This category is open to individuals or teams working in the non-public facing roles in what are colloquially known as back office functions.

The value of staff in corporate roles such as HR, finance and legal and democratic services is often overlooked. These services are essential to a well functioning organisation yet in many councils they have been disproportionately hit by cuts over the past decade.

This award seeks to shine a light on the vital work of these individuals or teams in councils across the country and recognise their contribution to delivering high quality public services. Entries are open to individuals or teams in non-public facing roles who have gone above and beyond to support colleagues. They may have used their professional expertise to support the delivery of innovation or improvement in their own function or other service areas within the council.

People’s differences should be valued in the workplace and staff should experience equal treatment and equal opportunity. Diverse and inclusive workforces make for happier staff, better decisions and ensure services are reflective of the needs of the communities they serve.

This new award aims to recognise an exceptional individual in local government who has significantly advanced the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda in their organisation and/or the wider local government sector. They will be able to point to real change that improves the workplace experience of people with one or more protected characteristics.

Anyone working in local government at any level is eligible to apply, whether or not their core role is in HR or similar.

The individual needs to still be working in local government at the time of the announcement of the Awards shortlist and have no plans or expectation to not be working in local government at the time of the Awards ceremony.

We welcome entries from candidates themselves or nominations from those who wish to highlight an individual they believe merits this recognition.

New entrants into local government are essential to ensuring the sustainability of the workforce into the future. This award seeks to celebrate the massive contribution that graduates can make, even at the very start of their careers.

The new award is open to an exceptional individual who joined local government during the two years prior to March 2024. They could be on the National Graduate Development Programme, another graduate programme or have been employed directly by the council.

Entrants should be able to demonstrate they have had a significant impact on their team or the wider organisation, by bringing fresh thinking and new ideas that have led to improvements in service delivery for residents, businesses or colleagues.

The individual needs to still be working in local government at the time of the announcement of the Awards shortlist and have no plans or expectation to not be working in local government at the time of the Awards ceremony.

We welcome entries from candidates themselves or nominations from those who wish to highlight an individual they believe merits this recognition.

Head of services roles can be among the most high pressured in local government. A strong connection to the front line and the pressures faced by staff combined with responsibility for delivering on key organisational priorities set by the senior leadership team make these roles uniquely challenging.

This new award seeks to celebrate the individuals in these roles who go above and beyond to ensure high quality service delivery and a well supported team while delivering on organisational priorities.

The individual needs to still be working in local government at the time of the announcement of the Awards shortlist and have no plans or expectation to not be working in local government at the time of the Awards ceremony.

We welcome entries from candidates themselves or nominations from those who wish to highlight an individual they believe merits this recognition.

This award aims to recognise an exceptional individual in local government who has developed innovative solutions to enable their council and its partners to manage a challenging workforce situation, whether as a result of national or local issues. They will have been instrumental in leading its effective implementation, demonstrating the qualities of resilience, compassion, flexibility, innovation and creativity in the face of adversity.   

Entrants should be able to point to the impact of their actions over the past twelve months, although the work to deliver that impact may have started prior to that.

Anyone working in local government at any level is eligible to apply, whether or not their core role is in HR or similar. This is not a lifetime achievement award – it is a reflection of the individual’s contribution predominantly during the period in question.

The individual needs to still be working in local government at the time of the announcement of the Awards shortlist and have no plans or expectation to not be working in local government at the time of the Awards ceremony.

We welcome entries from candidates themselves or nominations from those who wish to highlight an individual they believe merits this recognition.

This award is open to a single council or where appropriate a partnership of councils, or a council- owned company. Private sector partners can enter on a council’s behalf, with the permission of the council itself.

People’s differences should be valued in the workplace and staff should experience equal treatment and equal opportunity. Diverse and inclusive workforces make for happier staff, better decisions and ensure services are reflective of the needs of the communities they serve.

This award aims to recognise a council or group of councils that has shown continued commitment to the diversity and inclusivity of its workforce. This could include improving opportunities and representation of staff from diverse backgrounds or initiatives to make the council a more inclusive and welcoming place to work.

This category is for those that are actively trying to eliminate discrimination and to ensure equity of opportunity to those with a protected characteristic. It is for those that actively try to support employees, taking into account age, gender, sexual orientation or ethnic background, to reach their potential with equal access to opportunities and progression.

This new award is open to a single council or where appropriate a partnership of councils with a joint staff team.

Councils deliver a vast array of services and as a result employ staff in numerous different roles and with a wide range of professional backgrounds. From staff working with communities on the front line to technical experts delivering services such as planning, council workforces are unique and supporting their varying needs and ensuring they all feel part of the organisation can be challenging.

This award seeks to recognise the council or council partnership that has gone the extra mile to ensure all staff are engaged, supported and developed to fulfil their personal potential in the interests of the place and communities they serve.

The LGC Best Place to work will have a positive and inclusive culture where staff at every level feel valued and that their voices are heard. Judges will be looking for exceptional learning and development provision as well as innovative approaches to staff engagement, workplace wellbeing and equality, diversity and inclusion that other councils could learn from. Entries should also be able to demonstrate how this has led to the strong performance of the organisation.

This award is open to a single council or where appropriate a partnership of councils, or a council- owned company. Private sector partners can enter on a council’s behalf, with the permission of the council itself

With workforce shortages across a range of UK industries, local government is having to fight harder than ever for talent and in a market where candidates do not always recognise the opportunities the sector can offer.

This award seeks to recognise councils or groups of councils that have successfully deployed new approaches or tactics to recruiting staff, either across the organisation or in one specific service area. This could include innovative advertising and marketing campaigns, events or other methods of attracting applicants.

This award is open to a single council or where appropriate a partnership of councils, or a council- owned company. Private sector partners can enter on a council’s behalf, with the permission of the council itself.

Local government has an ageing workforce which is only set to compound current skills shortages in the sector. Councils needs to attract more millennials and Gen Z to join the workforce. However, many younger people are not aware of the many and varied opportunities the sector offers for a fulfilling career.

This award seeks to recognise councils or groups of councils working to address that through initiatives to recruit and retain people under 30, either across the organisation or in one specific service area. This could include innovative use of the National Graduate Development Programme, apprenticeship schemes, work with local colleges and universities as well as the provision of development opportunities and other support once employed.

This award is open to a single council or where appropriate a partnership of councils, or a council- owned company. Private sector partners can enter on a council’s behalf, with the permission of the council itself.

Retention of staff with deep knowledge and understanding of the place and communities they serve is vital to delivering good council services, yet local government faces stiff competition for talent from both the public and private sector. In some key professions councils cannot compete with the private sector on pay but can offer other benefits that staff find valuable.

This award seeks to recognise councils or groups of councils finding creative ways to retain existing staff in this challenging environment, either across the organisation or in one specific service area. This could include innovative benefits packages, staff recognition or engagement programmes.

This award is open to a single council or where appropriate a partnership of councils, or a council- owned company. Private sector partners can enter on a council’s behalf, with the permission of the council itself.

Staff wellbeing is essential for the happy and productive teams needed to deliver vital council services. Whether managing complex regeneration projects, working directly with some of the most vulnerable members of their communities or collecting the bins jobs in local government can be physically and mentally demanding, and never more so than after more than a decade of funding restraint.

This award is aimed at a council that has demonstrated a commitment to the mental and physical wellbeing of its staff, and that really stands out from the crowd with its offer. In recognition of the diversity of council workforces it could be an initiative aimed across the whole workforce or targeted at one specific service area.

This award is open to a single council or where appropriate a partnership of councils, or a council- owned company. Private sector partners can enter on a council’s behalf, with the permission of the council itself.

This award is intended to highlight those councils daring to do things differently in the quest to deliver modern, efficient and responsive public services. This could include maximising the opportunities of new technology, redesigning services in partnership with users or adopting an asset based approach. However, introducing new ways of working into teams can be challenging and requires careful management.

This award seeks to recognise teams within councils that have successfully adopted new ways of working that have delivered significant benefits to service users and the workforce alike. It is open to teams within councils and partner organisations who have led innovation in smart working either across the whole organisation or in a specific service area.