I  have said before in this column that we do not celebrate our achievements in local government sufficiently.

Despite continuous improvements in Comprehensive Performance Assessments, higher ratings for services, and overcoming greater complexity, we are all too prepared to put up with our poor public image.
I write this as I return south with the chairman of the LGA from his visit to North East councils.
To a great extent, we experienced that sense of celebration I think is so important. We attended the first SHINE awards, showcasing the outstanding best practice of all types of councils, and then a series of local visits.
I first looked out over the banks of the Tyne from Gateshead in 1974. The vista was a testament to our industrial heritage – the bridges standing proud, but the shoreline a symbol of dereliction and decay. It displayed our downbeat image as nation.
What we see now is quite incredible. On both banks of the river there is confidence conveyed in fine buildings representing the best of British design and proportion. All this linked by the fabulous millennium bridge as a sign of real commitment between Newcastle and Gateshead – and beyond them, the world.
Local government cannot take all the credit for this but it has been the vital thread and community leader which has made it all possible – environmentally, economically and socially. It is something to treasure.
Sir Simon Milton and I were privileged to visit a converted flour mill, which is now the fabulous Baltic Gallery, and the innovative Sage Music Centre, together with two more ‘inland’ creations, the Gateshead International Stadium and the award-winning Saltwell Park. Masterpieces, all of them.
What really stood out among these magnificent structures was the belief and enthusiasm of the people we met.
From the leader of the council to senior managers and staff on site – they all know that they are contributing greatly to the quality of life of local people, and are committed to even greater efforts. Living public service indeed.
For me, though, the golden moment of the trip was encapsulated in the approach and insight of one receptionist at the Baltic. In seconds she made us welcome, took control of the situation, made all the necessary links and treated us like members of her own family. If I could bottle that moment, it would demonstrate the essence of public service.