St Ives Town Council Awarded Prestigious National Quality Gold Award

Recognition for Excellence in Community Leadership and Governance

St Ives Town Council has made history as the first in Cornwall to achieve the Quality Gold Award from the National Association of Local Councils (NALC). This accolade places St Ives among the top-performing councils in the country, with only 50 of England’s 10,000 councils holding this honour.

NALC describes the Quality Gold Award as a mark of excellence in governance, community leadership, and council development. Councils awarded this distinction are commended for their innovative approaches, value-for-money business planning, and their commitment to improving the communities they serve.

Mayor Johnnie Wells Praises Team Effort

Mayor Johnnie Wells expressed his pride in the council’s achievement:

“We are a Gold Standard council! The councillors give up their time for free to make St Ives the best place it can be. Something we wouldn’t be able to do without the help and support of our, now officially, Gold Standard officers, and Clerk, Lou. I am chuffed to be part of a council who are actually getting stuff done in St Ives. Thank you all for your time and hard work. This is definitely one of the proudest moments of my mayor life so far.”

A Journey of Rapid Improvement

Tony Harris, Chair of the Finance & General Purposes Committee, highlighted the significance of this achievement:

“This award has been made to fewer than 1% of all councils in England and represents a sustainable and rapid improvement journey for St Ives Town Council over the last 5 years. I am immensely proud of my fellow councillors and our team of brilliant staff for making this dream a reality.”

A National Honour

NALC is the national membership organisation representing England’s parish and town councils. With around 100,000 councillors dedicating over 14 million hours annually to serve their communities, the Quality Gold Award represents the pinnacle of achievement within the sector.

Front Row: Left to Right: Councillors Senara Wilson-Hodges; Ken Messenger, Mayor Johnnie Wells, Town Clerk Louise Dwelly, Tony Harris, Kirsty Arthur, Paul Viney

Back Row: Left To Right: Councillors James Ryall, Michael Evamy, Sinead McNamee, Andrew Mitchell, Rachael Gaunt, Charlie Hodson, Steve Hynes