CHAMPAGNE corks were popping at Malvern Hills District Council over the weekend after the authority received the highest-possible rating from local Government assessors.

The people of Malvern now officially have an “excellent” local council after an inspection team from the Audit Commission gave Malvern Hills a four-star rating – the best score there is – following an assessment earlier this year.

The Audit Commission is the independent Government body set up to watch how public money is spent, and its assessments for local councils are the equivalent of Ofsted inspections for schools.

Four-star rated councils are generally few and far between, and Malvern Hills is only the fourth district in the entire West Midlands region to achieve the status.

In Worcestershire, however, good local governance appears to be alive and well – Malvern Hills joins both Wychavon District Council and Worcestershire County Council as four-star authorities.

“I’m absolutely delighted, I really am,” said Tory council leader Serena Croad. “It’s been a long, hard year and we’ve got the reward we wanted.

“All the officers and all the elected members have worked really hard for this. It’s been a real team effort.”

Malvern’s achievement is particularly impressive as it has previously only held a two-star rating – meaning ‘fair’ – following its last inspection in 2004.