AN Oxford city councillor has been named as the ‘Environment and Sustainability Pioneer’ of the year among local authority leaders.

Tom Hayes, who is the deputy leader of Oxford City Council, won the title at the 2020 Councillor Awards, a ceremony hosted by the Local Government Information Unit think tank and CCLA, a fund manager for local authorities.

Mr Hayes, who is also the council’s cabinet member for green transport and zero carbon Oxford, said he was delighted to have won the award.

He added: “Local government is the best place to work with people to achieve change. This award also belongs to the Oxford City Council team that it’s my honour to work with, local climate activists, and partners.”

A press statement from the awards ceremony organisers said judges chose Mr Hayes as the winner, because of ‘his fantastic work around Oxford combatting the ongoing impacts of climate change’.

The statement added: “Judges were impressed by the sheer number of projects he has delivered, projects that are strategic, tactical and long term and requiring of a huge amount of work. “

His fellow cabinet member Marie Tidball had also been nominated for the Covid-19 hero award.

The Councillor Awards, styled as the Cllr Awards, have been running for 11 years.

Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU said: “The winners are all outstanding examples of a councillor’s commitment to their communities – a commitment that has especially shone through this year. Being closest to the people, councillors are vital to ensuring that communities can thrive during periods of hardship. Thank you all for your service this year.

“I would like to extend my most sincere congratulations to Mr Hayes and thank him for his commitment to local government. We look forward to hearing more about his continued accomplishments in the future.”