Winner - Trafford Council, Planning & Development Service
Trafford Council is an exceptional Local Planning Authority, driving continuous service improvement. It leads in digital planning with its innovative in-house Design Code developed by development management planners. A creative approach is taken to recruitment, particularly in enforcement, where two officers have entered through non-traditional routes, including an apprentice who left school at 16. The Planning Service champions diversity supporting inclusive and accessible development and fosters new talent through the formation of specialist teams and career progression. Climate-conscious development is a priority, with the Trafford Design Code incorporating energy efficiency, green infrastructure, and resilience into future planning strategies.
The judges saw that there was clearly a lot of innovation happening within the Planning and Development Service at Trafford, with the overall impression being of a busy, happy team willing to pull together to get things done. Like all LPAs they have faced significant resourcing challenges but have seen this as an opportunity to grow the experience and skills of its own team members, allowing staff to lead on challenging and important work. They have been innovative in developing a good system of in-housing training and mentoring. The judges agree that Trafford is an outstanding example to other authorities and worthy winners.
Commended - Stockport Council
Planning shapes places, we put our residents at the heart of what we do. We strive for excellence and we are exceptionally proud of the place we serve. Our collective drive and determination to ensure that the policies we make and the decisions we take ensure that Stockport continues to be a great place to live work and thrive runs through everything we do. We embrace the power of planning to deliver for the public good, do not shy away from challenging situations and encourage each and everyone of our team to excel.