Outgoing CEO of Peterborough City Council, Gillian Beasley, is to be given the freedom of the city.
The retiring chief executive is also chief executive of Cambridgeshire City Council.
Cllr Peter Hiller won support for his proposal at the city council on December 8.
He said there were not many he could think of who “could eclipse or even match the contribution that Gillian Beasley OBE has made to our city.
“She has dedicated most of her life to public service, a career spanning just short of 40 years, almost half of which she has been at the helm of Peterborough City Council”.
Cllr Hiller said: “Gillian has dedicated her whole life to public service and has spent her career working and excelling in many local government roles, helping to make a real difference to so many people.”
Ms Beasley said in response that the award would be “the greatest honour of my life”.
She entered local government locally in 1989 when she joined Cambridgeshire County Council as assistant solicitor in the child protection team.
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