21 - Council service awarded Charter Mark

Archived news release from 2007

A Dudley Council directorate has been praised for retaining its Charter Mark award for excellence in customer services.

 

The Directorate of Finance, ICT and Procurement employs about 600 staff. It is responsible for: dealing with housing and council tax benefit claims; collecting council tax and business rates; providing information and communication technology support to the council; providing the council with financial advice and support, including preparing budgets and accounts, giving advice on procurement and ensuring best value through an ongoing audit process.

 

This prestigious award, from the Government’s cabinet office, rewards excellence in customer service. It is based on a detailed assessment of 65 different criteria, such as how well services communicate with customers and how efficiently resources are used.  It recognises continuous improvement in providing services that meet the needs of customers.

 

The Charter Mark assessor was particularly complimentary about the ‘excellent leadership’ displayed and saw the ‘professional, dedicated and enthusiastic’ staff as a major strength of the service. He also noted that services had improved since the last review and that customer satisfaction was high.

 

 

“In retaining the Charter Mark standard, the Directorate of Finance, ICT and Procurement has confirmed that the high quality services it provides to the residents of the borough, and the council in general, have been maintained and improved since the last review.”