Two senior Lanarkshire elected representatives are going head to head in a highly-prestigious category at this year’s sixth annual Councillor Awards.
North Lanarkshire council leader Jim Logue and South Lanarkshire depute provost Bert Thomson have both been nominated in the lifetime legend category at the ceremony, run by the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU).
Cambuslang East councillor Walter Brogan has also been shortlisted as one of the five finalists for the title of community champion.
Judges say they were “blown away” by this year’s entries, with LGIU chief executive Jonathan Carr-West saying: “In the face of unprecedented domestic and global challenges over the last year, councillors nationwide have once again exhibited unwavering dedication to serving their constituents.
“The shortlist for the 2023 Cllr Awards represents some of the most devoted elected representatives in Scotland. As councils continue to deliver essential services like social care and housing amid a cost of living crisis, these awards are a hugely important way to champion what councillors do locally. Their work, all too often, goes unrecognised and we take great pride in featuring their stories in this year’s shortlist.
“Congratulations to all the councillors nominated and shortlisted and I look forward to announcing the winners in November.”
Councillor Logue has been an elected representative for 47 years, first on the former Monklands District Council and then with North Lanarkshire, where he is the only original member of the authority from its first election in 1995 still to be in office at the Civic Centre.
The long-serving Labour politician has been leader of the council for all but four months of the past eight years, as well as previously serving as the authority’s learning and leisure convener and earlier on community services, holding the planning and housing portfolios at Monklands and representing the area at national level including on local government organisation Cosla.
He told Lanarkshire Live: “I’m extremely honoured and humbled to have been nominated for this award, which I believe reflects the hard work and commitment of everyone at the council over many years. We have achieved a great deal and have continued to deliver exceptional services for our communities against a very challenging financial background.
“We all know the incredible financial challenges that local government has faced over the past 16 years. but through a team effort – councillors and staff working together – I’m proud of what we have achieved and we are determined to continue to build on this success.
“To name just a few things, I’m proud of the increasing number of new schools and community hubs built along with our programme of building 3500 new houses by 2035, our record in ensuring that young people reach positive post-school destinations and the increasing apprenticeship opportunities aligned to our new care and construction academies and that North Lanarkshire has the highest rate of inward investment in Scotland resulting in increased employment opportunities for residents.”
Depute provost Thomson has been a councillor for 21 years – originally standing as an independent in his home area of Blantyre where he has always been actively involved in the community, then serving a five-year term as an SNP member and now representing Labour since 2012.
He described his record as “a unique achievement, never done before”, and told how his local successes in the ward include delivering new lighting equipment and furniture, youth shelters and running numerous community events and fun days.
The councillor also has the distinction of having served on every one of South Lanarkshire Council’s various committees, including more than two decades on the licensing committee of which he is deputy chair, and leading the equal opportunities forum until last month.
His community work dates back five decades as an original member of the school council covering South Lanarkshire established in 1973, as well as one of the first members of Blantyre Community Council, earning community wins ranging from new play areas to successfully protesting against controversial proposals to build a crematorium at Greenhall Park.
Councillor Thomson continues to support local groups including Bonnie Blantyre, Friends of the Calder, parent groups, the community council and Blantyre Volunteer Group of which he has been deputy chair.
The 63-year-old told Lanarkshire Live: “It’s a way of life, not a job – I’ve been involved in politics and the community for 50 years. The best moments are always when you deliver something that means so much to someone, [like] being re-housed or when people are told no and you manage to reverse a decision [which] means so much to them.
“As depute provost, it’s fantastic welcoming people to the UK and Scotland with citizenship awards, civic receptions, attending royal visits and going to visit people on their 50th wedding anniversaries and 100th birthdays.
“I had several opportunities to stand for parliament but turned the offers down because I wanted to represent the community and desired to be hands-on, looking after local concerns – and I am delighted and humbled at this nomination.”
The Lanarkshire duo are up against Betty Cunningham of East Renfrewshire Council and Edinburgh member Norman Work at the ceremony, with winners to be named at the capital’s City Chambers on November 14.
Councillor Brogan is one of five nominees for the community champion award, with work in his Cambuslang East area ranging from supporting campaigners battling to save Cambuslang Library, to writing to the transport minister asking for improved rail links in the area to benefit pupils living in Newton who have no single direct train to reach classes at Uddingston Grammar.
The awards are judged by senior councillors and leading local government stakeholders, and are described as “the only national awards to celebrate and showcase the work of individual councillors” and “a hugely important way to champion what councillors achieve for the places we live”.
Lanarkshire’s two councils have produced six winners over the history of the awards – with Eileen Logan winning the 2020 lifetime contribution award in recognition of her now-44 years of representing her home area of Carluke and serving as both South Lanarkshire provost and the last holder of that chain of office in the former Clydesdale District.
Current South Lanarkshire leader Joe Fagan was named new councillor of the year at the inaugural awards in 2019 and now-North Lanarkshire provost Kenneth Duffy received a special commendation 12 months later.
Blantyre councillor Maureen Chalmers was 2022’s resilience and recovery champion, Clydesdale South representative Mark Horsham was new councillor of the year two years earlier and Frank McNally, now the MP for Coatbridge & Bellshill, was highly commended as a champion for education while he was North Lanarkshire’s education convener in 2021.
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