North East Lincolnshire Council

When a local authority truly works alongside communities the impact is transformative. North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC) has prototyped a new model of community working through partnerships, achieving success in the East Marsh of Grimsby. Created in 2017, Together for East Marsh is a partnership between NELC, the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector Alliance, East Marsh United (EMU), Humberside Police, and the NSPCC to support the aspirations, objectives and initiatives of partnership members. Through community involvement, the partnership has co-produced solutions to local issues, transcending political timescales and giving people pride and ownership in their community.

This award is open to a single council or where appropriate a partnership of councils, or a council-owned company. Private sector partners can enter on a council’s behalf, with the permission of the council itself. Many councils are seeking to establish a new relationship with local people and local communities. Community involvement and engagement is increasingly important as a way of shaping council thinking, contributing to service design and improvement and to responding to continuing resource pressures. It may also involve direct community involvement in service delivery. This award is intended to showcase the whole range of community involvement.