South Staffordshire District Council has been handed the title of UK Council of the Year at a national awards ceremony.

The local authority was nominated for the accolade by public sector awards body iESE, which described this year's awards as 'one of the most competitive years ever'.

Its judging panel received more than 260 nominations from 81 different public sector organisations from the UK and overseas.

The district council also won two Gold Awards at the London event: the Asset Management and Regeneration Award category for its Community Hub project and the Working Together Award category for its Localities+ model.

The three awards were handed to South Staffordshire District Council at the eagerly-anticipated iESE Public Sector Transformation Awards 2022. Council leader Roger Lees and chief executive Dave Heywood were among those in attendance to collect the awards.

‘I was very proud and honoured, as leader, to collect the main award of the evening on behalf of South Staffordshire District Council,’ said Cllr Lees.

‘But I must pay tribute to the hard work and dedication of the staff that help us achieve this award.

‘Winning the UK Council of the Year Award, two Gold Awards for the Community Hub and Localities+ model, plus two Certificates of Excellence, is a fantastic achievement for our council.

‘However, we will not rest on our laurels; we will keep moving forward with our transformative work in trying to give our residents an efficient and value-for-money service.’

Mr Heywood added: ‘It continues to be a challenging time for the public sector, so it is such an accolade to be recognised as UK Council of the Year by our peers.

‘We are incredibly proud of this outstanding triumph, which is a testament to all the effort and dedication from our officers and members in providing excellent services for our communities.

‘We have worked extremely hard to get to this position and it is a privilege to hold such a magnificent title and array of awards.

‘We will continue to support our communities and engage with them directly over the coming months as a key priority.’

The council was also awarded two Certificates of Excellence for its Local Plan Consultation and its Workplace Health and Wellbeing Programme rolled out during the COVID pandemic.