STAFF at Chorley Council are celebrating news that they are among the best performing housing benefit services in the County.

The council was praised because on all six national performance indicators for the accuracy and speed of processing claims, Chorley was in the top 25 per cent of councils nationwide.

The figures for the first six months of last year, released by the Department of Works and Pensions, also showed that Chorley met the national standards, which have been set for four of the indicators.

Chorley Council leader Councillor John Wilson said: "This is a real achievement for a key group of our staff who deliver a vital service to a very high standard despite a seemingly endless succession of rule changes."

Chorley's Director of Finance George Graham, explained: "The council regards it as important to get the service right and is continuing to invest significant sums to ensure that this service we provide to the customer is improved."