A Denbighshire County Council employee is celebrating making it through to the final four in a prestigious local government challenge.
Helen Burkhalter, Denbighshire’s Portfolio Officer for Climate Change was one of several hundred applicants to enter the Local Government Challenge 2010. These were narrowed down to 16, with ten finalists selected after being interviewed on film.
Since January, each candidate has been tested on issues facing councils through challenges based in Coventry, Surrey, Northampton, Kent and Essex. Now the final challenge has been completed and the four finalists chosen.
Helen is the only candidate from Wales and she will face questions from chief executives and politicians at the annual Local Government Conference in Bournemouth (July 6-8). Two of the four candidates will then be selected for the final stage of the competition where they will need to pitch their proposal on how they would spend the £10,000 Bruce Lockhard Scholarship money to deliver “a forward thinking and innovative project to advance the cause of localism and government at a local level.”
The winner will be announced at the Conference’s Gala Dinner on Thursday 8th July.
Helen said: “I feel so excited about making the final four. The application stage back in November seems so long ago now and I have really been put through my paces over the last five months completing the challenges and I have learnt so much.
“I feel really privileged to be involved in the first ever Local Government Challenge and representing the council at a national level. It’s not everyday that you are given the opportunity to address such a senior audience at an annual conference so I’m going to enjoy the experience as much as I can, try to keep the nerves at bay and just give it my very best.
“Fingers crossed I will make it through and be given the opportunity to pitch my idea for the scholarship money and potentially bring the funds back here to deliver something quite exciting for the people of North Wales and Denbighshire County Council.
