Torbay Council wins Most Improved Council of Year award

Torbay Council has been named LGC Most Improved Council of the Year at a ceremony celebrating the very best of the local government sector.

The judges' verdict on Torbay Council last night (Thursday, June 8) was: "A fine example of whole organisation improvement evidenced with financial grip and the humility to recognise the need to continue this impressive improvement trajectory."

Torbay beat competition from Lewisham LBC, Melton BC, Peterborough City Council and South Kesteven DC.

Torbay Place Leadership Board posted on the Torbay Story's social media: "Congratulations to Torbay Council for winning the Most Improved Council category at last nights LGC Awards."

The winners of the 22 categories were announced at a glittering black-tie ceremony held at London’s Grosvenor House, hosted by former rugby international Ugo Monye.

Torbay Council leader Cllr David Thomas and chief executive Anne-Marie Bond were joined by colleagues on the stage to collect the award.

Cllr Thomas said: “It’s great. It’s a real recognition of our staff’s fantastic hard work.

“The judges spoke about cultural change in a number of departments, and children’s services moving to ‘good’ played a big part in this.
“It’s a team effort. It’s about councillors getting involved and being on that journey.”

And, he said, the award would give the new administration a platform to go ahead with Torbay’s major ‘place’ projects including seafronts and town centres.
“That’s where our focus has to be now,” he said. “What a fantastic position for the council to be in!”

Judging was completed before the local council elections in May, after which a coalition of Liberal Democrat and Independent councillors relinquished control of Torbay to a new Conservative administration.

Cllr Steve Darling, who led the council for four years up until the May elections, said: “This victory is bittersweet for me as an individual, but it is extremely good news for the council, and shows that we left Torbay in a much better place than we found it.”

Cllr Darling said key elements in the council’s awards success included the turn-around in children’s services, which improved its ratings in recent years from ‘inadequate’ to ‘good’.

Mr Darling says that led to being able to keep a firm grip on council finances, which in turn enabled the council to invest in services such as SWISCo, its waste and recycling service.

“It’s something that we in Torbay should be very proud of,” he added. “It has changed what Torbay is all about. We were seen as a basket case, now we are seen as something to aspire to.”

Cllr Darren Cowell, former deputy leader of the council, posted his congratulations on social media: "Huge congratulations to all staff at Torbay Council. A real achievement and reward for the efforts invested by you to turn around the council. Hugely proud of the influence that I and colleagues from the former administration had in bringing about the change that led to this award."

LGC editor Sarah Calkin said: “It’s a real privilege to be here tonight to celebrate your remarkable achievements from children’s services to climate change, housing to health and social care, and everything in between.

“The commitment to your communities, passion for your places and the impulse to improve on what you do is undeniable.”

She added that the awards are “intended to unearth the brightest new ideas and the best best practice so we can share it across local government with colleagues in this room and beyond.”