The Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, Lesley Legge, said public-sector organisations had a lot to gain from entering the Oxfordshire Businenss Awards.

She said the 50 staff at Oxfordshire Registration Service, which runs the Oxford Register Office, had been given a huge boost from winning the Customer and Staff Care award.

"It helps to get an acknowledgement of our strengths on the service side. Externally, people who are making inquiries have recognised our achievement."

Nigel Strick, the head of the service, which provides more 3,000 wedding ceremonies a year, said: "It is very prestigious "From a local authority point of view, it is nice to be up against the private sector and to get acknowledgement that there are parts of the county council which are very commercial.

"It's quite a small service and what the award has done is to help us raise our profile.

"I would recommend anyone to enter - it allows you to judge yourself against the best in the county.

Assistant head Jacquie Bugeja said: "We deal with people experiencing a very important part of their lives, so it is vital to give the best possible service and we are delighted to be recognised."