Bury picks up national award at Downing Street

The Government has given Bury a prestigious award for being one of the Best Councils to do Business With.

Bury was one of just ten councils in the land to win the competition, out of 67 nominations. The winners were chosen for their innovative procurement practices for small businesses by a panel which included industry experts and local and central government representatives.

Councillor Mike Connolly, leader of the council, chief executive Mike Kelly and Sarah Janusz, head of strategic improvement, travelled to Number 10 Downing Street to receive the award from Local Government Minister Brandon Lewis and the Prime Minister’s Enterprise Adviser Lord Young.

The Department for Communities and Local Government said: “We were impressed with the pre-procurement engagement and training arrangements the council had in place and your strong commitment to working with the supply chain. We strongly welcomed the fact that procurements below £75K used a streamlined and simplified process and small suppliers were paid within 10 days. Overall, we felt that Bury was an excellent example of how a council can open up procurement opportunities to small business.”

Cllr Connolly said: “It was a pleasure to visit Downing Street and receive this honour on behalf of the council. We want to support our local economy and the many small businesses in Bury, and we are very pleased that our efforts have been recognised at national level. However, while this award is welcomed, we will continue to work to support local business and where we hope we can introduce even better ways for businesses to benefit from our Made in Bury campaign.”

ENDS

Press release issued: 17 May 2013.

Picture attached: Receiving the award at No. 10 Downing Street are (from left) Cllr Mike Connolly, Sarah Janusz and Mike Kelly.