Shaftesbury Town Council was recently presented with the Double Star Award for Councillor Development by the Dorset Association of Parish and Town Councils (DAPTC). 

This award acknowledges the ongoing commitment of the Town Council in training and developing it’s elected members and staff through courses and seminars organised by the DAPTC. 

Cllr Virginia Edwyn-Jones and Cllr Karen Tippins accepted the award on behalf of the Town Council, which was presented by Keith Stevens, Chairman of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC).

Deputy Mayor, Cllr Virginia Edwyn-Jones, commented: “I believe it is very important that as Councillors, we improve our knowledge and commit to continued learning and development so that we can better serve our community.

“The seminars and conferences organised by the DAPTC are an excellent way of keeping up-to-date with changes in legislation, improving our understanding of procedure, as well as discovering more cost-effective ways of delivering services.”

About the Star Awards

Parish and town councils actively committed to councillor training will receive public recognition through an awards scheme run by the DAPTC recognising the number of elected members from each parish or town council that attend its range of courses, conferences, seminars and update events each year. 

About the DAPTC 

The DAPTC help local councils to achieve excellence through training on a range of subjects from finance and neighbourhood planning to code of conduct and GDPR. They also offer support with procedural matters and best practice, and have access to subject-matter experts who can provide advice on more specific topics.