Angus Council’s determination to turn £3 million of public investment into £100m of private sector money and create more than 200 jobs in the process, has received national recognition.

At a prestigious national awards ceremony in London’s Park Lane this week, the council was named winner of the Innovation in Property and Asset Management award for its Montrose South Regeneration Project.

The project has been a remarkable success. Since 2013, the private sector has invested over £100m and created over 200 jobs with further investment in the pipeline.

Angus Council, working with partners, has led a project to breathe life back into a badly neglected, run down, challenging former industrial area. The £3.1m investment has resulted in the creation of the new spine road in Montrose that provides better access for businesses and port users and helps keep commercial and residential traffic apart.

The MJ Local Government Achievement Awards 2018 recognised that in the search for new sources of revenue, innovative local authorities, along with partners, are using property and other assets to generate new investment, deliver much-needed regeneration and enhance local areas. In awarding the accolade to Angus Council, judges considered original local authority-led projects that use assets to deliver proven benefits to communities. The national awards were launched in 2004 to recognise the best in local government services and personnel.

Accepting the award on behalf of Angus Council was economic spokesperson, Cllr Ron Sturrock; Walter Scott, service leader of roads and transportation; and Steve Wilson, the Montrose South regeneration officer.

Cllr Sturrock, who represents Montrose & District, said: “Winning this award is a clear demonstration of Angus Council’s commitment to working collaboratively with industry and communities to improve of economic prospects.

“We continue to work hard in progressing other investment opportunities across Angus. Only last week saw a meeting of stakeholders getting together to look at how our transport infrastructure can be improved to support our North Angus Growth Opportunity, which forms part of our bid for funding from the Tay Cities Deal. We are shaping the future of Angus. We look forward to achieving future successes, for which such awards are the icing on the cake.”

The MJ achievement awards are not solely about service recognition. They also provide a platform for the public sector to share their expertise with peers. The ceremony saw winners announced in 16 different categories across a wide range of council services, including integrated health and care, cultural services, housing, poverty-reduction, digital transformation, highways management, children’s services, communications, homecare, revenue-generation and public health.