ISLINGTON PARTNERSHIP WITH GLENDALE WINS TOP AWARD
THE London Borough of Islington has won a top industry award for its pioneering partnership with Glendale that has placed the local community firmly in the driving seat!
The council was singled out for the title of Procurement Initiative of the Year in the Local Government Chronicle Awards for Excellence thanks to its parks and open spaces grounds maintenance contract with Glendale.
Central to the success of the contract has been the Eyes for Islington initiative which has seen greater public involvement in the setting and monitoring of targets and performance.
In a first for Islington the contract has delivered four key priorities - customer focus, sustainability, regeneration and performance management.
It has also produced savings of £50,000 in its first year, which are now being channelled into the new Greenspace Ranger service that is dedicated to promoting active community involvement in parks and open spaces.
The new contract, which began in April 2003, has also improved performance and standards by 15 per cent.
The LGC Awards for Excellence, established eight years ago to celebrate the achievements of councils across the country, are the acknowledged mark of local government distinction.
The judges come from Downing Street, the Cabinet Office, the Local Government Association, the Improvement & Development Agency, the Audit Commission, the Social Services Inspectorate and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, as well as from the ranks of the most experienced and respected local government officers in the country.
The LGC Awards have helped dozens of councils demonstrate to their media, their voters and the government they are providing first-class services.
Craig Davis, Regional Director for Glendale in London and the South East said: “This award has recognised the effort, partnership building and innovative approach to ground maintenance that Islington and Glendale have achieved.
“With all the different elements of this contract including, open book accounting, sports development, marketing, sustainability targets, commitment to high standards and income sharing, I feel that this approach to contracting is the blue print for many future grounds maintenance contracts in the UK.
“With the community in the driving seat, and an effective partnership committed to driving up standards, Islington working in partnership with Glendale is well on its way to achieving its ambition of being a greener place to live.”