Cllr Awards 2020
The winners have been revealed. Watch the English and Scottish Awards ceremonies or scroll down for a full list of winners.
The Cllr Awards are the only awards showcasing the important work of councillors across England and Scotland. Each year, we are proud to bring together the best and brightest councillors as we celebrate and honour the vital contributions they make throughout our communities. So often, their work goes unrecognised. Now, more than ever, we need to honour these unsung heroes of local government who are working tirelessly to keep the country afloat during the pandemic.
There are several Cllr Award categories celebrating the varied work of councillors including new categories for 2020, Collaborative Working and Covid-19 Hero.
England
This year, we will celebrate the 11th anniversary of the Cllr Awards in England. Since 2010, we have recognised the hard work and dedication of over 2,000 councillors across England. Previous winners include Lord Peter Smith, Marion Brighton OBE, Darren Rodwell, Peter Fleming OBE and Sharon Taylor OBE and Gordon Nicholson OBE.
For 2020, there are 9 categories for the Cllr Awards in England, including two new categories for collaborative working and community leadership during the coronavirus health crisis.
Cllr Awards programme and shortlist (England)
Winners
- Cllr Niknam Hussain – Buckinghamshire Council (joint) – Winner
- Cllr Raj Khan – Buckinghamshire Council (joint) – Winner
- Cllr Waheed Raja – Buckinghamshire Council (joint) – Winner
- Cllr Saima Ashraf – London Borough of Barking and Dagenham – Winner
- Cllr Hannah Bithell – Leeds City Council – Winner
- Cllr Toni Carter – Rochford District Council – Highly Commended
- Cllr Robert Griffin – South Gloucestershire Council – Highly Commended
- Cllr Salma Mumtaz – Nottingham City Council – Winner
Environment & Sustainability Pioneer
- Cllr Tom Hayes – Oxford City Council – Winner
Finance & Economic Development was awarded to the whole of the local government sector for their dedication and determination in managing the Covid-19 pandemic.
Innovation & Service Transformation
- Cllr Colin Foster – Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council – Winner
- Cllr Tom Beattie – Corby Borough Council – Winner
- Cllr Toby Savage – South Gloucestershire Council – Highly Commended
- Cllr Bridget Smith – South Cambridgeshire District Council – Highly Commended
- Cllr John Leech – Manchester City Council – Highly Commended
- Cllr Nick Ridley OBE – Babergh District Council (in memorial) – Winner
- Cllr Beverley Momenabadi – City of Wolverhampton Council – Winner
This year’s Awards are only possible thanks to the generous support of our founding partners CCLA, who are working with us for the 11th year in a row.
CCLA is a leading specialist fund manager for local authorities and charities. When they began sponsoring the Cllr Awards they had 22 local authority accounts. Today, they have over 700 and that number is growing every month. They are owned by their clients – their mission is to serve the whole sector, regardless of size. Learn more here.
Scotland
LGIU Scotland and CCLA are proud to reveal the winners of the 2020 Cllr Awards, the only national awards to celebrate the vital contributions of councillors. There are over 1,200 councillors across Scotland working hard to represent and support their communities. Since 2018, LGIU Scotland has been recognising and rewarding those councillors who go the extra mile for their constituents. Previous winners of the Awards include Cllr Elena Whitham (East Ayrshire Council), Cllr Shona Haslam (Scottish Borders Council), Cllr Joe Fagan (South Lanarkshire Council) and Cllr John Alexander (Dundee City Council).
For 2020, there were eight awards, including two new categories for collaborative working and community leadership during the coronavirus health crisis. This year the winners were announced at a virtual ceremony
Watch the Cllr Awards on YouTube.
Cllr Awards programme and shortlist (Scotland)
Winners
Champion for Education
- Cllr Dr Soryia Siddique – Glasgow City Council – Winner
Collaborative Working
- Cllr Laura Brennan-Whitefield – South Ayrshire Council (joint) – Winner
- Cllr Siobhian Brown – South Ayrshire Council (joint) – Winner
Covid-19 Hero
- Cllr Eva Murray – Glasgow City Council – Winner
- Bailie Philip Braat – Glasgow City Council – Special commendation
Leader of the Year
- Cllr Jenny Laing – Aberdeen City Council – Winner
Lifetime Contribution
- Cllr Eileen Logan – South Lanarkshire Council – Winner
New Councillor of the Year
- Cllr Mark Horsham – South Lanarkshire Council – Winner
- Cllr Kenneth Duffy – North Lanarkshire – Special commendation
Community Champion
- Cllr Stephen Burns – Renfrewshire Council – Winner
- Cllr Glen Reid – Aberdeenshire Council – Winner
City Community Champion
- Cllr Lynne Short – Dundee City Council – Winner
Useful information
Judging
The winner in each category will be chosen by our esteemed judging panel, comprised of senior councillors and officers as well as leading stakeholders from across the sector. The winners will be announced at virtual Awards ceremonies taking place on the 24th November (Scotland) and 26th November (England) by LGIU Chief Executive Jonathan Carr-West along with special speakers and guests.
A link to watch the Awards will be circulated shortly before the ceremony but sign up here to receive updates.
Rules
Please note you can enter the same councillor into as many categories as you like (as long as they meet the criteria for that award), but you can only nominate the same councillor once per category. For a full list of rules, please click here. We strongly recommend reading these before submitting any nominations.
Previous winners
The full list of Cllr Awards winners since they began in 2010.
The Wigan Deal story – Blog from 2019 Lifetime Achievement winner Lord Peter Smith.
In Conversation with… John Alexander, Leader of Dundee Council – Kim Fellows talks to Cllr John Alexander of Dundee Council, winner of Scotland’s 2019 Leader of the Year award.
Domestic violence: 16 days of activism – Ingrid Koehler talks to Cllr Janet Gardner of London Borough of Hillingdon, winner of England 2019 Innovation & Service Transformation award.
LGIU Fortnightly Special: Winners of LGIU & CCLA Cllr Achievement Awards 2019 – Hear from the winners of the 2019 English Awards.
