Essex County Council's human resources and legal teams have been 'highly commended' in a national awards ceremony.

The teams were recognised in the prestigious Local Government Chronicle Awards. The awards are seen as a good indicator of how well Essex is performing against other councils.

The human resources team led the development of 'core values', putting people at the heart of what the council does. It has also pioneered a staff development programme, which enables employees to obtain qualifications accredited through the University of Greenwich.

The council's legal team has worked on major contracts with BT/Syntegra, a number of Private Finance Initiative projects. It is involved with on-going negotiations for transferring services provided to schools from Local Education Authorities to private companies.

It also teamed up with legal departments at other councils to establish a Joint Advocacy Project designed to provide a cost-effective service for all participants.

Published Wednesday, April 16, 2003

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