A PARISH council has become one of only six in the county to achieve a prestigious award.

Wakes Colne Parish Council has achieved the National Quality Gold Award in recognition of the way it operates.

The award, which has only been achieved by 40 councils across the whole country, was presented to parish clerk Diane Jacob and councillors Kathy Brown, Monica Taylor and acting chairman Stephen Scrase on Monday.

The award was presented at a ceremony at Colchester Town Hall by Colchester mayor Peter Chillingworth and the mayoress.

Joy Darby, of the Essex Association of Local Councils, said: “The Quality Gold Award demonstrates that a council is at the forefront of best practice and achieves excellence in governance, community leadership and council development and has excellent business planning processes, ensuring value for money as well as constantly seeking new innovations and opportunities to improve.

“Wakes Colne Parish Council highlights the very best we, as a sector, can achieve for our communities.

“For such a small parish council, with limited resources, the website exhibits evidence of considerable work that has successfully built on the two previous accreditations and appears to epitomise the purpose of the accreditation system.

“The level of work and presentation is highly commendable and Wakes Colne Parish Council should be an inspiration to other small councils.

“All credit to the clerk and councillors.”