The LGIU and CCLA are proud to unveil the winners of the 2022 Cllr Awards, the only national awards to celebrate the vital work of local councillors across England and Wales.
On Thursday evening, the Awards ceremony took place at the Roman Baths and Guildhall with hosts Bath City Council along with special guests and speakers, including Cllr Linda Taylor (Leader, Cornwall Council & Vice Chair, LGIU), Cllr Kevin Guy (Leader, Bath & North East Somerset Council) and Cllr James Jamieson OBE (Chair, Local Government Association). The ceremony was also streamed live on YouTube.
The top prize of the night, for Leader of the Year, went to Cllr Teresa O’Neill OBE, Leader of the London Borough of Bexley. Cllr Mariam Dawood from the London Borough of Newham walked away with the Young Councillor of the Year prize and Cllr Peter McDonald of South Cambridgeshire District Council claimed the Resilience and Recovery Award. Cllr Jabba Riaz of Worcester City Council was honoured with the Community Champion Award. Cllr Lewis Herbert of Cambridge City Council and Cllr Hilda Rhodes of Telford and Wrekin Council were awarded Lifetime Achievement Awards for their service. The full list of winners is included below.
Running for the 13th year, the Cllr Awards are a hugely important way to champion what councillors do locally as their work can, all too often, go unrecognised. Competition was particularly tight this year with nearly 400 nominations received. The winners were selected by a group of judges that included senior councillors and leading stakeholders from across the sector. A link to re-watch the Awards is available HERE.
This year’s Awards were made possible thanks to the generous support of founding partners CCLA.
Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU said: “On such a momentous day – we are incredibly proud to unveil the winners of these 13th annual Cllr Awards. Doing this at a time of immense turmoil and as national politics continues to unravel, underlines (even more) the importance of what we’ve done here tonight – showcasing the vital work of councillors, making a real difference to the lives of local people.
Come rain or shine, local government continues to get on with the job at hand, providing the stability and direction our communities (and our country) need day in and day out. And while awards and accolades aren’t the reason councillors put themselves forward and enter local politics, their incredible service is, so often, a thankless task. That is why these Cllr Awards are so important. One day a year to say thank you to our elected members for their remarkable efforts.
I would like to extend a huge congratulations to all of tonight’s Cllr Awards winners. We thank you for your service and look forward to hearing about your continued accomplishments in the future.”
Kelly Watson, Relationship Manager for Local Government, CCLA, said: “For the last 13 years, CCLA and LGIU have thoroughly enjoyed raising the profile of the best of local government across England, Wales and beyond. Councillors and council leaders have delivered in so many unimaginable ways for communities and we want to shout about it!
The Cllr Awards are all about councillors. Their achievements are often hidden in plain sight and often go unrecognised. CCLA is honoured to stand alongside these outstanding councillors and thank them for their hard work and dedication to our communities. Why? Because at CCLA we believe healthy investment markets depend upon healthy communities – economically, socially and environmentally. In that we all have common purpose.”
Cllr Kevin Guy, Leader, Bath & North East Somerset Council said: “Bath & North East Somerset Council is proud to have hosted this awards ceremony in our historic Bath Guildhall – the first time this event has taken place outside of London. It was great to see councillors from across the country receive the recognition they deserve for their work to improve people’s lives in their local communities.
With so many challenges facing us – including the cost of living, addressing inequalities and tackling the climate and ecological emergency– the role of elected members has never been more important. My congratulations to all those who received recognition and my thanks to everyone who took part and made this such an inspirational event.”
