Councils across West Midlands speak of honour and hard work by staff after being shortlisted for prestigious local government awards

Lichfield Council, Sandwell Council, Staffordshire Council, Telford & Wrekin Council, Wyre Forest District Council and Walsall Council have all been shortlisted in different categories in the 2025 Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Awards.

The LGC awards are the biggest celebration of excellence in local government, and are run by the Local Government Chronicle which, since 1855, has been the independent voice at the heart of local government.

Half of the 22 categories feature one of the six West Midlands Councils, with Telford & Wrekin and Staffordshire Council each being shortlisted in three categories.

Sandwell Council has been shortlisted in the Most Improved Council category at this year’s Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Awards.

Leader of Sandwell Council, Councillor Kerrie Carmichael said: “We’re really proud of the improvements we’ve made in recent years, and it’s fantastic to be shortlisted for this prestigious award.

“Sandwell Council is completely focused on getting things right for our residents – delivering high-quality services that are easy to use and working for the people who need them.

“We want our borough to be a great place for children to grow up. We want to make Sandwell a cleaner, greener and safer place to live and for our residents to live longer in good health. And we want to create the good jobs and opportunities that will help everyone realise their potential.

“We are committed to making real changes, which will benefit our residents and our borough for generations to come.

“We know there’s more to do to achieve this, and it’s great that our progress so far has been recognised by Government Ministers, our external auditors, and now by being shortlisted for this award.”

The Sandwell Children’s Trust was also shortlisted for Small Team of the Year for its work linked to the National House project Movement, helping young people to work towards independence through their time in care.

In Staffordshire, the council is up for three awards for Campaign of the Year, Public/Private Partnership and Future Places.

For Campaign of the Year, the Little Heroes campaign addressed a 2.4 per cent drop in school attendance for KS1 and KS2 students in Staffordshire, which equated to 271,000 missed school days, impacting learning and helped to increase attendance by 2.1 per cent.

For Public/Private Partnership, Staffordshire Council collaborated with Community Homes Solutions, Energy Efficient Consultants, Broadoak Properties and Beat The Cold for Staffordshire Warmer Homes, which uses data to target vulnerable people most in need and secured £30 million for heating and energy saving measures in more than 1000 homes. 

The same scheme also saw Staffordshire Council shortlisted for the Future Places award.

Ian Parry, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources at Staffordshire Council, said: “It’s great to be shortlisted for these prestigious awards.

“The county council delivers a wide range of services, projects and campaigns to help support our residents and to make their lives better. 

"This often means finding more creative and innovative ways of delivering services and reaching people. It’s great to see the difference this work makes to our residents being recognised.”

Telford & Wrekin Council were one of five councils to be shortlisted for the prestigious Council of the Year award.

It was also shortlisted for the Public/Public Partnership award for its work with West Mercia Police and Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board in a collective response to tackling child sexual exploitation and Environmental Services award for Ccutting waste and changing behaviour via monthly reuse events.

Councillor Lee Carter, Leader of the Council, said: “We’re absolutely focussed on working for and with our community groups, so these awards nominations are not just for us, they’re for everyone living and working in our borough.

“We want the people of Telford and Wrekin to have the best council services possible and I am proud of the work teams across the authority are doing to continue creating a better borough, whilst we also maintain the lowest rates of council tax in the Midlands and some of the lowest in the whole country.

"These awards recognise exactly that; the very best in council services across the UK, and being nominated for the LGC Council of the Year Award follows on from us winning the Local Authority of the Year Award in the sector's other main awards scheme, the MJ Awards, in 2022.

“The environmental services accolade comes on the back of the extremely popular re-use events held in the borough whilst the partnership category shortlisting comes following the publication of the Independent Inquiry into CSE last year which showcased Telford’s approach as best practice for others to follow.

“We would never be complacent but we are rightly proud of our work and it is of course pleasing to receive external endorsement of the job we are continuing to do to improve the borough as we look to create jobs and homes, support businesses and our High Streets and protect our greenspaces.

"We’re honoured to have been shortlisted for these awards that recognise the very best in local government, and look forward to finding out who has won later this year."

Wyre Forest District Council was shortlisted for the Community Involvement category for its Adopt a Street scheme.

The Adopt a Street scheme encourages both individuals and groups to take make a difference by keeping their local areas clean and tidy. Alongside Adopt a Street, the council said it plans to invest in more resources to tackle litter in the district.

Councillor Tracey Onslow, Wyre Forest District Council’s cabinet member for Culture, Leisure, Arts and Community Safety said, "We are incredibly proud to be shortlisted for the LGC awards this year. 

"Adopt a Street is a fantastic example of how communities can come together to care for their environment. 

"Being shortlisted in the Community Involvement category is great recognition of both the hard work of our volunteers, and the council’s dedicated team that organise the scheme, making sure support and free equipment is provided to everyone who signs up.”

Walsall Works, Walsall Council’s employability team, has been shortlisted for the Economic Development category.

Originally launched to encourage employers to hire young apprentices, Walsall Works has evolved into a comprehensive programme providing employability support to residents of all ages.

Councillor Pardeep Kaur, Portfolio Holder for Education and Skills at Walsall Council, said: “I’m delighted to see that Walsall Works has been shortlisted for this prestigious award. It’s a testament to the team’s hard work and dedication in supporting local people to overcome barriers to employment and training. 

“The recognition highlights the importance of innovative and community-focused strategies to support local people and businesses and drive long-term prosperity. A huge well done to everyone involved.” 

FInally, Lichfield Council was shortlisted for the Digital Impact award for its transforming the resident experience scheme.

Guided by customer and digital strategy, the council said it aims to create seamless, secure, and intuitive online services and wants to empower residents to self-serve quickly, freeing up teams to provide tailored support to those needing it most. 

LGC editor Sarah Calkin said: “We received almost 1,000 entries to the LGC Awards 2025, making it another record-breaking year and meaning all those on the shortlist should be extremely proud to have made the cut. 

"A huge thank you to our judging panels of senior council officers who have tirelessly sifted through all the entries on top of extremely demanding day jobs. 

“At a time when many councils are embarking on huge change, it is more important than ever to take a moment to recognise the massive difference local government makes to the communities it serves and celebrate the teams and individuals going the extra mile to do so. 

“It’s brilliant to see the whole local government family represented on this year’s shortlist, from town councils to combined authorities, as well as all four nations of the UK. 

"Best of luck to all of those shortlisted.”

The winners of the LGC Awards will be announced at the ceremony on Wednesday, June 11 at Grosvenor House in London.