Title

MJ AWARDS

Plymouth named local authority of the year at MJ Achievement Awards

The council took home the top gong at glittering ceremony.

Plymouth City Council pipped fellow contenders to be named Local Authority of the Year at The MJ Achievement Awards this afternoon.

They were among the winners announced at a glittering ceremony at the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane in London.

The judges described Plymouth as ‘a local authority that has put culture-led regeneration at its heart' that was ‘determined to put its city on the map for all the right reasons'.

This year saw hundreds of entries across 17 categories covering everything from social care to digital, and public health to transformation.

Broadcaster and former shadow chancellor Ed Balls was on hand to host the gala dinner attended by more than 800 guests.

Editor of The MJ, Heather Jameson, said: ‘Once again these awards have showcased the hugely important role our local authorities play in their communities and why we need them more than ever in these uncertain times.

‘Our judges had a tough time picking out the winners in each category with the competition particularly strong this year.

‘Congratulations to Plymouth and all this year's winners.'

MJ AWARDS

Local government finance settlement leaves sector divided

By Martin Ford | 17 February 2026

The most controversial local government finance settlement for years has divided the sector. Martin Ford looks at the fallout.

MJ AWARDS

Plymouth powers up youth futures

By Cllr Jemima Laing | 16 February 2026

Cllr Jemima Laing says Plymouth is backing its young people and investing in the city’s future prosperity by spending more than £2.3m to transform three of i...

MJ AWARDS

Why should we care about the local outcomes framework?

By Jeremy Cooper | 16 February 2026

Jeremy Cooper offers local authorities some suggested dos and don’ts on the new local outcomes framework, and asks if it is likely to drive top-down change.

MJ AWARDS

Finding 'ordinary' ways to build up local resilience

By Jim Savege | 16 February 2026

By mobilising community groups, councils are building proactive ways of responding to emergencies that are decentralised, flexible, and deeply rooted in loc...

Martin Ford

Popular articles by Martin Ford