Twenty two teams from councils across the South West came to Taunton this week to compete against each other for the new South West Local Authority Challenge Cup.
This exciting challenge was organised by South West Councils to give the teams of six the experience of what it is like to run a council under extreme pressure. During the day they had to deal with a number of hypothetical crises including the sale of poisonous pigeon pie and council leaders racing each other down the motorway.
As well as having fun, this was a unique learning opportunity. Local authorities are expected to develop innovative partnership solutions to both save money and deliver better local services. This challenge was about experiencing partnership working under pressure.
North Dorset District Council, West Dorset District Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council scooped both the Best Recovery Plan award and The Runners-up award.
Matt Prosser, Chief Executive of North Dorset District Council, West Dorset District Council and Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, said: “This is a huge achievement for the team, who were up against 21 other councils from across the South West. Our team had come to work together, learn more about how they work and have some fun.
“They worked really hard, but also enjoyed themselves. It was a really great moment to see them win not one but two awards.”
The winning team of the first ever Local Authority Challenge – South West was a partnership team with colleagues from East Devon District Council (EDDC), Exeter City Council (ECC) and Teignbridge District Council (TDC) who had not even met before the day. The judges were impressed by their creativity and ability to work together to deliver an outstanding recovery plan.
The team from EDDC, ECC and TDC said: “This has been a great opportunity for councils to put partnership working into practice which will benefit our local communities. It has been an amazing day, we have formed new, positive relationships and we look forward to working more closely in the future.”
The other award winners of individual prizes included:
- Devon County Council’s team James Bogue won the Best Media Interaction
- Paul Griffin, a member of the Somerset County Council team won the prize for the Best Chief Executive Officer
- The Council of the Isles of Scilly won the prize for the best presentation
Bryony Houlden, Chief Executive of South West Councils, said: “I am delighted that our first Local Authority Challenge – South West was such a success and would like to congratulate the winning team for their impressive contribution. It was great to see everyone engaged in the challenge, there was a real buzz throughout the day. I would like to thank Breckland Training and Agilisys, our sponsors who helped to make the day such a success and we look forward to the 2016 Local Authority Challenge – South West.”
