CHERWELL is one of the 10 best-performing district councils in the country, according to a new report.

It has been given an excellent rating by the Audit Commission, scoring 54 out of 60 in a comprehensive performance assessment.

Across the country there are 238 district councils and Cherwell say the score now puts it within the top five per cent.

The spending watchdog looked at the council’s ambitions, its ability to improve its services and what it had achieved since its last assessment.

Audit Commission senior manager Rob Hathaway said: “Cherwell District Council has made excellent progress since its last CPA inspection.

“The council is well-run and is achieving excellent outcomes for the local community.”

The authority, which has its headquarters in Bodicote, near Banbury, asked for the inspection after restructuring over the past few years.

It was last tested in 2004, when it was rated as good.

Council leader Barry Wood said: “The reason we sought reassessment is we felt very strongly that we had moved to excellent and wanted to prove it.”

Chief executive Mary Harpley said that the excellent rating was a major morale boost for the council’s staff.

The commission’s report recommended improvements in the council’s procurement activities and said it could link up with other authorities to put it in a stronger position.