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| Press Releases |
| Police Authority Chair Scoops Regional Award |
Mark Burns-Williamson receives the Local Champion Award from Claire Holloway |
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Friday, 27 November, 2009
The Chair of West Yorkshire Police Authority, Councillor Mark Burns-Williamson, has been named as ‘Local Champion of the Year’ at the Local Government Yorkshire and Humber Awards evening held last night in Leeds.
Local Government Yorkshire and Humber’s membership comprises all the local authorities, police authorities, fire and rescue authorities and national park authorities in the region. Their annual ‘Making a Difference’ awards recognise the innovative work and contribution made by these public sector bodies on the region’s economic and social well-being.
The Local Champion accolade was given to Mark in recognition of his commitment and dedication to local issues through his involvement on various boards and partnerships and through his work as a Wakefield District Councillor. Locally, Mark’s achievements on the Castleford Town Centre Partnership and the Castleford Heritage Trust were highlighted. At a West Yorkshire level, his leadership of the Police Authority and dedicated membership of the West Yorkshire Police Community Trust were commended. Nationally, Mark’s achievements through his roles on the Board of the National Policing Improvement Agency and the Association of Police Authorities were also recognised.
Sir Norman Bettison, Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police, provided a testimonial for Mark, saying “Mark’s personal commitment to providing a quality service to local people is real and genuine. He is a man who gives more than he takes from the local community and is deserving of the Local Champion Award.”
As he accepted the award, Mark said “I am delighted and very touched to have been given this award and I would like to thank everyone who nominated me.
“There are so many people I could possibly thank in helping me to achieve such recognition across the Yorkshire and Humber region. It’s quite a humbling experience to win such an award as this. However, I am very honoured to have done so and would like to dedicate the award to colleagues at West Yorkshire Police Authority and Force, my family and friends, the many people in various organisations I work with and the voters in Castleford who enable me to do what I do by electing me as their local Councillor.
“When I became a Councillor nearly 12 years ago, my one main aim was to try and make a real difference to lives of local people in my home town of Castleford. I hope I have and will continue to try do so in some small way. I have been fortunate to have been given the opportunity to also try and make a difference at a regional level through my role on the Police Authority and have been privileged to work with some great people, both at the local level and with two special Chief Constables in Sir Norman Bettison and the late Colin Cramphorn.
“I am passionate about my local area and care very much about policing. I am very fortunate to be able to play such an active role in their improvement locally, nationally and all levels in-between. Many thanks to LGYH for enabling this award and all the other winners across the region to be recognised" |
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