WORK in the borough to help people avoid being left without a place to call home has been recognised as among the best in the country.

Wigan Council has gained recognition from the National Practitioner Support Service and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) for its projects to help prevent homelessness.

It has become the second council in the country to be awarded bronze status on the Gold Standard Programme meaning many of its initiatives are being shared nationally to help other councils improve their services.

Among the measures are increasing cold weather provision to minimise the risks for rough sleepers over the winter months.

And Wigan Council also has a strong No Second Night Out Partnership using outreach work to help anyone who finds themselves in a crisis not to spend a two nights in a row sleeping rough.

Cllr Chris Ready, cabinet member for communities and housing, said: “As an authority we are committed to preventing homelessness and to ensuring there is continuous improvement in our service delivery for customers.

“By embarking on the gold standard programme the authority has been able to deliver more efficient and cost effective homelessness prevention services whilst also benefitting from others experience and expertise.”