Why enter

Winning an LGC Workforce Award not only provides you and your team with the recognition you deserve at an event celebrating your achievements, but also has a whole host of benefits you might not have realised.

What can winning an LGC Workforce Award do for you and your team?

  • Share best practice across the local government community: promote and disseminate your work to help solve the workforce challenges in local government throughout the UK
  • Reward your team: gain recognition for the innovative and excellent workforce projects you and your team are delivering
  • Showcase your council: highlight the innovative workforce projects within your council and demonstrate how it is a great place to work
  • Raise your morale: hardworking council teams don’t get the recognition they deserve and what better confirmation that you and your team are delivering for your community than by winning an LGC Workforce Award?
  • Network with your peers: meet important figures from across the local government community and expand your network of contacts

Don't miss your chance to win an LGC Workforce Award. Entries are now open and you have until Friday 12 July 2024 to submit a winning application.

Please note a maximum of 2 people from each shortlisted entry will present their entries to a panel of judges.

This will be done in person in front of a live audience in Liverpool on 5 November for the following four categories:

  • Best equality, diversity and inclusion employer
  • Best place to work - NEW
  • Best wellbeing innovation
  • Smart working

 

This will be done virtually via Teams for the following eight categories:

  • Back office heroes/hero
  • Best innovation in recruitment
  • Best innovation in retention
  • Best next generation employer
  • Equality, diversity and inclusion champion - NEW
  • Graduate of the year - NEW
  • Head of Service of the year - NEW
  • Workforce innovator

Enter now

To register and start your entry, please use the button below.

We would advise completing your entry in Word or a similar programme first before copying and pasting into the entry form.

If you need help with your entry or require any clarification, please contact Jodie Partington on 020 3953 2015 or email Jodie.Partington@emap.com

The entry deadline for LGC Workforce is midnight on 19 July. The winners will be announced at the event on 5 November in Liverpool.

View winners!

FAQS

Hopefully you'll find an answer to your question below. If not, please contact Kieran McDougall on 020 3953 2019 or email Kieran.McDougall@emap.com

To view the criteria, create your account, or login with your email and password used to create your account if you have already done so. Select ‘Enter Now’ against the category you wish to view where the criteria will be displayed. If you wish to start your entry at this point any information you add will be autosaved and you can login to complete the rest of the entry at any time.

Enter the email address and password that you used when you first started your entry on the log in page, you will then be taken through to your dashboard and will be able to continue your entry.

You can enter another category by selecting the category you wish to enter from the ‘Categories’ section.

Please contact Kieran McDougall on 020 3953 2019 or email Kieran.McDougall@emap.com , and he will be able to help you with your entry.

Individual 

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.
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Judges will be looking for evidence of how the team or individual made a difference and the impact they had.

Entries should include:

  • How the team or individual has gone above and beyond to support colleagues and/or service users;
  • Evidence of their exceptional commitment to the council and its communities
  • Evidence of the impact of their contribution to delivering on the council’s priorities
  • Evidence of their commitment to innovate and finding better ways of doing things
  • Why they deserve to win this award, including testimony from colleagues

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.
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Entries should include:

  • Details of the impact the individual has had and the improvements delivered
  • A description of how the workplace experience has been improved for a particular group or groups
  • Details of any actions or initiatives they have spearheaded
  • How they have ensured buy in from across the organisation and sought to embed change such that it outlasts them individually
  • Data demonstrating the effectiveness of their action or actions

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.
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Entries should include:

  • The individual’s job title, with an explanation of their remit and expected responsibilities;
  • A description of the impact they have had and the difference they have made;
  • How they have been an effective team player
  • Their commitment to local government
  • Evidence of the success of their work in terms of goals accomplished and any data confirming this;
  • Evidence of their potential to have a significant impact on local government in future

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.
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Entries should include:

  • The individual’s job title, with an explanation of their remit and expected responsibilities;
  • A description of the challenges they have faced in the period in question and how they overcame them;
  • An explanation of why their contribution deserves special recognition;
  • A description of how they have demonstrated leadership of their service;
  • Evidence of the success of their work in terms of goals accomplished and any data confirming this, such as staff survey where applicable;

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.
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Entries should include:

  • The individual’s job title, with an explanation of their remit and expected responsibilities;
  • A description of the exceptional challenges they have faced in the period in question and how they overcame them;
  • An explanation of why their work was out of the ordinary, for instance why what they did was innovative, their ability to work alongside other people including internal and external partners where relevant and the level of dedication and resilience that they displayed;
  • How they demonstrated leadership in delivering innovation
  • Evidence of the success of their work in terms of goals accomplished and any data confirming this;

Award entries will be judged upon

  • The scale of the qualities demonstrated by the individual – such as innovation, resilience, compassion, flexibility and creativity, as well as evidence of the impact it has had;
  • The extent to which their work can inspire and influence the rest of local government;
  • The individual’s ability to network, influence, share knowledge and offer support across the system, potentially including with partner organisations, councillors and at all levels of the council;
  • The extent of their commitment to bring about improvement.

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.

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.
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Entries should focus on demonstrating how other councils could learn from, replicate or adapt the innovation for their own area and include the voice of staff within the submission.

Entries should include:

  • Evidence of a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion at all levels of the organisation;
  • Details of actions, activities and initiatives designed to deliver on this commitment;  
  • Why your diversity and inclusion policies make you an employer of choice, including any evidence it is having an impact on employee engagement and/or recruitment and retention;
  • Data (including from the staff survey where applicable) demonstrating the effectiveness of the action or actions;
  • How the diversity of your workforce compares to the diversity of your community.

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.
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Entries should include:

  • A description of what makes the council a great place to work
  • An explanation of what sets it apart from other similar councils
  • The council’s stated values and evidence these are recognised and lived by staff
  • Details of the council’s wellbeing offer
  • Details of the council’s learning and development programme
  • Details of the council’s approach to equalities, diversity and inclusion 
  • Data and evidence in support of the entry, such as on staff retention

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.
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Judges will be looking for tangible evidence the activities have led to an increase in suitable applicants and an original and creative approach that other councils could learn from, replicate or adapt for their own area.

Entries should include:

  • Evidence of actions and activities to create and deliver innovative recruitment processes.
  • Data and evidence to show how the new approach has improved staff recruitment
  • Any obstacles to introducing the new approach and how you overcame them
  • How the new approach sets you apart as an employer
  • The voice of managers and staff who have gone through the process

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.
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Judges will be looking for evidence of an impact on the workforce demographics as well as an original and creative approach that other councils could learn from, replicate or adapt for their own organisation.

Entries should include:

  • Evidence of actions and activities to recruit and retain younger people
  • The thinking behind the approach and how it was developed
  • How the new approach sets you apart as an employer
  • Data and evidence to show how the new approach has improved recruitment and retention of younger staff
  • Evidence of positive impact on the wider organisation
  • Any obstacles to introducing the new approach and how you overcame them
  • The voice of managers and staff who have gone through the process

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.
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Judges will be looking for impressive staff retention rates as well as an original and creative approach that other councils could learn from, replicate or adapt for their own area.

Entries should include:

  • Data (including from the staff survey where applicable) demonstrating the effectiveness of the retention strategy;
  • Evidence of actions and activities taken to create and deliver inclusive retention processes;
  • The thinking behind the approach and how it was developed;
  • How the new approach sets you apart as an employer;
  • Evidence of positive impact on the wider organisation;
  • Any obstacles to introducing the new approach and how you overcame them;

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.
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Judges will want to see how the initiative improved staff wellbeing and how its success was measured.  It does not have to be a new initiative, but the outcomes should be specific to the 12 months prior to March 2024.

Entries should demonstrate how other councils could learn from, replicate or adapt the innovation for their own area and include the voice of staff within the submission.

Entries should include:

  • Evidence of actions and activities delivered that were designed to improve staff wellbeing;
  • Data (including from the staff survey where applicable) demonstrating the effectiveness of the action or actions;
  • The thinking behind the approach and how it was developed;
  • How the new approach sets you apart as an employer;
  • Any evidence of positive impact on the wider organisation;
  • Any obstacles to introducing the new approach and how you overcame them.

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.
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Judges will be looking for evidence of increased efficiency, improved outcomes and a happy workforce.

Entries should demonstrate how other councils could learn from, replicate or adapt the innovation for their own area and include the voice of staff within the submission.

Entries should include details of:

  • Rationale for introducing the new ways of working;
  • Objectives at the outset and whether they have been met or exceeded;
  • How the service was redesigned and what the outcomes were;
  • Any obstacles to introduction and how they were overcome;
  • Benefits of the new approach to staff, service users and the council.

Our high profile panel of judges include the great and good from both within and outside the local government sector.

The LGC Workforce Awards pride themselves on their rigorous judging process, where every entry is considered by our panel of judges before creating a shortlist.

In stage two of judging, 2 people from each shortlisted organisation will present their entries to the panel of judges. This is either in-person on 5 November or virtually over Teams.

The judges dedicate their time and energy to the awards. We just want to say a huge thank you to our judging panel for their hard work and commitment.