South Norfolk and Broadland Council officers rise to the challenge and win top award

Yesterday (October 14), six members of South Norfolk and Broadland Council's team scooped the top accolade and were crowned overall winner for Best Local Authority at the East of England Local Government Authority Senior Management Challenge.

Finalists in all five categories, the team struck gold and won the awards not only for Best Local Authority but also Best Stakeholder Engagement and Best Chief Executive.

The team was made up of cross section of roles from across the organisation, with some volunteering to take part in the challenge and others being put forward by the senior management team.

At the challenge, which was held virtually, the group competed against 11 other organisations and were thrown into a scenario as the newly-appointed management team of a fictional council. They were given a mere six hours to demonstrate how they could turn around the council’s reputation and finances.

Bombarded with information and competing pressures, including a demanding council leader, complaints from the public and dealing with partner organisations, the team had to prioritise and act decisively to meet tight deadlines. The day culminated in ten minute presentation about what the vision and strategy was for the council.

Monitored and evaluated throughout the day by a team of independent assessors, the team scored points for, amongst other things, how they dealt with and engaged with the Leader and members, the media, partner organisations and how they interacted with the East of England LGA.

The group really enjoyed the fast-paced challenge and said they learnt a lot on the job. They all had their own focuses within their roles but the winning ingredient for them was that they were adaptable and everyone backed each other up, working seamlessly as a team.

Kerrie Gallagher, Help Hub and Communities Senior Manager for South Norfolk and Broadland Councils, who took on the role of Chief Executive for the challenge, said:

“We all had a fantastic day at the East of England LGA leadership challenge. It was an amazing experience to come together as a team in testing circumstances and apply what we’ve learnt from our One Team organisation and transformation into our new fictional work place. We all took on our own responsibilities and roles but worked tirelessly together in the background, supporting and encouraging each other and truly working as a team.”

Trevor Holden, Joint MD for South Norfolk and Broadland Councils, said:

“I’m immensely proud of our team for winning not one but three awards at the LGA leadership challenge. The words ‘team’ and ‘trust’ came shining through in their reflections of the day and this mirrors our values as an organisation. It’s so exciting to see the One Team ethos shining through and to hear the accounts of the Challenge day, which were bold, passionate, collaborative and respectful of each other.  I am so proud of our awesome team that won the challenge and of us all in the One Team, which continues to go from strength to strength.”