Awards and achievements

External praise for Council of the Year

Despite the challenging economic climate, South Tyneside Council has been named 'Overall Council of the Year' by the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE).

The Council, which together with South Tyneside Homes and Tyne & Wear Fire and Rescue Service was shortlisted in five award categories and singled out by the judges for consistently high achievement across a wide range of service areas.

Paul O'Brien, Chief Executive of APSE, said: "South Tyneside has excelled in service delivery across the board which is why they have deservingly taken the very prestigious UK wide award of Overall Council of the Year in Service Delivery."

In addition, the Council reached the judges' shortlist for Best Community and Neighbourhood Initiative, Best Service Team (Transport and Fleet) and Best Public/Public Partnership Initiative. South Tyneside Homes, the Council's housing management company, won the Best Housing and Regeneration Initiative and was shortlisted for Best Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Initiative.

Marsden Bay is a hidden gem

A piece of the South Tyneside coastline has been named as one of the nation's 'best-kept secrets'.

Marsden Bay in South Shields made the top 10 hidden gems of England's coastline, chosen by Visit England.

It made the prestigious list just months after the town was named as one of the '30 Best Places by the Sea' in the country.

The Times singled out Marsden, home to Marsden Rock and renowned for its seabird colonies, for having "fantastic scenery and a colourful history of smugglers, shipwrecks and ghost stories".

Green Flag Status

South Marine Park is one of the best in the UK - and that's official.

With parks providing the perfect location for families during the school holidays, South Marine Park at South Shields seafront has been recognised among a record-breaking 1,447 parks and green spaces with a prestigious Green Flag Award.

Green Flag awards recognise and reward the best parks in the country and show visitors that the space boasts the highest possible standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent facilities.

Blue Flag Status

Sandhaven Beach has been announced as a winner of the coveted 2013 Blue Flag and Seaside Award (formerly Quality Coast Award), as Keep Britain Tidy proudly confirms the North East has some of the cleanest and best beaches in the world.

Sandhaven Beach is one of only four beaches in the North East to gain the Blue Flag status, and one of eight to pick up the new Seaside Award.

The prize rewards the beach's fantastic facilities, cleanliness and, in the case of the Blue Flag awards, meeting the highest international standard of water quality.

South Tyneside wins seaside accolade

South Tyneside is a great place to live - it's official! Already recognised by Visit England as one of the country's best seaside resorts, South Shields has now been put in the national spotlight by The Times newspaper as one of the country's '30 best places by the sea'.

The supplement, one of a series of features on the best places to live in Britain, singled out South Shields for its fantastic beaches, excellent school facilities and value for money.

The town was one of just two North East seaside spots to be included, with Northumberland beauty spot Bamburgh also making an appearance, alongside resorts like Brighton, Southwold and Whitby.

Local Government Chronicle Awards 2013

'Bored in Boldon' was named top 'Community Involvement' project in 2013. Our Adoption team was also commended in the category of 'Frontline Team of the Year'.

Community Involvement

'Bored in Boldon' was named top 'Community Involvement' project in 2013. 

This partnership project engages up to 150 young people per week in positive activities. 

Since it started, incidents of anti-social behaviour amongst young people in Boldon have reduced dramatically, meaning better opportunities for young people and a safer environment for local communities.

Highly commended Frontline Team of the Year

Our Adoption team was also commended in the category of 'Frontline Team of the Year'. 

They are a consistently high performing team, recognised nationally as top performers by Ofsted, peer review and, on a personal level, by each of the families they support. 

Charter Status

South Tyneside Council wins the coveted North East Charter for Elected Member Development award.

Our elected members have been recognised for the self-led approach they take to member development. 

The Council was awarded Charter Status after successfully demonstrating members' contribution in promoting citizenship and demonstrating that member learning and development is making a difference. 

They were congratulated on their willingness to accept external 'peer scrutiny' and sharing good practice with other local authorities and agencies.

Find out more about South Tyneside councillors.

South Tyneside Homes wins training and development award

South Tyneside Homes wins the Training and Development category at the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For Awards.

South Tyneside Homes, which manages 18,000 homes on behalf of the Council, was recognised by the Sunday Times in their Top 100 Best Not for Profit Companies to Work for in March 2013.

They were praised for continuing to recognise the importance of training in spite of the difficult economic climate. 

In-house trainers provided almost two-thirds of the company's training courses in the past year, freeing up additional funds to invest in apprenticeships - one of our key Shaping our Future priorities.

Find out more about South Tyneside Homes.