Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Aberdeen City Council co-leader crowned leader of the year at national awards ceremony

Aberdeen City Council co-Leader Jenny Laing

Jenny Laing, co-leader of Aberdeen City Council, has been named as the 2020 leader of the year at a national awards ceremony to celebrate the contribution of councillors to their local communities.

The awards ceremony, which was held this evening, is organised by Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) and CCLA with awards granted on a whole range of categories including a special award this year to recognise the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ms Laing scooped the top prize with fellow north-east councillor Glen Reid of Aberdeenshire Council taking home the community champion award.

Ms Laing said: “I am obviously delighted to win the council leader of the year award.

“I think we have all realised that this year has been exceptionally challenging as a result of Covid and I think that Aberdeen City Council has really stepped up to the plate and made sure the vital services that our local communities depend on have been delivered.

“There has been a huge team effort right across the whole of the city council and I owe a lot of the success in winning that award to those on the ground who are delivering the vital services for the people of Aberdeen.

“It’s a win that I would share with the whole of the council.

“I was delighted just to be nominated to be honest and there was some stiff competition out there but when you get the word you have won it, I was surprised and delighted.”

Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of LGIU Scotland, said: “We are incredibly proud to unveil the winners of the 2020 Cllr Awards this evening.

“These councillors showcase the best of local government, those who have gone above and beyond to serve their communities during a hugely challenging 2020.

“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic we have turned to local government to bring us the place-specific leadership and support for which they are renowned and they have once again delivered.

“The winners are all outstanding examples of a councillor’s commitment to their communities – a commitment that has especially shone through this year. Being closest to the people, councillors are vital to ensuring that communities can thrive during periods of hardship.

“Thank you for your service this year and a huge congratulations to all of tonight’s Cllr Awards winners. We look forward to hearing about your continued accomplishments in the future.”

Heather Lamont, director of client investments at CCLA, said: “We are proud to be the founding partner of the Cllr Awards.

“Working together with LGIU Scotland for the third year running, we always look forward to taking the opportunity to recognise and honour those leading across local government.

“This year has given the awards new meaning. Local government has stepped up to the plate to deliver for communities across the country this year and we are honoured to stand alongside them.

“Life as a councillor can be extremely rewarding – being at the forefront of positive community change. But of course, it’s also extremely hard work, particularly in the current context.

“The hard work done by councillors and council leaders behind the scenes to negotiate the best outcomes for their communities often never reaches the public eye. Which is why we think it’s invaluable to set aside an evening each year to celebrate those achievements.”