Representatives of 9 Teesdale Parish Councils met at Cotherstone Village Hall on Weds 1st July to celebrate national accolades awarded to Cotherstone (Bronze), Middleton in Teesdale and Newbiggin (Silver) and Startforth Parish Councils (Silver).
The councils have all attained the Local Council Award Scheme from the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) for demonstrating high standards in service delivery, community engagement, staff and councillor development and governance arrangements.
The scheme is designed to give a structure for councils to recognise and strive for continuous improvement. It provides benchmarks for measuring performance, assists councils to reach their maximum potential and to be at the forefront of the parish council sector.
The evening was hosted by the County Durham Association of Local Councils (CDALC) in collaboration with the successful councils. The awards were presented by Cllr David Bell (CDALC Chair and member of Brandon and Byshottles Parish Council). The evening included presentations from the CDALC Executive Officer, Audrey Christie, who gave an overview of the current challenges facing parish councils, Judith Mashiter, clerk to the successful councils who outlined the details of the awards and the positive impacts for successful councils while Cllr Stephen Hann (CDALC Executive Committee and Pelton Parish Council) talked of his council’s recent experiences in attaining the Gold award.
Nationally, of 10,000 parish and town councils, there are 103 councils that have attained Bronze, 70 with Silver and 52 Gold.
For more information about the Local Council Award Scheme, see Local Council Award Scheme.