27 June 2008
National customer service award for Wealden
Wealden District Council has just been awarded a Corporate Charter Mark. Wealden is only the seventh local authority to receive Corporate Charter Mark status, which is the Government's national award for excellence in customer service.
It is also the first local authority to achieve Corporate Charter Mark in East or West Sussex or Kent.
"Everyone at Wealden is thrilled to receive this award. Putting people first is at the heart of what we do as a council," said Councillor Pam Doodes, Leader of Wealden District Council. "Through the Charter Mark process, we have been able to improve our procedures to ensure that our customers get a really good service from us."
"As one of the largest district councils in the South East, we are involved in millions of customer transactions each year. We want to get our service right. Just because residents have no choice about who collects their refuse or approves planning applications doesn't mean we should not give the best service we can afford."
In order to be awarded the Corporate Charter Mark, all 12 of Wealden's services had to individually apply for Charter Mark status, and be independently assessed by outside experts.
"Our elected councillors had been looking how the council serves its customers and concluded that applying for Charter Mark status was the best way to raise our game across the board," said Charles Lant, Chief Executive. "It involves thinking out how best we can match what we do with the expectations of our customers. Our staff at all levels of the organisation have proved a great resource when it comes to looking at innovative ways of improving things."
"They have worked hard to achieve this award. I know good service means a lot to staff at Wealden, and I am tremendously proud of what they have achieved."
Good customer service is an ongoing process and Wealden will be looking to build on its Charter Mark Success by working towards the Government's new Customer Service Excellence award.
Examples of Wealden's approach to customer service are featured in a short film; "Putting People First at Wealden". This film was produced by the Local Government TV channel. It forms one in a series of films showcasing examples of best practice. These films were shown at the Local Government Association's annual conference in Bournemouth on 1-3 July 2008.
If you would like to view "Putting People First at Wealden", please visit the Local Government Channel web site.
"Putting People First at Wealden" looks at how Wealden District Council puts improving customer service at the heart of all it does. The film shows examples of good customer service at Wealden, including our doorstep recycling service.
