THE company managing Bolton's council housing has been given top marks by Government inspectors.

Bolton at Home received the coveted Audit Commission three-star award for delivering excellent housing and regeneration services to its 20,000 customers.

The organisation was first inspected in July, 2003, receiving two stars from a possible three and was given "excellent prospects for improvement."

Cllr Noel Spencer, chairman of Bolton at Home, said: "Getting independent recognition that Bolton at Home is a three-star excellent housing provider, is most definitely the highlight of my career."

Julie Slatter, Audit Commission lead housing inspector, said: "We found that Bolton at Home was strongly focused on the needs of its customers and offered a variety of meaningful ways for tenants to be involved.

"We were impressed by its culture of learning and improving and its history of addressing weaknesses."

Since taking over the borough's council houses in December, 2002, Bolton at Home has completely reorganised both the structure and the service delivery in order to improve the organisation, and to put its 20,000 customers first.

Richard Smallman, chief executive of the Bolton Affiliation of Tenants and Residents Associations (BATRA), said: "Both staff and volunteers across the organisation have worked tirelessly to improve and create an organisation that really does deliver first-class housing services.

"We must now acknowledge that achieving three stars is not a destination, but a journey.

"Everyone involved has a duty to continue to involve customers in Bolton at Home's improvements, because this really is the only way to give customers the service that they want and deserve."