Essex CC

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.

Communities play an integral role in Essex CC's ambitious climate action plan. In the past two years, the council has ramped up its engagement with communities, and developed an array of activities to fight the global climate challenge. As part of a comprehensive events programme, in October 2021, it hosted the electric road to COP26 event at GRIDSERVE, the UK’s first electric forecourt in Braintree, where communities joined together to discuss actions to combat climate change. This entry showcases how Essex CC has been engaging with communities as it works towards its commitment to transforming the county to net zero.