Following the Leader to success as Sevenoaks Councillor takes top prize

Published: Thursday, 9th November 2017

Sevenoaks District Council Leader, Cllr Peter Fleming scooped a huge accolade as he was crowned the Leader of the Year at the C’llr Achievement Awards at London’s Guildhall on 7 November.

The ceremony, hosted by the LGiU (Local Government Information Unit) and CCLA (Churches, Charities and Local Authorities) was attended by over 200 people and is the only national award to celebrate the important work of councillors across England and Wales.

Cllr Fleming, a member for the Sevenoaks Town and St John’s ward, was commended for his outstanding commitment to his role and his leadership in transforming the Council in to becoming the first financially self-sufficient authority in the country.

With his work also recognised nationally with an OBE, Cllr Fleming was also praised for his strong relationships with community groups and Council partners and his role as a Deputy Chairman at the LGA (Local Government Association), acknowledging in particular his significant contribution to the improvement of local government as a whole.

LGiU Chief Executive, Jonathan Carr-West, said on the night: “Cllr Fleming has overseen the impressive transformation of Sevenoaks Council, resulting in them becoming the 1st council to achieve financial sustainability. Judges were particularly impressed with the fact that Cllr Fleming has set an ambitious 10 year horizon for their financial planning. In addition to his work within his own council, he is generous with his time in sharing his learning with colleagues across local government.”

This award comes off the back of many recent successes for Sevenoaks District Council who won the ‘Finance’ and ‘Overall Winner’ categories at the Guardian Public Service Awards last November, as well as the coveted ‘Council of the Year’ trophy at the Local Government Chronicle Awards in March.

The winning streak continued at the Public Finance Innovation Awards after the Council picked up two further trophies for ‘Public Finance Innovator of the Year’ and the ‘Grand Prix’ award at a ceremony on 20 April.

The trophy cabinet is also packed out with two further awards for ‘Commercialism in Property Estate’ and ‘Innovation in Finance’ from the Municipal Journal awards in June.