EQUALITY and diversity work by Durham County Council has been praised as some of the best in the country.

The authority was one of only six authorities to take part in a pilot to be assessed for the Equality Standard for Local Government.

A two-day inspection by a team of independent assessors found "positive progress" was being made.

Councillor Dennis Morgan, cabinet member for organisational change and improvement, said: "At the end of the assessment, the team said we should be proud of our activities. We are at the stage where we have a solid framework for equality in place and it is beginning to make a difference in the way we deliver services.

"The assessment has been a robust test and we have been deemed to be one of the best pilot authorities."

As part of the assessment, the team spoke to council staff at all levels and to representatives of different communities across the county.

They said they were impressed at the positive way everyone had talked about equality and with their keenness to improve, remove barriers and make a difference.

Work on equality included a conference, earlier this year, to raise awareness of the Disability Discrimination Act. It attracted representatives from throughout the country.

This was followed by a Have Your Say event attended by about 150 disabled people from County Durham who identified improvements in service delivery and employment and resulted in the council's Disability Equality Scheme.