Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Grounds Maintenance team from across the region have scooped a top award at a national awards ceremony.
Our Council has been awarded the ‘most improved performer’ at the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) awards in Blackpool earlier this month. We beat off competition from 7 other local authorities from across the United Kingdom to be crowned winners.
The criteria set out in being nominated for an award required our Council to show commitment and frontline service provision, as well as good examples of how measuring services can lead to real change. Our Council is responsible for maintaining all open space, sports pitches and parks. In recent years our budgets have reduced but we continue to maintain a similar level of service to the public. Statistics are supplied annually to APSE who collate information from all local authorities and compare these. Our Council continues to broadly carry out the same amount of work with less resource.
Chairman of the Council’s Communities Committee Councillor Tom McAughtrie and Vice Chairman Councillor John Martin met with some of the Grounds Maintenance team on Tuesday 13 December and personally thanked them all for their efforts.
Tom said;
“This award is very much due to the diligence, attention to detail and general commitment of our Grounds Maintenance workforce, right across the region. I have met with a few of the team today, but I realise there are many more who have played a significant part in winning this award, and I’d like to thank them too. Our Council maintains award-winning parks in both Stranraer and Dumfries, and this latest award is testimony to the consistent approach that’s taken region wide by the Grounds Maintenance Team. Despite reduced budgets and resources, the team continue to produce an incredibly high standard of work that paints both the Council and the region of Dumfries and Galloway in a very good light.”
APSE Chief Exec, Paul O’Brien commented;
“The winners and finalists of these awards are proof that despite the squeeze of and continual cutting of budgets, local Councils can still offer excellent frontline services that successfully serve their communities.”
Image of Vice Chair of Communities Committee Councillor John Martin and Chair Councillor Tom McAughtrie with Grounds Maintenance Team and the APSE award
