Chief Executive nominated Council Leader for national award

Cllr Michael Jonesland

Last month Cheshire East Council announced that three members of the council had been nominated for national local government awards.

Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of the Council, was in the running for the Leader of the Year prize in the 2015 C'llr Achievement Awards. Councillor Don Stockton, Cabinet member in charge of housing and jobs, was a contender in the Neighbourhood Planner of the Year category and Councillor Rachel Bailey, Cabinet member in charge of safeguarding children and adults, is on the shortlist for the Partnership Achievement of the Year award.

As the result of a Freedom of Information Request we can reveal that the nomination to recognise the work of Councillor Michael Jones was suggested independently of Cllr Jones by the Chief Executive, Mike Suarez. It was compiled by a Senior Communications Officer and approved by the Chief Executive.

Cllr Jones was nominated for: securing significant inward investment into the borough, the the healthy position of the Council's finances, leading the reinvention of Cheshire East Council as a strategic commissioning council and driving a demanding agenda of re-organisation, including a complete management restructure and creation of 'Alternative Service Delivery Vehicles' (ASDVs) to deliver local public services more efficiently.

The nomination stated "Cllr Jones' exceptional leadership and committed vision has put Cheshire East on the map. In only three years as leader, he has transformed both the way the council operates and relationships with key partners, re-inventing the organisation and its place in local public service delivery. He has demonstrated again and again a single-minded commitment to put residents first, taking a long-term strategic view over what will benefit the borough – even when this means making challenging decisions in the short-term.

"The borough is already seeing the benefits of this vision, for example, with investment from Bentley Motors and at Alderley Park bio-hub and improvements in education and children's services."

The Leader subsequently withdrew his nomination on Thursday 26th February.

The nomination for Councillor Rachel Bailey was suggested by the Youth Engagement Service Team, compiled by the Head of Cheshire East Engagement Service and approved by the Director of Children's Services. A Principal Planning Officer compiled and submitted the nomination for Councillor Don Stockton on his own volition.

The only cost incurred as a result of these nominations was £253 for travel costs.

The C'llr Awards are organised by the Local Government Information Unit, a think tank which publishes C'llr magazine. It is backed by CCLA, a fund manager for charities, faith organisations, and local authorities. The aim of the awards is to 'honour the hard work of councillors from across the country that often goes unrecognised'.

The winners were selected by a group of judges made up of local government experts and councillors and announced at an Awards Ceremony on Monday 2nd March.

Photo: Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of Cheshire East Council.

Tags:
Cheshire East Council, Cllr Michael Jones, Mike Suarez
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Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

DELETED ACCOUNT
Friday 13th March 2015 at 2:45 pm
Please tell me that this article is for Red Nose Day!
Nick Jones
Friday 13th March 2015 at 6:40 pm
Not a red nose Jackie
Oliver Romain
Friday 13th March 2015 at 11:33 pm
Red faces but no red noses here. What about the cost of council employees producing glowing reports on these councillors? Why should council staff be tasked with glorifying elected officials? They are not doing it for free. And why did the Supreme Leader suddenly withdraw himself from the running? Did he know the truth about his nomination was about to be revealed or did he suddenly come over all shy?
Lisa Petch
Saturday 14th March 2015 at 8:08 am
Councillors voting for themselves . Total waste of our money once again .
Pete Taylor
Saturday 14th March 2015 at 9:25 am
M. Jones nominated by Chief Exec. Mike Suarez (who received his full £10k performance-related pay, even though the local Plan was a disaster and was chucked out). Now, who awarded him that £10k?
Dave Cash
Monday 16th March 2015 at 3:43 am
Council Leader Cllr Jones has certainly put Cheshire East 'on the map', not least for the Lyme Green financial loss, forced publication but subs CEC redacted report and his failed, declared intention to protect the Green Belt.
Oliver Romain
Monday 16th March 2015 at 11:54 am
..... and the award for creative accounting goes to.......
Lynne Prescott
Wednesday 18th March 2015 at 1:54 pm
Please remember all this when it comes time to vote again. We get one chance to get rid of them
Terry Roeves
Wednesday 18th March 2015 at 3:34 pm
Featured time and again in Private Eye. See Rotten Boroughs page.
As these things go, CEC, its Cllrs and Officers are paragon of virtues when compared with many others. Makes you wonder what it will take for Eric Pickles to leap into action.
Chris Wigley
Wednesday 18th March 2015 at 5:52 pm
I pity those living in other authorities if Michael Jones is in the offing Leader of the Year, surely this news should have waited until 1st April
John Stewart
Monday 30th March 2015 at 11:06 pm
"to honour the hard work...that often goes unrecognised"
If in public office, good work is often not recognisable, on what basis are those holding office elected. Furthermore, on what criteria do you honour work that apparently is unrecognised only by those paying the wages (the electorate?) but not by those giving the award?
Surely most public office hard work is recognisable eg "delivery" "mainifesto" "policy" "budget", managing to keep your hands out of the till etc.