CHARTER MARK NEWS RELEASE 027/01
Everyone''s a Winner
Bouncers in Nottingham and over 250 hectares of Parks and Nature reserves for the local community are not the first things that spring to mind when considering a government award scheme for customer service. Yet initiatives like these have helped two East Midlands public sector organisations win coveted Charter Mark Awards. They are among 43 in the region celebrating winning the Government''s gold medal for public service. They will be among the 744 winners presented with their awards on Tuesday 13th February.
The work of Nottingham City Council''s Food and Licensing Service includes over 3,000 registered food businesses, 1,500 licensed taxis, 230 premises licensed for public entertainment''s and 1,200 registered door supervisors.
Erewash Borough Council''s Park''s Services is located around the market towns of Ilkeston and Long Eaton and provides over 250 hectares of Parks and Nature reserves for the local population of 107,000. Charter Mark success has been typified by the professional and committed approach of the staff in making the parks service more customer focused and friendly. These are just two of this year''s 744 Charter Mark winning organisations, all of which have gone the extra mile in providing better customer service. Charter Mark is the Government award scheme designed to recognise exemplary delivery of public services. This year''s award winning organisations have been highly praised for listening, innovating, improving and putting the customer back into customer service. Dr Mo Mowlam, Minister for the Cabinet Office commented;
"With Charter Mark everyone''s a winner. Over 50,000 children attend Charter Mark schools, 5,000 firemen work in Charter Mark accredited stations and 20,000 students attend Charter Mark colleges and universities. But it goes further than this; parents, teachers, tax payers and entire communities are all beneficiaries of improved customer service."
Ian McCartney, Cabinet Office Minister added;
"All 744 Charter Mark winning organisations have gone the extra mile in providing better customer service. People are right to condemn bad customer service but we should also praise those organisations who do listen, respond and improve services to their customers.
"Charter Mark is not just another badge. It rewards the pride and passion that British workers have for their jobs. Jobs that benefit us all but we often take for granted."
Another winner is Derbyshire County Council''s Social Services Green Farm project. A specialist housing project in Chesterfield with care provision for people with learning disability. Chrissy Wright, Quality Assurance Service Manager, said:
"We''re delighted that Green Farm project has won a Charter Mark award. Thanks to all the hard work of everyone concerned Green Farm gives excellent quality care to its residents."
Charter Mark is the Government award scheme designed to recognise exemplary delivery of public services. Charter Marks are awarded only after rigorous assessment by accredited assessors. Final decisions are made by the panel of independent judges. This year''s award winning organisations have been highly praised for listening, innovating, improving and putting the customer back into customer service.
There will be a collective Charter Mark Smile on the 13th February when all the winners are presented with their awards at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
1. To win a Charter Mark, organisations must demonstrate that they meet ten criteria: - Set standards of service - Be open and provide full information - Consult and involve - Encourage access and the promotion of choice - Treat all fairly - Put things right when they go wrong - Use resources effectively - Innovate and improve - Work with other providers - User satisfaction.
2. A full list of winners is available at http://www.chartermark.gov.uk. 3. From the 744, winners, 498 have won the award for the first time, 187 are second time winners and 59 have demonstrated outstanding levels of achievement by winning a Charter Mark for the third time. 36% of winners came from local government, 18.5% from the health sector, and 14.5% from the education sector.
4. Charter Mark is a central part of the Modernising Government programme to improve the quality of public services, making them more accessible and user-friendly by listening and responding to users.
5. Final decisions on Charter Mark applications are made by a panel of independent judges chaired by Baroness Perry of Southwark.
6. Charter Marks are awarded for three years, after which organisations must apply to renew their award. To win another Charter Mark, organisations must show real improvements in service. A Charter Mark may be withdrawn at any time by the judging panel if standards fall below the high quality expected of a Charter Mark holder.
7. Any public service providing a service direct to the public, which manages its own staff and budget can apply for a Charter Mark. Voluntary organisations who receive more than 10% of their income from public funding and also commercial organisations which are sub-contractors to the public sector can also apply for Charter Mark.
8. For details of the involvement and individual awards from this year''s Charter Mark charity sponsors - Save the Children Fund, Age Concern and Help the Aged, please contact the following: SCF: Shelia Boswell (020 7 716 2281) Age Concern: Andrew Allsop (020 8 679 8000) Help the Aged: Lawrence Christensen (020 7 278 1114)
9. East Midlands winners table attached.
CHARTER MARK 2000: EAST MIDLANDS WINNERS
Name of organisation Department/Section Contact Tel: Erewash Borough Council Parks Division Martin Latimer 0115 907 2315 Employment Service North Derbyshire District Jeanette Ward 0115 9895965 Amber Valley Borough Council Housing Division, Care Services Business Unit Jeremy Dickinson 01773 841 406 Amber Valley Borough Council Development Policy Unit Derek Stafford 01773 841581 Amber Valley Borough Council Tourism Unit Reg Whitworth 01773 841 485 Derbyshire County Council Social Services - Green Farm Project Chrissy Wright 01246 347 700 Derbyshire County Council Step Up 2000 Simon Foster 01332 715 906 North East Derbyshire District Council Environmental Health Division Anne Cocking 01246 231 111 x 2474 Employment Service South Derbyshire District Jeanette Ward 0115 9895965 Derbyshire Constabulary
Charles Charles 01773 841351 Amber Valley Borough Council Local Land Charges Sue Hewkin 01773 841616 Amber Valley Borough Council Amber Valley Leisure Jackie Goacher 01773 841436 Leicester City Council Consumer Protection Service Peter Dunkley 0116 299 5612 Leicester City Council Environment & Development Dept - Domestic Noise Control Service Paul Toplass 0116 252 6424 Loughborough College
Diane Harris 01509 618 360 Employment Service Lincolnshire and Rutland District Jeanette Ward 0115 9895965 Walton Girls'' High School
Rosalind Gulson 01476 563251 North Kesteven District Council Forward Planning & Development Control Units Peter Dryburgh 01529 414155 extn 403 Castle Hills Community School
David Jones 01427 612 411 Post Office Counters Ltd Lincoln Branch Office Duncan Curtis 01522 513004 Lincoln District Healthcare NHS Trust
Edie Butterworth 01522 546546 Lincolnshire Police
Jayne Christer 01522 558 243 Daventry District Council Training & Employment Service Jane Murray 01327 701504 Daventry District Council Housing Services Nigel Bruno 01327 302 220 Employment Service Northamptonshire District Jeanette Ward 0115 9895965 Daventry District Council Department of Architecture & Engineering Paula Green 01327 302425 Northampton Borough Council Community Services - Leisure Division Ian Stupple 01604 635221 Employment Service Greater Nottingham District Jeanette Ward 0115 9895965 Nottingham City Council Environmental Servies - Health and Safety Enforcement Alec Thompson 0115 915 6106 Nottingham City Council Environmental Services - Waste Management Malcolm Price 0115 915 6118 Gedling Borough Council Planning & Building Control Services - Building Control Section David Ewing 0115 901 3741 Bramcote Hills Primary School
Andrew Pearson 0115 917 9226 Nottingham City Council Environmental Services - Road Safety Stewart Thompson 0115 9156055 Nottingham City Council Housing Department - Housing Advice Team Anthony Davidson 0115 915 3092 Nottingham City Council Environmental Services- Food and Licensing Timothy Coulson 0115 915 6781 Court Service Crown Court at Nottingham Pat Gamble 0115 910 3551 Nottinghamshire County Council County Contact Charmaine Arbouin 01623 476 800 Nottinghamshire County Council Community Services Department - Libraries, Archives and Information Mark Wright 0115 9774915 Newark and Sherwood District Council Housing Services Duncan Kerr 01636 655500 New College Nottingham
Annie Strong 0115 916 6410 Nottingham City Council Public Health Section, Environmental Services Department James Barrie 0115 915 6790 Rushcliffe Borough Council Revenues Services Colin Hogg 0115 9148 235 Bassetlaw Hospital & Community Services NHS Trust Hotel & Site Services Ros Newton 01909-502 757
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