A FORMER Trafford Council leader has been awarded an honorary degree by her former university.

Baroness Susan Williams was awarded the doctorate for services to government and regeneration by the University of Huddersfield.

She received the degree, 26 years after she received her original one in Applied Nutrition back in 1991.

In 1998 she was elected as a Tory councillor to Trafford Council and was its leader from 2004 to 2009.

In 2010, she stood as the parliamentary candidate for Bolton West losing the election by just 92 votes, after six recounts.

She was made a baroness in 2013 by the then Prime Minister David Cameron.

Baroness Williams, who is currently a junior minister of state for the Home Office, has been involved in local government, regional devolution and economic regeneration and she has also served as a government whip in the House of Lords.