sponsored by Amaryllis
Recognising the local authority that has demonstrated all round excellence and outstanding communications skills to engage with its citizens and its workforce.

2011 Winner: Stockport Council
At Stockport, research has become a priority for every area of activity. All campaigns are aligned to the strategic objectives of the council, with the impact carefully monitored to evaluate success. The Stockport team committed to delivering no-nonsense campaigns that cut through the jargon. The Stockport Boost campaign looked at ways to tackle the recession, providing businesses and residents with advice and support on how to cope during the year ahead. It surpassed all of its objectives, generating over 100 weeks of coverage in the Stockport Times and £20 million in benefits for Stockport residents.

Commended: Warrington Borough Council
Warrington’s small but well formed press team have worked hard to raise the profile of the council and its services both locally and beyond. It produces a daily news bulletin for senior officers and councillors, maintains the council’s corporate social media presence and looks after the news and events sections of the website. In the first four months of 2011, the team issued 120 press releases with an average pick up rate of 93%. Recent months have seen the team gain coverage in key Manchester and Liverpool print and broadcast media.

Commended: London Borough of Hillingdon
During a very difficult year, Hillingdon’s PR team has continued to deliver strong results and offer value for money. As well as improving residents’ satisfaction, the team has delivered significant efficiency savings, identifying early on that as well as using new media as an effective communications channel, it is also cost-effective. All PR activity is tweeted, generating online conversations about Hillingdon’s campaigns and facebook, Flikr and other new media channels are utilised to maximum effect as appropriate.

Commended: Stoke on Trent City Council
2010 saw the 100th anniversary of the federation of the six towns of Burslem, Tunstall, Hanley, Stoke, Fenton and Longton forming the county-borough of Stoke-on-Trent. With spending cuts looming and Stoke-on-Trent in economic depression, the challenge was to create an exciting event schedule, attracting residents support without the perception of wasting taxpayers money. A wide range of events were staged, including the 2010Live concert, which drew 10,000 people to Hanley Park. By negotiating competitive prices with suppliers and using partners to help with advertising, the team underspent on the agreed budget. Council staff worked at all events for no extra pay.

Commended: Norfolk County Council
Norfolk has some of the most positive council satisfaction scores in the country – bucking a national trend and rising from 42% in 2009 to 50% in 2010. The PR team’s work to support this is recognised in the LGA New Reputation Guide, and in the rising ‘well informed’ score in its 2010 county satisfaction tracker, up from 52% to 59%. Norfolk County Council’s spend on communications equates to £1.37 per head compared to an average of £4.23 for county councils and larger authorities. Its expertise is also sold on to other public sector bodies.