Telford & Wrekin Council children’s director scoops top award
Just days after winning Council of the Year at the prestigious APSE awards, Telford & Wrekin Council has won another top accolade with Director for Children’s Services, Children's Safeguarding and Family support, Jo Britton, being named Corporate Director of the Year at the Municipal Journal (MJ) Achievement Awards ceremony which was hosted in London earlier today.
Judged by an expert panel, the MJ Achievement Awards recognise excellence in local government and are regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the council world.
The award comes after the wider work of the council was also recognised by the MJ Awards with a shortlisting for the ‘Local Authority of the Year’.
The MJ judging panel said:
“Jo effectively and impressively led the journey from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘outstanding’ across children’s services. She delivered through a notably clear and ambitious vision with an engaging passion for improving services. She created a positive culture where social workers can make a positive impact on children’s lives in all circumstances.”
This latest award win adds to the growing list of accolades for Telford & Wrekin Council. In July, the council won Co-operative Council of the Year following a public vote, while earlier in September it was named Council of the Year at the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) awards. The council has also recently received an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ rating for Children’s Services.
Jo Britton, Director for Children’s Services, Children's Safeguarding and Family support at Telford & Wrekin Council, said:
“I am hugely honoured to receive this award alongside Paul Edmondson-Jones from Stoke-on-Trent City Council. The past 18 months have been enormously challenging for everyone working in local authority, and I’m pleased that my team’s work has contributed to delivering the best possible outcomes for our residents. I would like to thank all of my council colleagues and partners for their exceptional work to support children and families in Telford and Wrekin.”
David Sidaway, Chief Executive of Telford & Wrekin Council, said:
“I am immensely proud of Jo and pleased that her incredible hard work is being recognised through this well-deserved award.
“The fact that this is the third award for Telford & Wrekin Council in as many months is real testament to the tremendous work done by my colleagues across the authority. They have all stepped up over the last 18 months, over-delivering on the huge range of crucial services needed by our community, and I am delighted that their skills, dedication and sheer hard work are being recognised on the national stage.”
Cllr Shaun Davies, Leader of Telford & Wrekin Council added:
“Coming off the back of two other national accolades, this latest award shows there is something very special happening in Telford and Wrekin!
“When you also consider our latest Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ rating for Children’s Services, and a recent peer review which labelled our Adult Social Services as ‘exceptional’, I simply couldn’t be more proud of Telford & Wrekin Council.
“Our vision as a council is to protect, care and invest to create a better borough, so I’m delighted that we’ve been judged to be doing an award-winning job, not only by expert panels but also by our residents.
“We couldn’t have achieved this success on our own. This last year has shown more than ever how important a partnership approach can be and this award highlights the successes it can bring, so I would like to thank all of my colleagues, our council partners and our Telford and Wrekin community for their invaluable contributions. I look forward to continuing our work together to create an even better borough.”
