Welsh housing association Cartrefi Conwy scooped the coveted Grand Prix at last night’s Public Finance Awards in London (Wednesday 1 May).
The annual awards ceremony, run in association with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), celebrates the people, organisations and services that demonstrate excellence and originality in public finance from across the UK.
Cartrefi Conwy nabbed the top prize for its pioneering work setting up a company that manages and maintains properties, bringing employment opportunities to residents furthest away from the job market.
CIPFA President Sarah Howard said:
“The Public Finance Awards provide an opportunity to celebrate the fantastic work going on in not just our winners’ organisations, but across the entire public sector.
“In my year as President, I have had the privilege of seeing this first hand throughout the UK, and am proud to represent our members who are dedicated to delivering improved public services that change lives.”
Cartrefi Conwy disrupted the traditional procurement model to create a social enterprise that would offer employment opportunities in property maintenance to their tenants.
The subsidiary, Creating Enterprise, works with public and private sector clients to offer 12 or 18 month paid contracts to unemployed Cartrefi Conwy tenants. Tenants receive on-the-job training as well as being supported to complete formal qualifications to help them overcome future barriers to work.
Tony Deakin, Group Director of Resources, Cartrefi Conwy, said:
“Cartrefi Conwy are delighted to receive this prestigious award. Utilising our social enterprise subsidiary Creating Enterprise as our alternative service model for delivering housing improvement work streams has delivered considerable efficiency back to the business and is significantly increasing our social impact.
“Working to this model we are able to ensure that work programmes continue to deliver value for money to the business, and that our tenants continue to benefit from the life enhancing opportunities we are able to offer through associated employment, training and volunteer up-skilling.”
The judges called it “an innovative and comprehensive approach that is making a real difference to people’s lives.”
Last year, nearly 40 Cartrefi Conwy tenants who had previously faced multiple barriers into the job market, gained paid employment.
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors
More information on the event and the full shortlist can be found here.
For photos from the event, please contact Redactive: lauren.tandon@redactive.co.uk / rhianna.fitzgerald@redactive.co.uk
The full list of winners on the night:
- Alternative Service Delivery Model of the Year: Cartrefi Conwy and Creating Enterprise
- Finance Training and Development Initiative: NHS Wales Finance Academy
- Good Governance and Risk Management Award: Assurance Lincolnshire Internal Audit Team, Lincolnshire County Council
- Pensions, Treasury and Asset Management Award: London Borough of Bromley
- Internal Audit Award: Northern Care Alliance NHS Group and MIAA
- Achievement in Financial Reporting & Accountability: The Corporate Core Team, Manchester City Council
- Outstanding Procurement Initiative: Logistics 2017 Programme, Department for Work & Pensions
- Community Engagement Project of the Year: Independent Living Fund Scotland
- Digital Finance Project of the Year: Help to Live at Home Digital Improvements, Liverpool City Council
- Solutions Partner: Oxygen Finance and Warwickshire County Council
- Public Finance Future Leader of the Year: Sonia Virdee, Chief Accountant, Kent Police
- Public Finance Leader of the Year: Brian Davey, Head of Financial Services, Transport for London
- Finance Team of the Year – Central Government and National Bodies: The National Archives
- Finance Team of the Year – Health: Finance Team, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust
- Finance Team of the Year – Local Services: Financial Services Centre, Transport for London
About CIPFA
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) is one of the leading professional accountancy bodies in the UK and the only one which specialises in the public services. It is responsible for the education and training of professional accountants and for their regulation through the setting and monitoring of professional standards.
For media enquiries contact the CIPFA press office on 020 7543 5737 or email ashleigh.moore@cipfa.org / letreis.lawrence@cipfa.org