We are excited to introduce Somerset’s “Star Council” Awards at our Somerset Parishes Conference 2026. We invite member councils to join together on Thursday 8th October to recognise and celebrate:
1. Somerset’s Council of the Year
2. Somerset’s Councillor of the Year
3. Somerset’s Young Councillor of the Year
4. Somerset Nature & Climate Response of the Year
5. Somerset Project of the Year
6. Somerset Clerk of the Year.
The awards span various categories, ensuring every aspect of parish and town council work is celebrated. Click on the images to submit a nomination.
Any SALC member can nominate for these awards, including councillors, clerks and council staff. The exception is that councillors and clerks cannot self-nominate or be nominated by their family members.
Nominations close at 5pm, 1 October 2026.
The Somerset Council of the Year will stand apart, raising the bar for the sector with outstanding work across service delivery, service impact, community engagement, partnerships and collaborative working.
We encourage nominations from both smaller and larger councils, defined as those with electorates under and over 6,000, and will make awards for each category as well as an overall star council for 2026.
Councillors play a vital role in their communities. They are local leaders who connect people, facilitate opportunities for involvement and make things happen in their area. This award will recognise and reward councillors who exceed expectations, show absolute dedication to their communities and make positive changes happen.
We like to celebrate and recognise the achievements of the young councillors representing their communities. With the average age of councillors currently standing at around 60, young people can face a challenge in overcoming barriers to becoming elected. This award will recognise a Somerset councillor who was 30 or under when last elected and has contributed significantly to their community.
This award will go to the Somerset parish, city or town council, which shows it understands what nature and climate means for its community and place. It has acted to mitigate those impacts, adapt to them and build local resilience for people and nature. The parish, city or town council will demonstrate long-term thinking, good community engagement, and partnership work in its climate response activities, highlighting what parish and town councils can do to help their communities be prepared.
This award recognises a project led by a Somerset city, town or parish council, that has had a measurable and sustainable positive impact on the local community, and that your council is rightly proud of. We invite nominations for projects that are collaborative, responsive and meet the expressed needs of the community.
Responsible for the overall management of parish, city and town councils, clerks play a vital role in local communities and, indeed, local government. We are looking for exceptional candidates for this category who possess the strongest leadership, relationship, and project management skills, and are highly trained and experienced. This award winner will be a Somerset clerk who implements key council objectives for the community’s benefit.