Highland Council’s Amenities Team celebrates excellence award
The Amenities Team at Highland Council has won the Gold Award in the ‘Parks, Grounds and Street Scene’ category at this year’s APSE Scotland Striving for Excellence Awards.
The awards recognise the achievements of local authorities in Scotland and celebrate those exceeding expectations within waste and recycling, parks, fleet and grounds management services.
Chair of the Communities and Place Committee, Councillor Graham MacKenzie said: “This is a fantastic achievement for everyone in the team and a well-deserved award. The team have prioritised the voices of young people in everything they do which has resulted in a nationally recognised strategy that has played a part in influencing best practice. Play is fundamental to the wellbeing of children in our communities, and I would like to congratulate the Amenities Team for their commitment to ensuring our approach to play is child-led and beneficial for young people of all ages and abilities.”
As part of The Council’s Amenities Review in 2024, an in-house play team was established with three members of staff and has now developed into a team of eight. Since then, the team has worked with more than 50 community groups, refurbished 27 play areas and approved a Playpark Strategy and Action Plan for the next 10 years. Highland Council’s Playpark Strategy was recently highlighted in the evidence base and supporting research of the Scottish Government’s Play Vision Statement and Action Plan 2025-2030.
Debbie Sutton, Strategic Lead for Community Operations and Logistics at Highland Council accepted the award on behalf of the team and said: “We’re delighted to have won this award which recognises the team’s hard work and commitment to improving play for children of all ages throughout the Highlands. I am extremely proud of the team and honoured to accept the award on their behalf.”
Winners were announced at a charity dinner on Thursday 22 May as part of the APSE Scotland Fleet, Waste and Grounds Seminar at the Aviemore Highland Resort.
The Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) is a not-for-profit local government body working with over 300 councils throughout the UK to promote excellence in public services.
Highland Council's Amenities Team