Council highlights their successful Holiday Activity and Food programme. We get into the finer details around how Wyre operates the clubs, builds important partnerships and utilises the reach to positively impact the children and families most in need of support.
Public health 101: the FAQ
This explainer highlights the importance of UK public health services in tackling deep-seated health inequalities. In a Q&A style, it outlines the level of spending and pressures public health services have been under and how councils can manage and promote public health initiatives.
Housing is key to tackling poverty in the travelling community
LGIU associate Jill Morgan discusses the connection between poverty and traveller communities. She argues that local government has a truly critical role to play in alleviating the issue – and this begins with a serious revamp of the current approach to accommodation for Travelling communities.
Don’t forget, local government is central to everything
In this article, Dr Helen Paterson, Chief Executive of Northumberland County, emphasises how critical local government is to effective placemaking, and an important partner that national government should not overlook.
It is time for the UK government to fix the broken funding system?
In this think piece, Cllr Ray Morgan, Leader of Havering Borough Council, asks if it’s time to change the local government funding system across England in light of mounting pressure on the sector.
The South Tyneside Pledge: the power of many
Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council, shares the details of South Tyneside’s Pledge, a new community wealth building project which, at just 18 months old, has already boosted the borough’s economy by £3m. How have they done it? This article takes a look.
Quick question! Holiday support
Can you help us out with some examples of what you're doing? We'll use this information as background research or as examples in our briefings and resources, or we may get in touch about a case study. We're just looking for a sentence or two.
The holidays can be a time of joy and community for many people, for some it can be one of the most difficult times of the year. We want to know what you're doing to help support people over the holidays struggling with loneliness, hunger, poverty or homelessness.
Exclusive LGIU member resources
Our member-only resources are available to every employee and elected representative at our member organisations. Your council is a member. Sign up to the website – it’s your gateway to all member resources.
England & Wales | Parliamentary update: October/November 2023
England & Wales, Ireland | Tackling poverty in the travelling community
Australia | How to actually do good
Australia | Enhancing safety for women in public places
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And Finally...
This story made us smile
Tamworth shines bright as the birthplace of electric streetlights in Australia
The NSW town of Tamworth has celebrated the 135th anniversary of the day it become the first place in Australia to provide electric lighting across a whole town. Initially powered by steam engines located at the Peel Street power station, they later received energy from the Marius Street power station. Naomi Blakley, of the Tamworth Power Station Museum, said it is important to remember how the role played by the town in the development of Australia's power industry. "It's a pivotal part of who we are", she said. "If you got up today, the first thing you'd probably do is either look at your phone, turn on the light, or turn off an alarm — all of that is powered through electricity. Being able to celebrate it here in Tamworth and hold on to that history and help tell that story, keeps that significance alive".
ABC News
This story comes from Australia Daily News.
Daily News is an LGIU member-only service that keeps you connected to all the local government stories in the national and regional
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