WEST Devon Borough Council and South Hams District Council scooped a coveted prize in the Public Sector Transformation Awards recently.

At the national IESE Public Sector Transformation Awards 2019, the two councils, which share one staff, received a bronze award for digital transformation.

The award, one of 13 categories, was in recognition of the councils’ agile working practices and the flexibility and resilience that this offered to keep services running in times of difficulty.

The ‘Beast from the East’ in March last year tested staff resources as due to the extreme weather the councils closed their offices to the public at Kilworthy Park and Follaton House (South Hams). However, the staff were able to keep working remotely to provide as normal a service as possible.

All of the councils’ office-based staff have laptops with telephone headsets, which allow them to work from any location, meaning that staff are able to keep safe and warm at home, while continuing to provide a good level of customer service.

This is West Devon Borough and South Hams District councils’ fourth IESE award and they were particularly thrilled that they had been recognised for the digital transformation category.

Cllr Philip Sanders, leader of West Devon Borough Council, said: ‘As a joint workforce, we are committed to providing an efficient service no matter the situation we are dealt with. This award for digital transformation has recognised that our hard working staff go above and beyond to deliver the best possible service for our customers.’