Gold award in national quality scheme as Leighton-Linslade Town Council continues to 'punch above its weight'

Leighton-Linslade Town Council has been re-accredited as a Quality Gold Council as part of the national Local Council Award Scheme.

The scheme is open to all 10,000 parish councils but only 50 have achieved Gold level – with Leighton-Linslade Town Council currently the only parish council in Bedfordshire to hold this accreditation.

The town council first achieved this award in January 2017 and says it is delighted to have been re-accredited for a further four years. To do so, the council had to provide evidence of meeting 52 criteria demonstrating sound financial management, good governance, best practice, engagement with partner organisations and delivery of innovative projects for the benefit of the local community.

It says just a few examples of those projects included: refurbishment of two bike tracks, installation of table tennis tables, providing outdoor gym equipment in several parks, providing free town centre Wi-Fi, supporting the town centre particularly during and post the Covid-19 pandemic and working with partners towards the prevention of crime and antisocial behaviour, as well as to increase biodiversity in the parish.

Council leader, Councillor Steve Jones said “This just demonstrates what a forward thinking parish council can achieve, despite limitations on its legal powers and duties.

"The town council doesn’t have legal powers for matters such as highways, housing or social services, but we use the powers we do have in order to punch above our weight and deliver a range of services and facilities to our residents.

"We know our residents use our parks, play areas, gyms, pavilions and other facilities on a daily basis and we will continue to invest in ensuring these are well maintained and accessible to all.”

Town Mayor, Councillor Farzana Kharawala, said: “The Quality Gold re-accreditation is a fantastic achievement – and best of all, we didn’t have to do anything special to achieve it – just to demonstrate what we already do.

"Councillors and council staff are passionate about providing the best services and facilities we can and we will continue to work in partnership with other organisations to drive forward improvements in areas we cannot directly deliver as a parish council."