The APSE Awards are to recognise the best in public services and to share that best practice with all. In 2021 APSE received an overwhelming 320 submissions for the Awards, with each one demonstrating a clear commitment to the goals of continuous improvement and the delivery of excellence in public services. The APSE Awards are specific to frontline services provided by UK local authorities. The Awards are agreed by a panel of expert judges.

Caerphilly County Borough Council were shortlisted for the Award for Best Service Team: Environmental Health, Trading Standards and Regulatory Services, for their Contact Tracing Service.

The Councils Test, Trace and Protect team was created in unprecedented times to deliver community based contact tracing, employing local people to support the community during the pandemic.

The aim of the service was to work collaboratively to set up a Contact Tracing service to assist the social and economic recovery of our communities, in a way that is safe and protects our NHS and social care teams. Caerphilly started its service with a team of forty redeployed staff using a remote working model.

The team now operate a high performing, sophisticated contact tracing service, which is vital to our Covid response and offering comprehensive support and advice to our citizens to assist them in complying with self-isolation requirements to help to keep our communities safe.

The APSE Awards are to recognise the best in public services and to share that best practice with all. In 2021 APSE received an overwhelming 320 submissions for the Awards, with each one demonstrating a clear commitment to the goals of continuous improvement and the delivery of excellence in public services. The APSE Awards are specific to frontline services provided by UK local authorities. The Awards are agreed by a panel of expert judges.

Caerphilly County Borough Council won the award for Best Service Team: Catering Service, for the response to delivering free school meals during the pandemic.

In March 2020, the Welsh Government announced that all schools would close with immediate effect due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Caerphilly County Borough Council was faced with the challenge of how they would provide a service to over 6,243 Free School Meals pupils.

The local authority catering team showed true entrepreneurship, creativity and strong leadership skills by implementing a FSM home delivery service that involved partnership working with local suppliers and over 20 service areas within the authority.

The APSE Awards are to recognise the best in public services and to share that best practice with all. In 2021 APSE received an overwhelming 320 submissions for the Awards, with each one demonstrating a clear commitment to the goals of continuous improvement and the delivery of excellence in public services. The APSE Awards are specific to frontline services provided by UK local authorities. The Awards are agreed by a panel of expert judges.

Caerphilly County Borough Council were shortlisted for the award for Best Service Team: Sports, Leisure and Cultural Services, for the teams incredible attitude towards redeployment during the pandemic.

During a period of unprecedented challenge, the Sport & Leisure Services Team in Caerphilly did not only continue to deliver a broad and diverse range of outstanding sport and active recreation opportunities but have flexed and mobilised its resources to support the Councils’ response to Covid-19.

Pembrokeshire County Council were shortlisted for a ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ LGC award in 2021 for their Supported Employment programme.  The programme began back in 2018 when as part of a comprehensive engagement and consultation process to develop a Learning Disability Strategy, people with learning disabilities and autism told the Council that they wanted more opportunities for paid employment.  The first employment opportunity was to employ Learning Disability Champions to work with both officers within Pembrokeshire County Council and third sector partners to develop and implement the actions against the strategy. The programme is innovative not because individual elements are new or untried but because it has bought together a number of tried and tested methods into a strategic programme that aligns objectives across a number of agendas.  The programme is a partnership between the local authority, the local health board and key third sector partners.  The programme is a key component of the Council’s equality action plan, driving an increase in disability employment across the local authority not just in the programme itself.  From employing 25 people with disability in 2017, today Pembrokeshire County Council employs over 65 people with disability in its supported employment programme. 

Shortlisted – LGC Awards 2021

Caerphilly Council and Gwent Police have joined forces to launch an innovative joint leadership programme aimed at developing a new generation of bold and innovative leaders.

The initiative, called ‘MeUs’, was launched on Wednesday 7th July 2021 by Jane Hutt, Minister for Social Justice.

MeUs is the brainchild of Christina Harrhy (CCBC Chief Executive) and Pam Kelly (Chief Constable of Gwent Police) who share an aspiration to develop an ambitious leadership programme to ensure senior managers are equipped with the highest levels of skills and competencies.

Eight employees from across both organisations will form the first ever cohort to take part in the programme – four from Caerphilly council and four from Gwent Police. The 12 month leadership programme will be delivered by the University of South Wales and the initial consort will be instrumental in helping to shape the direction and content of the course for participants in future.

The Welsh Local Government Decarbonisation Planning Review on the current state of Decarbonisation Planning in Welsh Local Government analysed interventions listed in councils’ Decarbonisation plans were according to four priority areas including Buildings, Mobility and Transport, Procurement, and Land Use. These areas reflect the priority areas identified by Welsh Government Net Zero Carbon 2030 for public sector.  

Bridgend County Borough Council is in the process of developing the Bridgend Town Heat Network  to reduce energy consumption through heating buildings. The Council has established a subsidiary company which will be 100% owned by the authority and enable them to access a £1 million grant from the UK Government to constitute part of the £3.4 million capital budget required for the first phase of the network.