The awards are free and simple to enter and are open to any local authority within the UK. Those selected for the shortlist will be notified in September and the winners presented their awards at the Socitm Annual Conference, 11-13 October at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

This year's awards will be separated into 3 categories – service transformation, customer Access and sustainable ICT – and entrants will need to demonstrate how the use of an IT system or process has improved the efficiency and delivery of services within local communities.

Last year's winners were Hampshire Local Government Partnership in the shared services category. The partnership created an online Regional Recruitment Portal that delivered a single technology solution for attracting candidates and managing the recruitment process across 12 local authorities.

The service transformation category was won by Kooth.com, a public-private partnership between Xenzone and Stockport Council. The programme, the Early Intervention and Rapid Referral Service, is a web-based counselling service for vulnerable young people.

The City of York Council won the mobile & flexible working category for its easy@york programme. The programme enabled 24 hour easy access to the council's services by whatever channel the customer chooses.

Commenting on winning last year's award, Jos Creese, CIO at Hampshire County Council, ‘"Winning an award last year was particularly welcome because Intellect has real credibility in promoting best practice across both the public and private sectors. It gave a confidence boost to the team and provided genuine recognition that we are doing the right things and delivering real public service value"

If you are interested in this opportunity to highlight IT-based innovation within your local authority, please contact Carla Baker Intellect. T: 020 7331 2164. E: carla.baker@intellectuk.org [1]

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Click here to download the brochure and application details [2]