Colchester Council has received a very high rating for its leisure services in a recent independent inspection by the Audit Commission, placing it within the top ten of over 350 inspections carried out.

Out of 373 inspections of culture and leisure services around the country completed by the Commission, only seven groups received the 3-star rating for “excellent prospects for improvement”.

These were Guildford Spectrum Lesiure Centre, Sutton Library Service, Suffolk’s Leisure Centre, Tees Archaeology in Hartlepool, Warwick District Council’s Outdoor Rec, Hambelton Leisure Services and Colchester Council.

The inspectors for Colchester particularly noted high quality staff, a high level of satisfaction from local people with the leisure services available and strong, objective management.

Commenting on the inspection, Colchester Council’s portfolio holder for work and leisure, councillor Teresa Higgins said: “This is an excellent result. It underlines the importance of having a range of culture and leisure activities for young people and also supports the positioning of the town as a visitor destination.”