Council makes the grade

The Council has invested a huge amount of time and effort in training and developing staff so they are equipped to take the service they provide to residents to even higher levels.

And its drive and vision has now been repaid after it achieved recognition status from Investors in People.

IIP judged that the Council had met its exacting criteria "over and beyond" the recognition level by providing many examples of best practice.

The organisation's highly-prized award certificate will be presented to the Council's Chief Executive, Rob Tinlin, at Southend Civic Centre on Thursday 15th July.

Display stands showcasing some of the many achievements recorded by the Council will be available to view at the presentation.

The IIP framework assesses organisations by evaluating fair and equal access to training and development, strategic planning and the communication of policies, procedures, aims, values and objectives.

It also reviews the effectiveness of each organisation's leadership and management structures and how it works towards continuous improvement.

IIP awards are recognised by the Government and many private and public sector bodies as a way of assessing how organisations engage with staff to deliver the highest level of performance.

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council's Executive Councillor for Corporate Support Services, Andrew Moring, said: "The Council has always taken staff training and development very seriously.

"We are proud to have gained national recognition for the exacting standards we set ourselves and we are committed to continuous improvement.

"We've worked very hard for this award to improve performance overall in the organisation. The residents of Southend will continue to benefit from the Council delivering excellent services."