Frontline services including building maintenance and major projects like the LC and the Liberty Stadium that make a difference in people’s lives every day have helped Swansea Council scoop a top award.
The Council has been named the best Council in Britain for service delivery by the Association for Public Service Excellence.
Its work in managing successful projects like the LC, the Liberty Stadium and QEd as well as efforts to recruit and train young people in trades like plumbing and carpentry were held up by the organisation as beacons of excellence for others to follow.
Apart from picking up the top prize for the overall quality of its service delivery, the Council’s Corporate Building Services team also won the Best Employee and Equality initiative for its outstanding work to encourage young people to take up careers as plumbers, electricians and carpenters.
Apprentice plumbers Glenn Sullivan and Shaun Richards are among more than 70 apprentices to have benefited from a range of innovative projects run by CBS in collaboration with the Council’s Employment Training Service.
Glenn,18, a former pupil at Bishop Vaughan Comprehensive School, said: “I love plumbing; it’s an enjoyable career to follow and it just seems to be a good fit for me. I’ve worked in all sorts of interesting places such as the Grand Theatre, the Mansion House and schools all over Swansea and I’m looking forward to starting the job.”
Chris Holley, Leader of the Council, said: “The work the Council does touches lives every day whether that’s because we’re helping young people get on the jobs ladder in these challenging economic times or through providing important services like education or leisure facilities.
“What these awards show is that we are working hard to be the best we can be and that this effort is recognised by our peers in local government.”
Corporate Building Services were also finalists for best service team in construction and building and best service team for waste and refuse management.
The Council’s Programme and Project Management Team was a finalist for Best Information & Communication Technology initiative for putting together a project management tool which has helped equip staff with the knowledge and expertise to deliver major projects like the LC and QEd and is also being used to manage the Quadrant Bus Station re-development.
Martin Nicholls, Head of Service for CBS, said: “These are awards which recognise an enormous amount of hard work that’s been going on in CBS for a number of years.”
Jeremy Stephens, Head of Service for Performance and Strategic Projects, said: “The project management tool has already attracted the attention of other local authorities who have purchased what is now the Council’s tried and trusted method to deliver its most significant projects on schedule and on budget.”
