We think that your role in local democracy should be celebrated. The ADSO Awards are an opportunity for us all to get together and celebrate the great work that people in our Democracy teams are doing. It’s a way to encourage new starters, as well as to celebrate our more experienced staff and the dedicated teams who are supporting our citizens and councillors every day.
Congratulations to all our shortlisted nominees. They are…
Rookie of the Year Award
Billy Dunlop – West Midlands Combined Authority
“Winning the award would be a great personal achievement for my first year at the Combined Authority, as well as a testament to the support and collaboration of my team that has been at the centre of what I have achieved.”
Chantell Richards – London Borough of Lambeth
“I am honoured to be nominated and shortlisted for this award. If I was awarded Rookie of the Year, it would validate my growth as a Democratic Services Officer and would provide evidence of my enthusiasm, hard work, and willingness to learn. This award would also signify the amazing support that I have received from my colleagues at Lambeth Council who have continuously offered me their guidance, knowledge, and words of encouragement.”
Scarlett Ryan – London Borough of Barnet
“I feel so privileged to have even been nominated for the award let alone shortlisted as being a rookie in the field of democratic services and local government does not come without its challenges. Winning the award would be such a personal achievement of my hard work and dedication over the year at Barnet and would therefore provide me with the confidence to further establish my career in the field of democratic services.”
Team of the Year Award
Essex County Council – Democratic Services Team
“We in the Essex County Council Democratic Services Team are beyond proud to have been shortlisted for the Team of the Year award. The team’s commitment to delivering universally respected governance services throughout the council, whilst also actively seeking opportunities to innovate is a key part of what makes working here such a great experience. It perhaps goes a bit against the grain to blow our own trumpet like this, but the team’s achievements throughout the year are really worth celebrating, and we’re delighted to be able to do so in the company of our colleagues.”
London Borough of Barnet – Governance Team
“Barnet’s Governance team would be incredibly excited to receive the ADSO Team of the Year award in recognition of the hard work of everyone in the team and our recent achievements including: achievement of Charter Plus for our Member Development programme; a new high-quality governance system including executive and scrutiny arrangements; going paperless; and improving opportunities for democratic engagement.”
Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority
“Winning the Team of the Year award at this year’s ADSO Awards would be an incredible honour for our team. As a new, and very small, team, we have done so much over a short period of time to transition our authority into new working arrangements. It would not only recognise our hard work and dedication and be a testament to our commitment to innovation, collaboration, and delivering outstanding results. Some of our key achievements include:
- Smoothly transitioning from an outsourced service to an in-house team with no disruption to meeting management
- Creating new, informative (and colourful!) member information packs including an induction pack, training prospectus and scrutiny guide
- Launching an internal governance hub bringing key information into one easy-to-access location for officers, which includes handy tools for finding committee deadlines
These milestones highlight our team’s ability to push boundaries and strive for even greater success. We are excited about the future and the possibilities that lie ahead!”
The John Lynch Distinguished Service Award
Peter Seddon – Liverpool City Council
“I am very pleased to be nominated and shortlisted for the award as it recognises the continued improvements to governance my colleagues and I have been striving to make, often with the support of ADSO. I would be very honoured and humbled if I were to be the recipient of the award.”
Peter Foulsham – Wyre Council
“To say that I was caught unawares with this nomination would be an understatement! I ended up in Democratic Services as a second career almost by accident but have so enjoyed my nearly twenty years in it (yes, nearly twenty years!) that in many ways I wish I had stumbled across it sooner. As with anything I do, I have given my work with ADSO my full commitment and will continue to do so even after my ‘formal’ retirement from Democratic Services at the end of December. Throughout my working life I have valued and promoted learning and development and I have been delighted to play a small part in what ADSO has to offer both staff and organisations, mainly by way of training and assessing. I would be so chuffed to win this award; it would simply be the most unexpected ‘cherry on the Bakewell’. Most importantly, it would reflect the energy, support and encouragement that I have received from the ADSO colleagues with whom I have had the pleasure of working and my lovely team at Wyre Council. Yes, it would make my day.”
Rob Sheppard – Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
“I am truly honoured to have been nominated for this Award, all the more so as the late John Lynch became a friend and mentor when I was (over)promoted to head of service in Summer 2003. Before that, in 1986, I was in the career doldrums and fell rather accidentally into ‘committee work’. It almost instantly felt like home and, 38 years on now, the rest is history. I can genuinely say that, perhaps with the exception of a truly awful period in 2017-19 following the Grenfell Tragedy, I have enjoyed every minute. I have been fortunate to work with many excellent colleagues and councillors who, working together, have made the job seem easy, even through significant challenges. Thank you to those who have been involved in nominating me and to anyone who thinks I am worthy of consideration for this award: I am thrilled just to be shortlisted, and anything more will be a bonus!”
And the winners are…
We announced the winners at the ADSO Conference, on the evening of Monday 25 November 2024.
Thank you to everyone who has taken part in this year’s awards, and thank you to our sponsors.