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Freedoms in Wales, the New Localopolis and a day on the bins
SOLACE Foundation Imprint: announcement of prize winners
Three public service essayist have scooped prizes up to £1,000 in the first SOLACE Foundation Imprint competition.
The SOLACE Foundation Imprint essay prize was launched in late 2005. Submissions for prizes were invited on any aspect of public services and local government. The Foundation was especially keen to encourage collaboration between practitioners, academics, and those involved in policy development and implementation and to encourage and recognise senior practitioners’ contribution to knowledge creation. The prizes attracted a considerable interest and the judges have now reached their final decisions.
The three prize winners are:
Matthew Hockridge is awarded £1000 for an excellent critique of the impact that the new freedoms and responsibilities available to local authorities are having on improved local service provision in Wales.
David Mckenna is awarded £500 for his depiction of the New Localopolis in the style of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Duncan Kerr is awarded a day’s wages for his account of his day spent as a bin man after last Christmas.
The three essays can be viewed here
In choosing their entries for SFI prizes we have achieved our ambition to encourage and stimulate new and strong voices in public services debate and discourse, and also to have encouraged an experienced practitioner to reflect on his work and practice in a way which will speak to other practitioners and to academics alike.
As well as publishing their essays on our website, we intend to find opportunities to include their work within future SFI pamphlets – each distributed by Guardian Public to over 12,000 senior people in public services policy and delivery.
This first year of SFI prizes enjoyed strong support from both practitioners and academics, and we had a good number of quality entries. We look forward to developing this scheme as the premier way to encourage and support challenging and insightful writing on public services by new young talent and by old hands alike – both with fresh things to say and interesting lessons to be conveyed.
Sir Michael Bichard, SFI’s editor in Chief said: “These three awards recognise the first fruits of the Foundation essay prize competition. The breadth of the topics and the differing backgrounds of the winners reflect very well our ambition to encourage new writing and new thinking on every aspect of local government and the public services.”
For further details call Graham Taylor, Head of Communications, SOLACE, 020 7233 0081 or 07958 932728
Notes to Editors
About the essayists
Matthew Hockridge works for the Wales Audit Office.
David Mckenna is Community Leadership and Engagement Manager for the City and County of Swansea.
Duncan Kerr is the Chief Executive of South Kesteven District Council in Lincolnshire.
About SFI
The SOLACE Foundation Imprint (SFI) has been created to support and incentivise writing, reflection and research on key issues affecting public services and local government. It is financed through the SOLACE Foundation’s endowment, mainly from surpluses generated by SOLACE Enterprises, the commercial arm of the SOLACE family.
SFI thanks our partners for their support.
Audit Commission
Audit Scotland
Centre for Public Scrutiny
IDeA
Improvement Service for Scottish Local Government
Leadership Centre for Local Government
Wales Audit Office
Public
MJ
SFI is governed as follows:
Editor-in-Chief
Sir Michael Bichard
Chairman of the Editorial Board
Clive Grace
Editorial Board
Geoff Alltimes (LB Hammersmith and Fulham)
Mike Bennett (SOLACE)
Sir Sandy Blair (formerly WLGA)
Steve Bundred (Audit Commission)
Andrew Coleman (SOLACE Enterprises)
Steve Freer (CIPFA)
Katherine Kerswell (Solihull MBC)
Fiona Lees (East Ayrshire Council)
Vivien Lowndes (De Montfort University)
Steve Martin (Cardiff Business School)
Peter McNaney (Belfast City Council)
Wendy Thomson (McGill University)
David Walker (Public)
Executive Editor
Michaela Lavender (micky@mickylavender.com)
Administrator
John Mullooly (john.mullooly@solace.org.uk)
The three winning essays can be viewed here.
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