PENDLE Council has been awarded the Investors in People gold award.

Council chiefs said the award represented achievement of world class best practice only given to organisations operating at the very highest levels of people management.

Coun Joe Cooney, leader of Pendle Council, said: “This is great news for local residents who can be assured that their council is investing in its staff to run local services that best meet the needs of Pendle’s communities.”

The council was awarded the silver award earlier this year.

Only 14 points away from striking ‘gold’, the authority invited the assessor back earlier this month to view how it was meeting the criteria. Just three per cent of organisations that are awarded IIP status reach the gold standard.