Tower Hamlets Council wins two awards at LGC Awards 2018. Pic: Tower Hamlets Council

Two of Tower Hamlets Council’s key services were given prestigious awards at the 22nd annual Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Awards ceremony on March 22.

The council’s Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) won the Team of the Year category and the Sustainable Development Team won Environmental Services for establishing the Carbon Fund.

“We are thrilled to have been recognised for both of these awards, showcasing innovation across two very different parts of the council. And we are even more thrilled because it is not long ago that our Borough was in the headlines for completely different reasons,” said Tower Hamlets Mayor John Biggs.

“Supporting people through drug addiction and recovery often goes unrecognised, so we are pleased to see the team’s efforts have been.

“Tower Hamlets has some of London’s highest levels of carbon dioxide and the Sustainable Development Team have been instrumental in delivering solutions going forward, which would not have been possible without the Carbon Fund.”

Journalist and television presenter Jon Snow presenting the LGC Awards 2018. Pic: Kit Wilson

Harm reduction

Tower Hamlets’ DAAT won for their effort to minimise the harm caused by substance misuse, and their drug intervention programme for individuals whose criminal or anti-social behaviour is related to their drug or alcohol use.

Senior Officer Denise Radley, Corporate Director of Health, Adults & Community, told ELL: “This reflects the hard work and dedication of our staff in delivering great services which benefit all residents in the borough.

“The Drug & Alcohol Action Team won the prestigious ‘team of the year’ award beating 67 other teams nationally to the top spot. The team have achieved the highest number of individuals in treatment (2115) of any London Borough and have enabled 38 prolific offenders to get back into an employment pathway, three times as many as other boroughs.  This is a much-deserved accolade and I am very proud of them!

“The Carbon Fund won the environment award and this reflects the passion and dedication of the Sustainable Development Team.  They were especially commended for their work with schools on energy consumption and emissions reductions, inspiring a generation of young people to take care of our environment.  Abdul J Khan (Sustainable Development Manager, Strategy Innovation & Sustainability, Development and Renewal) who heads up the team is an example of the talented staff and managers we have throughout the Council.”

After receiving the award, Radley tweeted:

#LGCawards Celebrating two wins for fantastic @TowerHamletsNow – I am so proud of the Drugs & Alcohol Action Team who have made such a difference for local people

— Denise Radley (@RadleyDenise) March 21, 2018

Sustainable development

The Sustainable Development Team won for establishing the Carbon Fund that offsets payments from businesses to generate a funding stream to put back into schools and housing.

The team has committed to reducing CO₂ emissions from its operations by 60 percent by 2020 from 2007 levels, and to achieving 60 percent carbon dioxide emissions reductions borough-wide by 2025 on 1990 levels.

These are their accomplishments to date:

• Project Earth Rock: The project instilled environmental values and educated young children on the importance of looking after the environment.
• WARMTH: This project was match funded by British Gas and delivered by Groundwork London. It provided a package of energy measures to improve energy efficiency in the home, with the aim of alleviating fuel poverty and maximising incomes for those particularly impacted by welfare reforms.
• Schools Carbon Reduction: This project looked at the schools capital programmes currently in place and provided funding for nine schools that did not have budgets for energy efficiency projects. These projects reduced energy consumption and associated carbon emissions and resulted in cheaper fuel bills and increased thermal comfort within the schools.

LGC Awards 2018 ceremony. Pic: James Bowman

Back in November, Tower Hamlets Council was in the shortlist for another three LGC Awards. The shortlisted projects were: Blackwall Reach Regeneration Project in the housing Initiative category; Poplar Baths and Dame Colet House, also in the housing initiative category; and Tabard Court Mental Health Forensic Supported Living in the health and social care category.

Then, LGC editor Nick Golding said: “To be shortlisted for an LGC Award shows a council service is among the country’s most innovative, and doing the most to support the needs of local residents as councils face continuing budget cuts. We should salute the council officers and councillors doing the most to ensure our vital public services thrive in the era of austerity.”

The complete list of 2018 winners can be found here.