Title

MJ AWARDS

A time to celebrate the success of local government

The MJ Achievement Awards may not have been the usual annual gala dinner and a glitzy awards ceremony with a celebrity presenter, says Heather Jameson - but local government's 'mammoth effort' during the pandemic deserves to be celebrated.

The local government calendar is peppered with annual events – conferences, events, dinners and no end of opportunity for drinking warm wine and networking. The pandemic may have put paid to them in person, but last week we still took the chance to celebrate the best of local government at The MJ Achievement Awards.

It may not have been the usual annual gala dinner and a glitzy awards ceremony with a celebrity presenter, but our first ever virtual awards had the same vital ingredient – legions of local government staff who work tirelessly to deliver for their communities.

Just weeks ago, the country came out and clapped for carers every Thursday. A moment of solidarity in the midst of the pandemic, supporting those on the frontline. While local government may not have been at the forefront of their minds, it has been council staff – alongside the NHS – that have kept the country going.

Then this weekend, I watched two Twitter storms. Sunday Times columnist Dominic Lawson opined over the ‘gilt-edged pensions' and secure jobs of the ‘COVID-era aristocrats' in the public sector.

It was not the so-called ‘fat cat' chiefs under fire, his shots sprayed across the frontline…a slap for carers for their pensions and for keeping their jobs through COVID. Much as the Government's exit payment cap, designed to curb senior officials' being paid to leave quietly even when they have done nothing wrong, will hit those far further down the salary scale.

Meanwhile, speaking at a Conservative fringe event, Bishop Auckland MP Dehanna Davison reportedly called for a national care service, citing waste in local government and claiming to have seen people in the sector reading Harry Potter and doing no work for days.

Every organisation – public, private or voluntary sector – may have the odd staff member who doesn't quite sign up to the full work ethic; who perhaps missed the memo outlining the corporate objectives. But that doesn't mean an entire sector can be written off with the flick of a wizardry wand.

Local government has worked flat out during the pandemic. A mammoth effort that looks set to carry on for the next six months and beyond. It is an effort that deserves to be celebrated.

MJ AWARDS

Reorganisation, Reform and devolution

By Ann McGauran | 02 October 2025

Change is rippling through local government, from structural reform and new combined authorities, to health integration and the push for financial sustainabi...

MJ AWARDS

The essential role of agencies in council's recruitment and retention

By Cieran Donnelly | 02 October 2025

At a time of ongoing change, temporary staff can fulfil a vital role in maintaining the high performance of your organisation – and strategic agency partners...

MJ AWARDS

Time to ACT on terrorism

By Dr Amy Batley | 01 October 2025

A new counter-terrorism system – ACT for local authorities – puts the emphasis on five areas of council business with the greatest reach and impact on addr...

MJ AWARDS

Beyond winning and losing: leadership lessons for LGR

By Max Wide | 01 October 2025

Max Wide explores the leadership choices posed by reorganisation and reflects on how collaboration, cultural integration and private sector insights can help...

Heather Jameson

Popular articles by Heather Jameson