Council awards

Council awarded Beacon Status for reducing re-offending

Tower Hamlets has been awarded Beacon Status for reducing re-offending, the only authority in London to achieve this.

The national recognition was granted on March 4 for work to promote a joined-up approach to reducing re-offending and for innovation in closing gaps in provision, particularly for short sentence prisoners.

Close working between the Community Safety Service, the probation service, the Youth Offending Team, the police and third sector partners was central to the achievement.

Tower Hamlets Council was the only authority in London to achieve the status following an intensive assessment process. The focus of the work is on seven pathways as outlined in the London Resettlement Strategy. These are: accommodation; education, training and employment; children and families; health; drugs; finance, debt and benefit; attitudes, thinking and behaviour

Further information about the beacon scheme

Charter mark

Five Council services have been awarded Charter Mark, the Government’s national standard for excellence in customer service.

• The Homeless Service was first awarded Charter Mark in 2000 and was re-awarded earlier this year
• The Leaving Care Service was awarded in 2005
• The Parents Advice Centre was the first parent partnership service nationally to receive a Charter Mark in 2005
• The Transport Service was awarded in 2006
• The One Stop Shops were awarded in December 2006

Award winning website

Winner of the SPIN-Socitm Website Award 2005, Winner Category: England
Awarded by The Society of Public Information Networks (SPIN), together with the Society of Information Technology Management (Socitm) for "the most compelling user experience”.

Voted Website of the Year in the 2004 Charity & Public Service Publishing Awards.

Local Government Chronical

The LGC awards are widely considered to be among the most prestigious awards in the local government sector.  The 2007 awards saw the Council gain recognition for the third year in a row, winning two awards, the Local Strategic Partnership Award and the Community Involvement Awards for the ‘Women into Public Life’ project.

The 2006 LGC awards saw the Council and its partners win an award in the Children’s Services category. The Council was also highly commended in the Human Resources category for the ‘workforce to reflect the community’ strategy.

Tower Hamlets Social Services Management Team were awarded LGC Management Team of the Year in 2005 in recognition of the role their leadership has played in significant and continuous improvement in social care in the borough.

Green Flag awards

The Council has four Green Flag awards, recognising its high quality green and open spaces, including Mile End Park and Weavers Fields.

Royal Institute of British Architects

Chrisp Street Idea Store won a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) award 2005 for its bold and accessible design.

Investors in people

The Council has Investors in People (IIP) status for the whole organisation.