Fifteen projects from across Scotland have been chosen as finalists for the 2024 Excellence Awards, which are COSLA’s annual celebration of Scottish Local Government success.
All 32 Scottish local authorities and partner organisations were invited over the summer to submit entries to a judging panel comprising a number of experts across local and national government as well as the private sector.
After much deliberation, our judging teams determined just 15 finalists from dozens of high-quality applications – this year, entries surpassed 200 for the second year in a row. The judges’ shortlist features a series of projects and programmes which highlighted areas of best practice and innovative service delivery over five categories; Service Innovation and Improvement, Achieving Better Outcomes for the Most Vulnerable in Partnership, Tackling Inequalities and Improving Health and Wellbeing, Strengthening Communities and Local Democracy and Just Transition to a Net Zero Economy.
Finalists will now be invited to present their projects in person to a panel of judges in August led by COSLA President Shona Morrison, who will decide on a winner in each of the 5 main categories as well as the winners of an additional 4 special awards; COSLA Chairperson’s Award, SOLACE Best Team Award, The Scottish Government – Delivering Excellence Award, and the Excellent People, Excellent Outcomes Award.
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at COSLA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition, which will take place on Thursday 19th September 2024 at the Crieff Hydro Hotel, Perthshire.
Councillor Shona Morrison, COSLA’s President and Chairperson of the Excellence Awards, said: “Firstly, I’d like to offer congratulations to our 15 finalists! Getting through to the final part of this awards process is no small feat, so I hope you are feeling incredibly proud of getting this far and I am really looking forward to seeing the presentations in a few weeks.
“The judging teams have let me know that the calibre of applications this year was extremely high, so I sincerely thank everyone who took the time to put in an application.
“The COSLA Excellence Awards are a highlight of my year and it’s always inspiring to hear so many positive and innovative projects coming from across Scottish local government. In such a challenging time for councils it cannot be underestimated how much these teams and the services they offer are relied upon by our communities – overcoming increasingly complex challenges every day.
“Councils do and achieve more than what is often seen or portrayed – the work of these teams affects every part of our lives, and are often a lifeline for the most vulnerable members of our communities.
“I hope you’ll join me in celebrating their efforts, and I am looking forward to the winners being announced at our awards ceremony at the COSLA Conference and Exhibition in September.”
This year’s finalists (in no particular order) are:
Category 1: Service innovation and improvement (sponsored by Scottish Water)
- Shared ARC Programme – Digital Office for Local Government
- Development and implementation of a Chatbot to improve the missed bins ‘experience’ for citizens – West Dunbartonshire Council
- OneSource: Making a Difference with Data – Pupil Absence and Attendance – Falkirk Council
Category 2: Achieving better outcomes for the most vulnerable in partnership
- Early Help Clackmannanshire – Clackmannanshire Council
- My Way To Employment (MWtE) – Aberdeen City Council
- A Warm Scottish Welcome – North Lanarkshire Ukrainian Resettlement Project – North Lanarkshire Council
Category 3: Tackling inequalities and improving health and wellbeing (sponsored by Public Health Scotland)
- Reaching Out to People at Risk and Removing Barriers to Accessing Drug Support – Aberdeen City Council Community Planning Partnership
- Marthas Mammmies – Glasgow City Council and Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health and Social Care Partnership
- Breast Feeding Friendly North Lanarkshire – Leading the way in Driving Cultural Change – North Lanarkshire Council
Category 4: Strengthening communities and local democracy
- Top CATs! – Dumfries and Galloway Council
- Paisley Learning & Cultural Hub – Renfrewshire Council
- North Ayrshire Islands Programme (incorporating North Ayrshire Islands Recovery and Renewal Pilot) – North Ayrshire Council
Category 5: Just transition to a net zero economy (sponsored by Amey)
- AMIDS District Heating Network – Renfrewshire Council
- Improving Inverclyde’s environment through peatland restoration – Inverclyde Council
- Shetland Rural Energy Network – Shetland Islands Council
Places for the 2024 COSLA Conference and Exhibition can be booked here.