The Living with Water team after winning the Excellence in Collaboration Award at the British Quality Foundation Awards.
The Living with Water team after winning the Excellence in Collaboration Award at the British Quality Foundation Awards.

Living with Water beats Dubai Police for international award

The Living with Water partnership has won an Excellence in Collaboration Award at the British Quality Foundation Awards 2019, beating the likes of Dubai Police, Sun Chemical and Ricoh UK.

The award comes just after the Environment Minister Therese Coffey visited Hull to officially open the biggest flood defence scheme in the country.

The BQF award was introduced as a new category in 2019, and acknowledges the role that working in collaboration plays in organisations’ successes.

The Living with Water team is a collaboration of Hull City Council, Yorkshire Water, East Riding of Yorkshire and the Environment Agency which is taking a fresh approach to addressing flood risk in Hull and the surrounding area.

Councillor Daren Hale, Deputy Leader of Hull City Council, said: “We are delighted to have been recognised for this prestigious award. The Living with Water partnership is a unique collaboration between four bodies who established a strong working relationship following the devastating floods of 2007.

“Preparation is critical for our city, and the team working across the Living with Water partnership have brought together a wealth of expertise to the forefront of climate change discussions that will not only help to shape our plans for future developments, but also impact the city’s position in terms of a becoming a resilient economic driver for the region.”

The Living with Water partnership has helped secure £3bn of public and private sector investment in the region since its conception, ensuring that reducing flood risk to residents and businesses is at the top of the city’s agenda.

Lee Pitcher General Manager for Living with Water says: “I already feel so privileged to be involved in the pioneering Living with Water partnership but to gain external recognition of just how ‘excellent’ and special this collaboration is – it’s quite simply awesome.”

The ceremony was held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on Thursday 16 May.

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