Each year the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) hosts the Star Council Awards, which recognises the local council sector's positive contribution to communities by rewarding local councils, councillors and clerks.

This year Paulton Parish Councillor Grant Johnson was nominated locally and has now been shortlisted for the final in the Young Councillor of the Year category, at the age of 29.

He is the only Councillor from the South West of England to be nominated this year. He said: "I don't really have the words to describe how incredibly amazed and flabbergasted I am to have been shortlisted for the final. Representing the village where I was born and raised is truly one of the greatest honours of my life and I am so proud that the work I do in our community is raising our village's profile to the national stage."

He continued: "As the only person representing the South West, I feel like there is a bit of pressure, but that decision is down to the judges now and I feel like my track record speaks for itself."

The winners and runners up in all the award categories will be announced at an online ceremony in the Autumn. See all the finalist by clicking HERE the NALC site

This is his citation

Cllr Grant Johnson has been interested in local issues and how councils operate for many years. He was elected to Paulton Parish Council in 2020.

Due to the pandemic, there has been no face to face meetings; despite this, Cllr Johnson has worked hard to establish good relationships with his fellow councillors. He has built good working relations with the councillors and staff and sits on committees, making full use of social media platforms to keep in touch and up to date with council and personnel issues.

During the pandemic, he initiated a local drive to get IT equipment to families without them for homeschooling through donations of unused laptops and tablets and reset by volunteers to be suitable for the children's use.

He was a key person in setting up the local food pantry providing free food for those in need with donations by the local community and charitable organisations. Other villages in the area have copied this model.

He used the council's magazine to communicate with residents during a difficult time for all.

He also ensured local businesses received support during the lockdown by promoting them as much as possible. This included a dog grooming business and the local football club's clubhouse, where he was pictured pulling a pint to help out with staffing.

He has been part of the parks and amenities committee that has organised the refurbishment of the skatepark, a heavily used local facility.

Under the green environmental banner, he has researched to find that his area is 'under planted' for trees and is setting up an initiative to see many more trees planted in his locality to redress the balance.

Cllr Johnson is also looking at ways to push the boundaries and raise the profile of the work the council does within the village. He is proactive in preparing professional social media updates and will always liaise with the officers within the council to encourage them to become better at sharing good news stories.