The Good Employers Award is organized by the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) and is promoted by individual local government councillors who nominate their own full-time employers in recognition of being flexible with working arrangements, thereby assisting their employees in carrying out their roles as councillors. Held at Local Government House, in Westminster and sponsored by the Guardian newspaper, the event saw entries from as-far-a-field as South Tyneside and the South Downs.
Speaking about the Good Employers Award, the Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, commented: "Councillors have a vital role to play in leading local communities, strengthening local democracy and securing excellent local services . . . businesses and not-for-profit bodies that support their employees to serve as locally-elected councillors deserve our thanks. In return, those organizations benefit from the range of skills and understanding that such staff develop as a result of their public service."
The Chairman of the IDeA, Colin Barrow added: "Employers who play their part in local communities deserve our support. By supporting their staff who serve as councillors, they recognize the importance of local democracy and value their people who engage in it. The IDeA's Good Employers Award has been set up to recognize these organizations. Good local government requires councillors drawn from all sections of society to reflect the people they serve and represent."
(Lee Baldock)
