IT'S official - Chester residents are served by the best council in the UK.

Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) won two awards at the Association of Public Service Excellence Awards 2018 (APSE), including the prestigious Overall Council of the Year Award.

The awards were presented at a charity dinner in Edinburgh, following APSE’s two-day Annual Conference.

CWaC's Edge of Care Team, which provides tailored support to children and families, also won the APSE Best Innovation or Demand Management Award.

The judging panel said they were impressed by the council’s efforts to help vulnerable people thrive and lead more fulfilling lives.

Cllr Samantha Dixon, leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “We’re delighted and proud that the efforts of our teams to help people in our community improve their lives have been acknowledged with these awards.

“The council has spent the last couple of years making progress in addressing financial challenges, but at the same time delivered innovation to provide effective, local public services which focus on tackling deep rooted inequalities across the borough.

“We were able to demonstrate examples to the judges where communities have experienced real benefits in their everyday lives - and people from a wide variety of backgrounds have been supported to thrive."

She added: “The council will continue in its work to provide valuable services to the people of Cheshire West, and strive to maintain the high standards which were recognised in these award wins.”

The Edge of Care Team was recognised for helping children avoid the care system by listening to the views of children and their families, successfully managing issues and building strong support networks around the family.

School attendance, attainment, home conditions and self-esteem have improved for the majority of those supported.

Other areas of strength were recognised by APSE and contributed to the Overall Council of the Year Award. These include:

  • The borough’s Work Zones, which provide integrated employment support for residents. These have delivered 3,540 qualifications to date, and supported more than 2,500 people into work.
  • The Natural Health Service, which has improved the physical and mental wellbeing of residents with activities in Cheshire’s green spaces and natural environment.
  • The council’s broad ranging housing scheme, which has seen it become one of the leading developers in the borough. Through collaboration with the private sector and Homes England, the first new council homes in Cheshire West and Chester for 40 years have now been delivered.
  • The Library Services Team has dramatically enhanced the experience of people using the library services and increased visitor numbers, in contrast to the trend being seen nationally.

APSE Chief Executive Paul O’Brien said: "The winners are amongst the best at delivering outstanding local government frontline services. APSE works continually to encourage public service excellence and we are delighted our winners are so highly committed to delivering the best possible services for the benefit of their communities.”

The award win follows the recent success of reaching the nomination shortlist for Council of the Year at the Municipal Journal Awards.