A BURY Council department has been shortlisted for an award to recognise excellence in local public sector organisations.

The council's Social Development Team has been nominated for the iNetwork Innovation award, for Innovative Access to Public Services, for their digital platform The Bury Directory and Quality of Life Wheel.

The team have made it into the final four entries after being nominated, subjected to a public vote and finally being independently reviewed and graded by an elected judging panel.

An awards ceremony will take place on January 30 in Manchester, where the category winners will be announced.

Councillor Rishi Shori, Leader of Bury Council, said: "I was delighted to find out that Bury Council has been shortlisted for the Innovative Access to Public Services Award in the iNetwork Awards for the Bury Directory and Quality of Life Wheel – we are keeping our fingers crossed.

"Both are key examples of tools that focus on signposting people to neighbourhood based support as opposed to costly statutory services.

"What is particularly good about them is that they enable people to take charge of their own health by providing everything they need to know in one place."

The Bury Directory website provides a one-stop information and advice point, combining information on children, families and adults together for the first time.

It features a range of functions including language translation, accessibility features and Bury specific accreditation schemes.

The Quality of Life Wheel is an in built function of the directory, pulling together services from across the site.

It enables residents to create personalised wellbeing plans designed around the aspects of their life that mean the most to them.

The website, co-designed by the council's Social Development Section in partnership with digital products company Open Objects and the public, is an asset based system focussing on guiding people to neighbourhood based support within their local communities, rather than expensive statutory services.

For more information visit www.theburydirectory.co.uk