SWINDON Council has been handed more than £36,000 as a Government reward for being business friendly.

The cash has been handed to the council as part of a scheme designed to boost the local economy.

It will now be up to the authority to decide how the £36,366 pot is spent.

The Local Authority Business Growth Incentives scheme was launched last year by Chancellor Gordon Brown as an incentive for councils to encourage the growth of local businesses.

Traditionally, the revenue received by councils from business rates is paid to central government and then redistributed back on the basis of the size of the population.

But under the LABGI scheme councils receive a separate slice of funding which is dependent on how business friendly they have been during the last 12 months.

The size of Swindon's cash pot was worked out by how much the town's business premises increased their value over the year the so called "rateable value."

Swindon's reward was smaller than its neighbours North Wiltshire received £472,177 and Gloucester received £267,564.

But some areas including Bristol and North Somerset received no cash at all.

The Treasury Minister, John Healey, said: "Every local authority now has a direct financial incentive to promote enterprise, employment and the growth of small and medium sized businesses in the community and the freedom to influence local outcomes."