NSW Local Government Minister Don Page has congratulated the recipients of Local Government Week Awards, which were presented at a dinner function at Woolwich Dock in Sydney overnight.

The annual awards event adopted the theme of Local Government Week 2011, “Empowering Communities”, and with that in mind the winning councils this year excelled in the fields of communication with ratepayers, healthy lifestyle services provided, youth services provided, and social interaction options offered to residents.

“The Local Government Week Awards are one of the few occasions on the calendar that councillors and staff from the local government sector can come together to honour their peers from around the state,” Mr Page said.

“Councils are using Local Government Week to highlight their community services and inform residents about how their rates are spent, it is only fitting that they spend one night to commend their best-performed employees and councils.

“The award winners showed innovation, forward thinking and creativity to develop programs which improved the delivery of services to their ratepayers – which is the focus of the new NSW Government as it seeks to modernise local government in the future.

“It was a wonderful awards night which was well presented and exemplified that the local government sector in NSW is united, driven to excel and willing to celebrate the success of other councils.

“I was proud to be in attendance as the Minister representing a NSW Liberal/Nationals Government which has already shown it will support and nurture local government.”

The awards and their winners were:

- Excellence in Communication (small council); Kempsey Shire Council
- Excellence in Communication (medium-sized council); Tweed Shire Council
- Excellence in Communication (large council); Lake Macquarie City Council
- Reporting to Your Community (small council); Broken Hill City Council and Moree Plains Shire Council
- Reporting to Your Community (medium-sized council); Hurstville City Council
- Reporting to Your Community (large council); Blacktown City Council
- Outstanding Individual Contribution to communication; Tiffany Stodart of Tweed Shire Council
- Empowering Communities (residential winner); Queanbeyan City Council
- Empowering Communities (business winner); Armidale Dumaresq Council
- Empowering Communities (community/council winner); Eurobodalla Shire Council
- Robert Wilson OAM Award for displaying excellence in Regional Cooperation Initiatives; Penrith City Council and Lachlan Shire Council for their Penrith-Lachlan Friendship Agreement
- Best Local Youth Week Program (large council); Fairfield City Council
- Most Innovative Youth Week Program; Hornsby Shire Council
- Best Local Youth Week Program (small council); Snowy River Shire Council
- Best On-going Commitment to Local Youth Week Programs; Walgett Shire Council 

“I congratulate all the award-winning councils and council staff members on their achievements, and hope their effort, energy and innovative thinking inspire other councils,” Mr Page said.