Outstanding service and commitment awards

In May I was part of a judging panel for the council’s first outstanding service and commitment awards (OSCAs). We spent a day listening to the presentations and asking questions of the three finalists in each of the six categories which were: innovation and improvement, customer focus, outstanding service, environment and sustainability, achieving fairness and reducing inequalities and improving services through partnership working.

The judges were hugely impressed by the enthusiasm, innovation and commitment to public service of all the finalists.

The award ceremony took place last night at the West Park Centre and I was pleased to be asked to present the award for environment and sustainability. This award recognises contributions and improvements made by teams either to improve the council’s impact on the environment, or to support local communities to actively promote and implement green initiatives or to help create sustainable communities and sustainable development.

It was won by the Waste Disposal Capital Works Review Team for its focus on waste disposal by the construction division during its programme to replace heating, kitchens and bathrooms in council houses. Improvements identified amongst other things included better recovery of high value scrap metal and improved segregation of waste.