Salford council has made an exclusive shortlist to be named as both Local Authority of the Year and Most Improved Council of the Year.
It is one of six local authorities chosen as finalists in each award at the Municipal Journals (MJ) Achievement Awards 2017.
The council was chosen in the Local Authority of the Year category for providing strong and effective leadership in taking a radically different approach to create a shared vision of ‘A Better and Fairer Salford’.
The council is working closely with other key organisations in the city to develop a strong and inclusive future to ensure more people benefit from the economic growth of the city, the wider region and Northern Powerhouse.
This is supported by innovative working to improve public services which has allowed the council to rise to the challenge of delivering better services efficiently.
And it is also recognised for working in a radically different approach to create ‘A Better and Fairer Salford’.
A new anti-poverty strategy titled ‘No One Left behind’ was launched in February as 70% of the city’s population still live in areas classified as highly deprived, with around 25% of children living in poverty.
This follows research, in partnership with the University of Salford, which highlighted the injustices in conditionality and sanctions policies and the impact on local people.
The council has also been named as a finalist in the Most Improved Council category for its efforts to create the best quality of life for people in Salford.
The creative use of technology and new partnerships has helped to develop a resident focused approach despite the council losing £186million from government since 2010.
Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett said: “Politicians, council staff and partner organisations have all come together to deliver the best services we possibly can for local people and we are proud to be finalists in two categories at these national awards.
“Our shared vision aims to create a stronger and inclusive future to ensure people are not left behind and can benefit from the city’s prosperity. We have done this by forming many new strategic relationships with our partners so we can collaborate better on our aspirations for the city. A big thank you goes out to all our partners for working closely with us to make this happen.
“We’re proud of the services we deliver and our workforce who work tirelessly all year round are at the heart of all of the changes we are making. Employees in all departments will be involved in redesigning services – our refuse workers have recently been hands on in choosing new in-cab technology which will improve our effectiveness.
“Our test in developing new ways of working is whether it will make things quicker, easier and better for staff and residents. Making these types of interventions and ensuring an innovative approach helps protect key frontline services.”
The winners will be announced in London on Thursday 15 June.
