At this week’s 2020 Exemplar Awards – organised by GeoPlace and National Land and Property Gazetteer in England & Wales (NLPG) - the council was named as one of the four recipients of ‘Best Address Data’ in the north west region. The authority also scooped one of the eight ‘Gold Achievement’ awards for address data in the same region.

The awards are open to anyone who uploads information to the NLPG – mainly local authorities – and highlight the integrity and quality of address and associated data.

Good quality address and street data underpin many aspects of local government business. From large transformation projects to smaller initiatives that look to deliver improvements in communities.

Marion Fitzgerald, Executive member for policy, governance and people resources, said:

“This is an incredible achievement and I’d like to congratulate everyone involved in making this work a success. This work, headed up by our GIS officer Martin Hilton, is a fantastic asset to the council and is a crucial tool in helping us as an authority make critical decisions about the area we serve.”

The council has picked up awards from this organisation in the past dating back to 2012 having won the ‘Best Address Data’ in the north west award five times alongside several other gold awards.

GeoPlace announced the award winners on Wednesday during a virtual ceremony which took the place of the organisation's annual conference.