Paisley has been voted the best town in the UK and Ireland in recognition of an “outstanding” effort to transform its fortunes.

The honour was announced at the Academy of Urbanism awards ceremony in London, where Paisley saw off competition from fellow finalists Barnsley, in Yorkshire, and Chelmsford, in Essex.

Paisley is the first Scottish winner of the Great Town title since the inaugural awards in 2006.

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Voted on by academy members, entrants are judged against a number of social, economic and environmental factors.

Judges ruled that, although Paisley failed to secure the title of UK City of Culture for 2021, the process of developing its bid "won over the people of Paisley and, in turn, permanently changed the narrative of the place and direction of travel."

As part of the judging process, assessors visited Paisley in August, with lead assessor Michele Grant commending the town for its use of heritage and culture.

She said: “Renfrewshire Council’s UK City of Culture bid is an outstanding example of how to shape a collective vision and build community confidence that delivers in the long term.

"The bid and its preparation has transformed the way local people and external organisations and individuals think and speak about the town.”

Renfrewshire Council’s investment in social housing was also praised as "impressive."

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Iain Nicolson, leader of Renfrewshire Council, said: “We are delighted that Paisley has been awarded the Great Town title – something that couldn’t have happened without tremendous support from all sections of the community.

“Work to revitalise our town centre and economy is already underway, with a £110million investment in the town centre and our venues and £276million of major infrastructure projects taking place in Renfrewshire as part of the Glasgow Region City Deal over the next decade."