North East Derbyshire District Council scooped the Small Business Support Award within the local authority category, from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The council beat off the competition from 18 other local authorities. Areas highlighted for praise by business leaders include: * Work to deliver £2.4m worth of funding to local businesses as part of the LEADER Approach project * The creation of the new IT training suites at Westthorpe Business Innovation Centre, as part of a partnership with the University of Derby and Chesterfield College.