Blackburn with Darwen Council's chief executive has represented the UK at a conference in The Netherlands to outline the borough's work on community cohesion and levelling up.

Denise Park was invited to attend the gathering in The Hague by the government's Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLHUC).

She missed the authority's budget and council tax setting Finance Council on Monday to attend the conference on 'Regional Policy in Practice'.

The Netherlands is currently in the process of trying to form a coalition government, following Geert Wilders’ anti-Islamist and anti-immigration far-right Freedom party (PVV) finishing first in elections last November.

Lancashire Telegraph: Geert WildersGeert Wilders

Blackburn with Darwen Council leader Cllr Phil Riley told Monday's meeting: "The eagle-eyed in here will have noticed that Denise isn't here and I thought it would just be of interest to everybody that she's actually in The Netherlands.

"She's actually at The Hague.

"As some of you will realise The Netherlands government are having difficulties with the developing far-right.

"They've asked the British government to talk to somebody who it perceives to have made a very good job of community cohesion and such like, and they have recommended Blackburn with Darwen Council which I think is a great tribute really.

"So Denise has gone there and is addressing a conference of various important people in The Netherlands and then taking part in workshops and such like.

"I thought it was worth sharing because it's a very positive story.

"It's a tribute really to a lot of the work that has been done in Blackburn with Darwen and it's kind of pretty impressive really to be recognised, not just by the British government but to be recognised on an international scale."

Ms Park said: "I couldn’t attend Finance Council myself as I was travelling to The Hague in the Netherlands to speak at a joint government event with local government representatives from different parts of the Netherlands attending too.

"I was really pleased to be invited by DLUHC to attend as it was an opportunity to share our experience in Blackburn with Darwen of working with the government on Levelling Up as well as how we work with our partners and communities on integration and cohesion."

The conference was also attended by civil servants from the department's Levelling Up team.