by Alan Quick

CREDITON Town Council has received a prestigious award as part of the Local Council Award Scheme.

This achievement recognises that the council achieves good practice in governance, community engagement and council improvement.

Moreover, it says Crediton Town Council goes above and beyond their legal obligations, leading their communities and continuously seeking opportunities to improve and develop even further.

The Award Scheme report highlighted the council’s particular areas of strength, including praise for its website as being very accessible and professional; the fact that the councillor profiles were clear and well set out and the clarity of advice to councillors for declaring interests was great.

Additionally, the action plan was cited as detailed and clear and the community engagement exceptional.

The Local Council Award Scheme is a peer-assessed programme that has been designed to both provide the tools and encouragement to those councils at the beginning of their improvement journeys, as well as promoting and recognising councils that are at the cutting edge of the sector.

It is through the sector working together to share best practice, drive up standards and supporting those who are committed to improving their offer to their communities that individual councils and the sector as a whole will reach its full potential.

Cllr Frank Letch, Crediton Town Council Chairman, said he is “delighted”.

He added: “This is a wonderful recognition of the hard work and diligence of the staff and the support of our town councillors.

“All deserve my heartiest congratulations!”

In terms of the future, the council is now reviewing ways in which it can keep on improving its offer to the local community and welcomes input from local people and partners on this. Crediton Town Council and other local councils like it, are at the front line of the government’s localism agenda and are doing as much as they can to deliver services whilst being efficient and cost-effective.

Currently the council provides a range of services including allotments, parks and bus shelters as well as being an information point for residents, businesses and visitors, arranging community events with partner organisations, such as Christmas in Crediton, and providing free dog poo bags through the “Keep Crediton Clean” campaign and the council wants to improve its community engagement through these.