Great Maplestead Parish Council has maintained its FOUNDATION level of the Local Council Award Scheme (LCAS), which means this accolade will remain current until 2028.
The Council was approaced by EALC (Essex Association of Local Councils) in Autumn 2014 to see if it would be 
This was presented to Ann Crisp, the Parish Clerk, at the December 2015 Parish Council 
The notification that the Council had maintained its FOUNDATION level status for a further 4 years was received by the Clerk in March 2019. The Certificate was presented to Steve Harris, the then Vice Chairman, at the September 2019 EALC AGM in Great Dunmow by the President of the EALC Cllr John Jowers (right).
The presentation of the 2024-28 Certificate was made by the Essex Association of Local Council’s Vice Chair Mike Eldred and took place at the Parish Council's Annual Meeting on 15th May 2024, as reported in the EALC's June 2024 newsletter:
What is the Local Council Award Scheme?
The Local Council Award Scheme was launched in January 2015.
Local Councils are at the very heart of their communities; giving neighbourhoods a voice and making people more involved in the decisions that affect them. Over 15 million people (35% of the population) live in the communities served by Local Councils who want to serve their communities as best they can and make a real difference to the lives of the people that live there.
The Local Council Award Scheme was designed to celebrate the successes of the very best Local Councils, and to provide a framework to support them all to improve and develop to meet their full potential. The scheme offers Councils the opportunity to show that they meet the standards set by the sector, assessed by their peers, and to put in place the conditions for continued improvement.
The Award Scheme was designed to provide the tools and encouragement to Councils at the beginning of their improvement journeys, as well as promoting and recognising Councils that are at the cutting edge of the sector. It is only through the sector working together, sharing best practices, driving up standards and supporting those who are committed to improving their offer to their communities that individual Councils and the sector as a whole will reach its full potential.
3 Levels are available:
1. Foundation
2. Quality
3. Gold
There are 10,480 Parish and Town Councils in England and, of the 307 in Essex, only 29 have achieved Foundation Award level.
Why did Great Maplestead Parish Council apply?
There are a range of reasons why a Council benefits from taking part in the Award Scheme. For those Councils who are already confident that they perform to a high standard the scheme provides assurance that it is up-to-date and progressive by the standards set by the sector. For those who wish to improve, it provides a framework to plan and make the first steps, helping the Council improve performance and confidence, with policies in place for continuous development.
Winning the award should be celebrated by Councillors and Officers, as their commitment and hard work is recognised and respected.
- The Award is a tool that Councils can use when working with the local community or other local partners, giving them confidence that the Council is delivering to a national professional standard.
- The Scheme contributes to the national reputation of Local Councils demonstrating achievements and a commitment to improvement.
The Foundation Award shows that Great Maplestead Parish Council meets a set of minimum standards that enables it to deliver effectively for the community:
- It demonstrates that the Council has the required documentation and information in place for operating lawfully and according to standard practice.
- It also demonstrates that the Council has policies for training for its Councillors and Officers and so has the Foundation for improvement and development in place.
- It allows the Council to benchmark its performance and challenges it to consider its own continuing development and improvement.
The Foundation Level Award has to be re-applied for and the Council's standards are re-assessed every 4 years.