A TOP accolade has been scooped by Wychavon District Council when it came second in The Times Best Councils to Work For 2007 awards.

In all, 100 councils entered the awards, with 67 being shortlisted. From the shortlisted entries, a final group of 20 councils were put forward and Wychavon came second.

The Times, which runs the best company to work for awards, made its decision based on a corporate submission and a confidential questionnaire filled out by staff about what the council is like as an employer.

The questions were designed to reveal what staff really thought of their work place, their colleagues, managers, chief executive, pay, benefits and prospects.

Jack Hegarty, managing director, said: "This is another fantastic accolade for us and, off the back of being crowned LGC Council of the Year, we couldn't be happier. We really value our staff and it's always great to hear back from them on how they feel about working here and obviously it's great when it's positive too."

The council's success didn't end there as it was announced shortly afterwards that Wychavon had won the Best Leader award, which was presented to the leader whose workforce feels that its leader is most inspirational.

The award was collected by Mr Hegarty, who said: "This is a great endorsement by our staff of the way in which the council is managed."

Paul Middlebrough, leader of Wychavon District Council, said: "The best council award is a fantastic reflection on the success of the whole organisation. All of the Wychavon staff are a team who provide excellent services and enjoy working for Wychavon."

On the best leader award, he added: "It comes as no surprise that the staff have recognised the leadership shown by Wychavon's top managers as being outstanding. Much of the credit must go to Jack Hegarty, the managing director, whose enthusiasm and ability to deliver first class services is second to none in local government."