Dereham Town Council is in the running for a prestigious national local government award.The council will find out tomorrow whether it has scooped honours in the Local Council Awards 2010.
Dereham Town Council is in the running for a prestigious national local government award.
The council will find out tomorrow whether it has scooped honours in the Local Council Awards 2010.
Councillor Lynda Turner submitted Dereham's application for the award and the town council is up against St Erme Parish Council, in Cornwall, and Kingston Parish Council, in East Sussex, for the title of council of the year in the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) awards.
Dereham mayor Robert Hambidge said: 'We are honoured to have been shortlisted for this award. The town council has achieved a tremendous amount over the last couple of years. With bringing the market back to its rightful place, bringing a new cemetery near to a reality, purchasing additional 8 acres of open space and moving the Memorial Hall refurbishment closer to fruition
'The reason these, along with numerous other projects, have been able to get done is that the whole council works constructively together. Councillors often disagree, this is human nature, but what this council has shown is that when the important decisions need to be made the Council can come together and make these decisions.'
Dereham town clerk Tony Needham said: 'To get shortlisted is a tribute to the work of the council and its staff. It is a clich�, but true, that councils achieve most when the paid staff and the councillors work effectively together and have a relationship based on trust and mutual respect. It is because of this relationship that this council has achieved so much in the last couple of years'
The final will be held at One George Street, in London, tomorrow.
Michael Chater, chairman of NALC, said: 'The National Association is very proud of the achievements of all our local councils and this came through loud and clear in the applications for all the awards. Indeed I found the standard of applications quite staggeringly high and being on the judging panel was quite a humbling experience.'
Margot Harbour, of Harleston Town Council, is in the final three of the clerk of the year category.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here