Tunbridge still proud of Council of the Year Award

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council was the first local authority to receive the iESE Council of the Year award in 2010. The accolade was given in recognition of its rapid turnaround from being a 'weak' council in 2004 to achieving 'excellent' status in 2009. Here we speak to William Benson, Chief Executive at Tunbridge Wells, about being iESE Council of the Year and why the council could strive for the top award again

The turnaround of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council since it was rated one point off 'poor' by the now defunct Audit Commission in 2004 and put into special measures is remarkable. The scale and speed of its improvement made it only the third authority in England at that time to move from 'weak' to 'excellent'. Benson, who became Chief Executive at Tunbridge Wells in 2010, joined the council in 2006 under Sheila Wheeler (then Chief Executive) and two other newlyappointed directors to turn the local authority around. Looking back, Benson recalls it as a ‘difficult period’. "My initial assessment was that some of the fundamentals were there. There were fantastic staff but no strategic plan or vision and no performance management system to speak of," says Benson. "The council had no idea whether it was doing well or badly because it did not have the metrics or benchmarks in place. It had a poor reputation locally and with partners. Morale was low because people were coming into work and being told they were part of a 'weak' organisation." ... (read more)