Waveney District Council has been recognised by the leading local government awards scheme in Britain. Waveney is a finalist in the LGC Awards 2010 and has earned a shot at winning an award in the Standards and Ethics category for the work of its Standards Committee.

The LGC (Local Government Chronicle) Awards are the biggest in local government and remain a highlight in the industry calendar. They offer authorities the opportunity to measure their success on a national level and recognise the success and achievements of the very best in the sector.

It is claimed that this year has seen the highest quality of entries ever and that to even be short listed is a fantastic achievement. The next stage of judging requires representatives to make a presentation before the judging panel, bringing the Council’s entry to life and offering the sort of detail that cannot easily be provided on an entry form.

Entries in the Standards and Ethics category must demonstrate the contribution standards and ethics are making to local democracy and public confidence. They must show how local politicians, officers and the standards committee are working together to champion ethical standards in their authority, and how this work has made a positive difference to perceptions of local democracy and public trust in their area.

In order to promote the role of the Standards Committee, raise the profile of its Chairman and support a recruitment campaign to ensure the Committee was functioning at full strength, an action plan was formulated by Waveney’s Members, the Committee and senior officers. This work resulted in a number of innovative ideas that were highlighted in Waveney’s entry. These initiatives included the Waveney Young Filmmaker Competition, the Ten Principles Poster Competition, the Planning Ahead Conference and the We Pledge Campaign.

Caroline Nixon, Chairman of the Standards Committee explains: “During the past year, we have launched some exciting projects that promote the value of ethical standards and the principles of public life. Examples include the Waveney Young Filmmaker Competition, which gave young people the opportunity to showcase their creative talents and raise awareness of the work of the Standards Committee.

“In addition, Lowestoft College student Arran North designed a series of posters to help us promote the ten general principles that govern public life. Arran’s posters included the strapline ‘We Pledge’ and were used to launch a campaign to get all Members of Waveney District Council to sign up to the ten principles and the Council’s partners are also being approached to join the campaign.

“The aim of such work is to maintain trust and make our residents aware of the standards they can expect from their representatives. The Standards Committee has worked closely with our Members and officers and we felt our innovative work in this area might be worthy of national recognition. We are really proud of our achievements and delighted that the judges want to hear more about them.”

The winners will be announced at the LGC Awards Ceremony on Wednesday 24 March 2010.