CREDITON Town Council has received a prestigious award as part of the Local Council Award Scheme, achieving the highest accolade, the Quality Gold Award.

This achievement recognises that the Council achieves good practice in governance, community engagement and Council improvement.

Crediton Town Council has shown that it goes above and beyond legal obligations, leading its community and continuously seeks opportunities to improve and develop even further.

The Local Council Award Scheme is a peer-assessed programme that has been designed to both provide the tools and encouragement to those 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 through the sector working together to share best practice, drive 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.

Town Mayor Liz Brookes-Hocking said: “This is a great achievement and we should be pleased to have reached this standard in governance, community leadership and council development.

“We have been working steadily towards this over several years and it hasn’t happened overnight.

“There has to be a track record of past achievement and clear and credible plans for the future.  As district and county councils have devolved or cut some of their responsibilities, the town council has taken more on in order to deliver for our community.

“For us, this has included re-establishing youth services, managing Newcombes public toilets and developing Old Landscore School for community use.

“We are working hard with the community on the climate emergency and we’re constantly looking at ways of maintaining our properties and environment in the most sustainable way.

“There are challenges ahead but we will aim to respond positively and keep Crediton a great place in which to live.”

Town Clerk Rachel Avery said: “Crediton Town Council is on the front line of the Government’s localism agenda and we are doing all we can to deliver services whilst being efficient and cost-effective.

“We wish to continue, improve and increase our services, whilst improving our community engagement.”

Crediton Town Council is the first in the Devon Local Council Association area to achieve the Quality Gold Award.