Outstanding staff recognised for their contribution to the Isle of Wight

The council share this latest news. Ed

Exemplary council officers were celebrated on Friday (9 December 2016) evening, in recognition and thanks for their outstanding contributions to the Isle of Wight over the past 12 months.

In opening the event, John Metcalfe, chief executive and head of paid service, paid tribute to all council staff, and especially those in the room, identifying those assembled as “already winners”, because “someone has already recognised the quality and impact of what you do.

Our awards evening allow us to remind ourselves how much great and outstanding work happens across the council; and the representation from each area shows that we are doing great work throughout our whole organisation; really making differences in people’s lives.”

High quality nominations
54 nominations by managers were made from across the council, in eight categories, with recognition for colleagues as winners, highly commended and commended.

All directorates were represented in both nominations and awards; the decision on whom to award was very difficult for members of the Executive and the chair of Employment Committee to make as the quality of nominations was very high.

So much that the ‘Inspirational Employee’ category saw three exemplary officers awarded as winner; as it was simply too close to call!

Fielding 677,000 telephone calls throughout 2016
The ‘Team of the year’ award was won by the council’s Contact Centre, who at merely 16.8 full time equivalent posts fielded over 677,000 telephone calls throughout 2016; many of them highly complex.

Colleagues who have dedicated much of their working lives to the service of the Isle of Wight Council were also recognised.

40 years of service
Thirteen colleagues received a certificate and paperweight to commemorate 25 years of service to the Isle of Wight Council from the chairman of the council, Councillor Charles Chapman, with two colleagues, Richard Grant and John Sands, receiving special tribute; having committed 40 years of service to the authority.

Long-time foster carer families
A mention was also offered to three long-time foster carer families: Reg and Darrell Moul, Mary Doyle, and Margaret and Roger Cameron; who between them have supported ninety foster children throughout their careers.

Margaret and Roger Cameron have been foster carers for the local authority since 1976 and have personally supported 20 children.

John Metcalfe continued:

“Events such as these are an important fixture in my calendar. We all live and work at an ever increasing pace and focus on the task at hand; rarely do we take the time to reflect on a job well done, or learn from and celebrate its success. For me, it is vital that our staff are given credit where it is most certainly due.
“Throughout a difficult year where much of our focus has been on finding a funding solution to support the future delivery of public services, I am proud of the strength and resolve of our excellent staff to keep their heads held high and to work so hard to move the organisation forward.
“The staff awards are one way that we can all learn from each other’s’ experiences and greatness, and inspire others to achieve the same standards by giving colleagues them the confidence to share what they are already doing.”

The awards
The awards were presented by members of the council and the council’s corporate management team.

The awards were (teams in brackets):

Innovative and Creative – presented by Councillor Jonathan Bacon, leader of the council and executive member for resources and children’s services

Commended: Michael Price (Revenues Business Support)
Highly commended: No Barriers/Mental Health Day Service
Winner: Richard Berry (Change and project support team 2)

Go for it! – presented by Councillor Dave Stewart, chair of scrutiny committee

Commended: Charlee Bowen and Steph Douglas-Robson (Children’s Services)
Highly commended: Craig Bulmer (Trading Standards)
Winner: Jo Sedgmond (Media team)

Working in support of others – presented by Councillor Steve Stubbings, deputy leader and executive member for adult social care and public health

Commended: Kelly Quinn (Early help commissioned services)
Highly commended: Kevin Winchcombe (Licensing) and Helen Turner (Community Safety)
Winner: Anne Bakewell (Libraries)

Building a better future for the Island – presented by Councillor Bob Blezzard, chair of Planning Committee

Commended: Organisational Change including Alex Minns and Danika Barber
Highly commended: Planning Services Administrative team
Winner: Adult & Community Learning team

Personal achievement – presented by Councillor Shirley Smart, executive member for planning, tourism and recreation, and culture

Commended: Andrew Wood (Revenue operations)
Highly commended: Kieran Tarrant (Facilities and Fleet Management)
Winner: Assessed & Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) Cohort 2015/16 (Children’s Services)

Inspirational employee – presented by Claire Shand, head of resources

Commended: Rory Fitzgerald (Legal)
Highly commended: James Potter (Trading Standards)
Winner: Simon Wiggins (Organisational Change), Pete Holland (Children in need team 2) and Georgina Jones (Learning and development team)

Bold and ambitious – presented by John Metcalfe, chief executive

Commended: Alison Cotton and Keily Proctor (Supporting People Review Officers team)
Highly commended: Civica PARIS Implementation team (ICT)
Winner: Local Area Coordination (LAC) Team (Public Health)

Team of the year – presented by Councillor Geoff Lumley, chair of employment committee