2026 Winners

Campaign of the Year

Winner: 

Sandwell Council - You Ok, Mate? Men’s Mental Health Campaign

Finalists:

  • Colchester City Council and Brighton & Hove City Council - Beyond the Uniform – Driving Behaviour Change Through Strategic Communications
  • Ealing LBC - Ealing Council's, "This is our home, not a tip" fly-tipping campaign
  • Lambeth LBC - Do It London: A City-Wide Call to End HIV Transmissions
  • Somerset Council - 'Our Story' - 2025 Fostering Campaign
  • West Sussex CC - Call The Shots on Alcohol

Children’s Services

Winner: 

North East Lincolnshire Council - Our Children, Our Future

Silver: 

Islington LBC - Transforming Lives Through Outstanding Children’s Services

Bronze: 

Newham LBC - Delivering outstanding outcomes - supporting children on the edge of care

Finalists:

  • Barnet LBC - Embedding inclusion in our DNA
  • Buckinghamshire Council - Residential Transformation Programme – Strong Foundations
  • Cheshire West and Chester Council - Intervention Hub
  • Kensington & Chelsea RBC - Bi-Borough Children's Services SEND Services
  • Southampton City Council - Reducing the Number of Children in Custody in Southampton
  • Stoke-on-Trent City Council - Education Re-engagement Team: Direct Work to reduce Permanent Exclusion
  • Walsall MBC - Walsall Right 4 Children

Sponsored by:

Community Involvement

Winner: 

Clackmannanshire Council - Family Wellbeing Partnership

Silver: 

Kingston upon Thames RBC - From Lived Experience to Lasting Change: Co-Producing Kingston's VAWG Ending Strategy

Bronze: 

Newcastle City Council - Empowering People in Communities

Finalists:

  • Barnsley MBC - Love Where You Live
  • Bristol City Council - 'One City, Many Communities' Strategic Approach to Community Cohesion
  • Calderdale MBC - North Halifax Strategy: A Community-Led Vision for the Future
  • Southend-on-Sea City Council - The Situation Room: How time travel increased trust in the council
  • Plymouth City Council - Making the invisible visible: Mobilising community assets to address the social determinants of health and shape the city we want together
  • Slough BC - Safer Langley - Clear Hold Build In Slough
  • Surrey CC - Redesigning Community Involvement in Surrey: A Whole-System, Place-Based Model for Empowered Communities
  • Westminster City Council - Rampayne Street and Lilestone Street Community Hubs Co-design Process
  • Wirral Council - Empowering Community Voices: Embedding qualitative insights in decision making across Wirral

Council of the Year

Winner: Burnley BC


Finalists:

  • Burnley BC
  • Cardiff Council
  • North Yorkshire Council
  • Northumberland CC
  • Sutton LBC

Sponsored by:

Digital Impact

Winner: 

Derby City Council - Driving AI transformation in local government

Silver: 

Staffordshire CC - Little Heroes

Bronze: 

Lancashire County Council - Empowering People, Enhancing Services: Lancashire’s Gen AI Journey

Finalists:

  • Birmingham City Council - Digital Foundry
  • Ealing LBC - CHC+ restoring trust and reducing pressure in Continuing Healthcare in Ealing
  • North Somerset Council - 90% success rate using AI to complete EHCP forms in children's services
  • Tameside MBC and Voicescape - Using digital technology to compassionately transform collections
  • Tower Hamlets LBC - Housing Development Tracker
  • Wigan MBC - Ethical Use of AI In Local Government

Sponsored by:

Diversity and Inclusion

Winner: 

London Boroughs' Women's Network - A Volunteer-Led Movement Transforming Women’s Leadership Across London

Silver: 

Somerset Council - Imagine the Possibilities… Transforming Futures for Young People with SEND

Bronze: 

Shropshire Council - Anti-Racism Forum

Finalists:

  • Barnsley MBC, Hounslow LBC, Oxfordshire CC, Plymouth City Council and South Gloucestershire Council with ADEPT - Find Your Path: Inspiring a new generation into local government roles
  • Birmingham City Council - Quality Champions Team and Autism and ADHD Partnership Board
  • Edinburgh & South East Scotland City Region with Capital City Partnership - Housing, Construction and Infrastructure (HCI) Skills Gateway
  • Enfield LBC - Enfield's Journey How we have created opportunities for our Gypsy Roma Traveller Residents
  • Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC - Gateway to Employment Supported Internship Programme
  • Sheffield City Council - Diverse Business Advisory Board
  • Tower Hamlets LBC - Community Toilet Scheme

Economic Development

Winner: 

Hackney LBC - From Regulation to Resilience: How Hackney Built London’s Fastest-Growing Local Economy

Silver: 

Swindon BC - Swindon’s Strategic Reindustrialisation: Forging a National Defence Tech Cluster

Bronze: 

Watford BC - A connected town centre shaped for long-term success

Finalists:

  • Bassetlaw DC - Vacancy to Vitality: Transforming Our Town Centres
  • Bradford City MDC - Darley Street market
  • Colchester City Council with Amphora Group - Driving economic impact through creating place based value propositions - building destination
  • Glasgow City Council - Glasgow City Region Programme Management Office
  • North Kesteven DC - Unlocking Sleaford’s transformational economic potential
  • Tower Hamlets LBC - Tower Hamlets Markets
  • Westminster City Council - Cumulative Impact Assessment - Enriching Westminster's Night Time Economy
  • Westminster City Council - Meanwhile On

Environmental Services

Winner: 

Norfolk Environmental Credits - Transforming how Councils deliver sustainable growth

Silver: 

Barnet LBC - Friary Park natural flood alleviation scheme

Bronze: 

Peterborough City Council - School Uniform Re-Use Project

Finalists:

  • Bracknell Forest Council, Reading BC, Wokingham Borough BC and FCC Environment with re3 Waste Partnership - re3read: Book Reuse Initiative
  • Bradford City MDC - The Bradford Clean Air Zone (CAZ)
  • East Riding of Yorkshire Council - Decarbonising Streetlighting – Transforming Streetlighting for s Sustainable Future
  • Enfield LBC - Londons largest rewilding project - Enfield Chase Landscape Recovery Scheme
  • North Somerset Council - Becoming the first local authority in England to introduce a district-wide kerbside collection of soft plastics.
  • Northumberland CC - Reduction In Fly Tipping Campaign

Sponsored by:

Health and Social Care

Winner: 

Greenwich RBC - Digital Health and Care Technology Service

Silver: 

Hull City Council - All With Us, a housing-led approach to care and community

Bronze: 

Hertfordshire CC - Connect and Prevent Transformation Programme

Finalists:

  • Cheshire East Council - Transforming Care Through Innovation - Cheshire East Council’s Occupational Therapy Team and the Proportionate Care Project
  • Ealing LBC - CHC+ restoring trust and reducing pressure in Continuing Healthcare in Ealing
  • Newcastle City Council - Warm Homes Healthy Futures in Newcastle
  • Pembrokeshire CC - Strengths Based Collaborative Communication Programme
  • Rochdale BC with Channel 3 Consulting - Empowering People, Changing Lives: Delivering a Preventative, Digitally Enabled Model of Adult Social Care
  • Sheffield City Council with The Access Group - System Leadership Role and Engagement with Integrated Care System
  • Southwark LBC - Intermediate Care Southwark (ICS)

Sponsored by:

Housing

Winner: 

Bradford City MDC - HOP team work on permanence

Silver: 

Reading BC - Local Authority New Build Program

Bronze: 

Colchester City Council - Reducing Bed & Breakfast Use for Homeless Families

Finalists:

  • Birmingham City Council - Transforming Temporary Accommodation: Housing Acquisition Programme
  • Camden LBC - Purpose built high quality temporary accommodation
  • Hull City Council - All With Us, a housing-led approach to care and community
  • Kings Lynn & West Norfolk BC - West Norfolk - Intervening in the housing market
  • North Kesteven DC and Lafford Homes - Local Leadership Delivering Choice, Quality and Sustainable Homes for Lincolnshire
  • North Somerset Council - Elm Grove: mainstreaming quality, sustainability and affordable housing through a commercial delivery partner
  • Swindon BC - Salzgitter Court
  • Telford & Wrekin Council - Transforming empty properties
  • Tower Hamlets LBC - Cladding Remediation Programme

Innovation

Winner: 

East Riding of Yorkshire Council - Decarbonising Streetlighting

Silver: 

Sherbourne Recycling with Coventry City Council, Solihull MBC, Walsall MBC, Rugby BC, North Warwickshire BC - Sherbourne Recycling - Sherbourne Resource Park

Bronze: 

Enfield LBC - “From Refer and Wait to Embedded Support: ECASS Redefining Speech, Language and Communication Services Through Technology and Partnership”

Finalists:

  • Barking & Dagenham LBC with Rethink Partners - Working with the care market: England’s Largest Evaluation of the Impact of TEC & Homecare
  • Bristol City Council - LED & Central Management Scheme
  • Derby City Council - Leading the AI revolution in local government
  • Ealing LBC - CHC+ restoring trust and reducing pressure in Continuing Healthcare
  • Lichfield DC - Revolutionising support: Same day council tax
  • North Northamptonshire Council - Transforming Temporary Accommodation: Cutting Costs While Driving Better Outcomes
  • Scottish Borders Council - Innovating by listening first and focusing on “What Matters” to change lives

Sponsored by:

Large Team of the Year

Winner: 

Uttlesford DC - The Uttlesford Planning Team

Silver: 

Sandwell Children’s Trust - Smethwick & Oldbury Locality Team: Driving Sustainable Change for Children and Families

Bronze: 

North Northamptonshire Council - Customer Experience

Finalist:

  • Haringey LBC - Housing Delivery Team
  • North Yorkshire Council - Health and Adult Services Team
  • Northumberland CC - Children's Social Care Leadership Team
  • Nottingham City Council - Mental Health Support Teams
  • Shropshire Council - Shire Services
  • Swindon BC - Live Well Team
  • Tower Hamlets LBC - From Insight to Impact: How Tower Hamlets Finance Leads Transformation

Sponsored by:

Medium Team of the Year

Winner: 

Darlington BC - Peer mentor service

Silver: 

West Lancashire BC - Housing Management Matters

Bronze: 

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council - Homelessness Prevention Team

Finalist:

  • City of York Council - York Health Trainers
  • Bradford City MDC - Bradford City Centre Walking and Cycling Improvements - Transforming Cities Fund Delivery Team
  • Bromley LBC - Regeneration Team
  • Hackney LBC - Climate Hope in the East End
  • Hull City Council - Tackling illicit tobacco - pushing the boundaries of consumer protection
  • Kensington & Chelsea RBC with Westminster City Council - Bi-Borough Adult Safeguarding Team: Outstanding,Person-led protection through partnership and innovation
  • Redbridge LBC - Reach Out Domestic Abuse Service

Most Improved council

Winner: 

Sandwell MBC

Silver: 

Ealing LBC

Bronze: 

Guildford BC

Finalist:

  • Gateshead Council
  • Kings Lynn & West Norfolk BC
  • North Northamptonshire Council
  • Scottish Borders Council
  • Sefton MBC

Sponsored by:

Net Zero

Winner: 

Hackney LBC - Greener together: where sustainability plans become everyday change

Silver: 

East Riding of Yorkshire Council - Decarbonising Street Lighting – Right Light Right Place Right Time

Bronze: 

Suffolk CC with AMP - Battery Box energy storage programme

Finalist:

  • Barnet LBC - Barnet’s Free Home Energy Fix
  • Edinburgh & South East Scotland City with Capital City Partnership - Housing, Construction and Infrastructure (HCI) Skills Gateway: supporting Net Zero Construction across the Edinburgh and Southeast Scotland region.
  • Newport City Council - Net Zero Newport - A Unified Approach to Decarbonising Council Services, the Local Economy and the Community
  • Southwark LBC - Climate Programme
  • Sutton LBC - From Local Powers to Borough-Wide Net-Zero Outcomes: The Sutton Green Enterprise Partnership
  • City of London Corporation - Creating a responsible, sustainable, and competitive Square Mile

Outstanding Individual Contribution

Winner: 

Ruth King – Swindon BC

Silver: 

Patrick Rice – Redcar and Cleveland BC

Bronze: 

Fay Winterburn – Warwickshire CC

Finalist:

  • Jacqui Hardman – Wigan MBC
  • Kate Hurr – Cumberland Council
  • Collette Le Van Gilroy – Surrey CC
  • Lisa McNally – Worcestershire CC
  • Rob Waltham – North Lincolnshire Council

Place Shaping

Winner: 

Plymouth City Council - Together we do better - Foulston Park Project Plymouth

Silver: 

Northumberland CC - Northumberland Line

Bronze: 

Bromley LBC - Crystal Palace Park

Finalist:

  • Barnet LBC - Brent Cross Town
  • Bradford City MDC - Bradford City Centre Walking and Cycling Improvements Project
  • Hackney LBC - Greener together: where sustainability plans become everyday change
  • Newark and Sherwood DC - Transforming Newark: Place Shaping, Partnerships and Progress
  • Plymouth City Council - The Regeneration of North Prospect – Transforming a Neighbourhood
  • Stoke-on-Trent City Council - Regenerating Stoke - Redefining our Town

Sponsored by:

Public and Population Health

Winner: 

Birmingham City Council - From needs assessment to action: embedding sex worker health equity

Silver: 

Essex CC - Nourishing Our Future: Transforming Food Provision in Essex Early Years Settings

Bronze: 

Tower Hamlets LBC - Communities Keeping Well

Finalist:

  • Bradford City MDC - CAZ – improvements to air quality impact on health
  • Leeds City Council - Heat in the City: Our Health in a Warming Leeds - learning and action from the 2025 Director of Public Health Report
  • Liverpool City Council - Protecting Children, Shaping Healthy Spaces: Liverpool’s Smokefree Environments Programme
  • North East Lincolnshire Council - No Pressure - It's Just a Quick Check: Tackling Undiagnosed Hypertension Through Community Collaboration
  • North Tyneside Council - The Community Approach to Healthy Start
  • South Cambridgeshire DC - Data with Purpose: Transforming NHS Healthy Start Access for Vulnerable Families
  • Swindon BC - Swindon Oral Health Inequalities Project
  • Wolverhampton City Council - Liver Health Checks - City of Wolverhampton Council and partners

Public/Private Partnership

Winner: 

Wigan MBC with AllChild - AllChild Wigan: Collective Impact for Children, Young People, and Communities

Silver: 

Lambeth LBC - Tips & Tests: Bringing HIV Prevention into Everyday Self Care

Bronze: 

Ealing LBC - CHC+ restoring trust and reducing pressure in Continuing Healthcare

Finalist:

  • Birmingham City Council, Coventry City Council, Wolverhampton City Council with WM5G - WM5G's Adult Social Care Partnership - transforming outcomes with TEC
  • Darlington BC - Benefit Entitlement Action Team (BEAT) campaign
  • Hackney LBC with Zest - A transformative partnership delivering the UK’s densest EV charging network
  • Newcastle City Council with YMS Health and Social Care - Adult Social CarePoint: Redesigning Access Through Public/Private Partnership
  • Plymouth City Council - Together We Do Better – Foulston Park Plymouth
  • South Kesteven DC - Lincolnshire Environmental Crime Partnership (ECP)

    Public/Public Partnership

    Winner: 

    Welwyn Hatfield BC - Bringing the Knife Angel to Welwyn Garden City

    Silver: 

    Hinckley & Bosworth BC - Housing & Respiratory Illness Project

    Bronze: 

    Stoke-on-Trent City Council - Making Great Places

    Finalist:

    • Anglia Revenues Partnership - Excellence in Partnership Working
    • Barnsley MBC - Barnsley MiCard: Transforming young people’s access to public transport through partnership
    • Barnsley MBC - Health on the High Street Project
    • Sheffield City Council - Sheffield Together Partnership – Driving Transformative Growth
    • Test Valley BC - Andover Health Hub

    Rising Star

    Winner: 

    Rob Allen – Greenwich RBC

    Silver: 

    Jeremy Kimmel – Tunbridge Wells BC

    Bronze: 

    Sarah Kirkman – Redcar and Cleveland BC

    Finalist:

    • Gossica Anichebe – Hackney LBC
    • Kate Bishop – Leicester City Council
    • Aoife Dudley – Oxfordshire CC
    • Lauren Etches – Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council
    • Whitney Gee – Kent CC
    • Kerry Griffiths – Derby City Council
    • Liz Mockeridge – New Forest DC
    • Habiba Nessa – Hackney LBC

    Small Team of the Year

    Winner: 

    Enfield LBC - From Flood Risk to Landscape Recovery: Enfield’s Rural Transformation Team

    Silver: 

    North Kesteven DC - Building Control

    Bronze: 

    Northumberland CC - Pre Birth -Specialist Assessment Team

    Finalist:

    • Bromley LBC - Encompass Therapeutic Team
    • East Riding of Yorkshire Council - Decarbonising Streetlighting
    • North Northamptonshire Council - Adults Health Partnerships & Housing Change Improvement & Delivery Team
    • Northumberland CC - Innovation in Action: Northumberland’s Children’s Services Project Team
    • Oxfordshire CC - Public Affairs Team
    • Telford & Wrekin Council - Customer Relationship Team