Southwater Parish Council Achieves Gold Award – A First for Sussex

Southwater Parish Council is delighted to announce that it has been awarded the Gold Award under the Local Council Award Scheme (LCAS) - the highest level of accreditation a council can achieve from the National Association of Local Councils (NALC).

This makes Southwater the first Town or Parish Council in both East and West Sussex to achieve Gold status.

The Gold Award demonstrates that a council is “at the forefront of best practice and achieves excellence in governance, community leadership and council development”.

In a letter confirming the award (which can be viewed here), Keith Stevens, the Chair of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) praised Southwater Parish Council, stating:

“Receiving the Gold Award is an excellent achievement showing that your council achieves good practices in governance, community engagement and council improvement. Furthermore, this award shows that your council has gone above and beyond the legal obligations; you lead your community and continuously seek opportunities to improve and develop even further.”

The Gold Award is not only recognition of high standards in governance and transparency but also of Southwater Parish Council’s leadership role in the community. It reflects years of hard work, dedication, and commitment.

Executive Officer & Responsible Financial Officer, Justin Tyler, who led the application process, said:

“This achievement has been a couple years in the making. Southwater Parish Council is incredibly fortunate to have such committed, skilled and capable officers who consistently go above and beyond. Their hard work often takes place behind the scenes, but it is their determination, and commitment to serving Southwater that has made this recognition possible. We are blessed to have such a strong and capable team, and I want to publicly thank them for everything they do. I also extend thanks to our Chairman and the Councillors for their support throughout the journey and West Sussex Association of Local Councils (WSALC) for their continued guidance”

The Council acknowledges that while reaching Gold is a significant milestone, the work does not stop here. As NALC noted, the award recognises councils that “continuously seek opportunities to improve and develop even further”.

Local Council Award Scheme - Gold Certificate Accreditation

Derek Moore, Chairman of Southwater Parish Council has also said: “For Southwater to be the first Town or Parish Council in Sussex to achieve the Gold Award is a tremendous achievement. This recognition reflects the exceptional standards Southwater Parish Council upholds and the professionalism, skill, and dedication of our staff, supported by our councillors. It is a true team effort, and we are proud to serve a community that not only inspires us to keep raising the bar, but is involved in how we keep Southwater as a great place to live.”

Southwater Parish Council remains committed to learning, growing, and raising standards to ensure the best outcomes for the community, which is ever more important with the pending changes of Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution.