Council in the mix for national awards

The MJ awards acknowledge the tremendous work and effort those in local government dedicate to supporting their local communities and providing activities and benefits on their behalf.

The two awards the authority is a finalist for are:

• A whole Team Approach to Tackling Health Inequalities – Taking a whole system approach to find solutions to healthier lives has had a positive impact on our community’s health. The Council put their efforts into local partnerships and the result of this meant they developed strong relationships and investment has been targeted in the most effective way to have the highest impact on their communities. During 2022/23 alone £2.9 million of social value was returned for a joint investment of £402,000 demonstrating the value and impact of taking a whole local system approach. The Council is one of seven finalists.
• Digital Transformation – They introduced aground-breaking, web based interactive feature to help gamify plan making consultation to drive collaboration and engagement in local planning processes. They wanted to streamline the plan-making process, making it fun and engaging for everyone and embraced technology through virtual reality headsets by creating an innovative virtual reality balloon ride. The Council is one of eight finalists in the category.

Bolsover District Council Leader, Councillor Steve Fritchley said, “Our staff do a great job working for our local communities and these are just two examples. There has never been a more challenging time in local government than now, but we continue to provide good quality services, innovative ways to engage with our residents and provide benefits that improve their health and wellbeing.

“Receiving this recognition for our work reaffirms that what we are doing is right and demonstrates the breadth of talent we have working for the Council.”

The Council will learn their fate at the finalists awards ceremony, which will take on Friday 21 June 2024 in London.