Bolton celebs could be brought in to revamp town hall awards

The Bolton’s Best employee recognition programme will see an event for more than 500 employees and guests held at the town hall in March 2022 to reward the ‘efforts of outstanding staff’.

The awards are entirely funded by sponsorship with no financial input from Bolton Council.

Introduced 12 years ago, Bolton’s Best is seen by the council as a key element of recognition.

Staff members nominate colleagues annually across different categories with winners are chosen by a panel.

But a report to council leader Cllr Martyn Cox on revamping the rewards said there had been a decline in engagement recently.

It said: “Figures show that nominations have declined significantly over the past three years.

“Feedback indicates that the programme only appeals to some parts of the organisation and that many council employees are no longer engaged with the campaign.

“The last 18 months of the pandemic have been the most challenging in living memory.

“As part of the response, staff have needed to juggle commitments, adapt to different ways of working, and to go above and beyond to support the people of Bolton.

“As we recover from the pandemic, we are prioritising communication with our staff.

“A key part of this is a timely review of the Bolton’s Best awards and exploring options to engage more of the workforce throughout each working year.”

The report gave suggestions how to refresh Bolton’s by increasing nominations by 30 per cent, introducing a new tone to the awards engaging the community more in hearing and sharing the stories of work that Bolton Council employees do.

The report also recommends introducing a master of ceremonies to host the event, have Bolton personalities, sponsors and members of the community present awards to healthcare workers, community volunteers, and teachers and that video clips are produced of satisfied residents, talking about good experiences with the council, and the difference it has made to them.