National award for Borders Council team
19 Mar 07
Legal Services wins Legal Team of the Year in National Local Government Awards
The Legal Services team at Scottish Borders Council has won the Legal Team of the Year category in the prestigious National Local Government Awards 2007, sponsored by the Local Government Chronicle.
The UK-wide awards for local government, announced last week, cover the year to September 2006 in 16 different categories. Scottish Borders Council was the only Scottish Council to win an award at the ceremony.
The Borders team, one of six shortlisted finalists, provided evidence of their involvement in partnerships, service innovation, regeneration and community leadership and how this work had benefited citizens.
The 20 major projects included the Waverley Railway (Scotland) Act 2006, schools PPP, broadband, mock court trials for school students, assistance for disability initiatives, Peebles Justice Centre, the redevelopment of Galashiels town centre, and a sponsored customer survey. The team also focused on their commitment to Green training and Investors in People.
Ian Wilkie, Head of Legal Services, said: “I cannot praise my team highly enough. They can all take enormous credit from this whole experience. It was quite an eye opener to summarise our many achievements throughout the year and to recognise the dedication and hard work of the whole team. It was particularly pleasing to win the award as Scottish Borders Council was the only Scottish Council to win an award on the night.”
Borders Councillor Michael Cook added: “The team make a huge contribution to the workings of the council, and without them the acquisition of land and the drafting of contracts for schools or nursing homes would not happen. In all sorts of areas, the legal team are doing the unseen work so that the Council can provide tangible benefits to the people it serves. This award is a deserved recognition of that contribution.”