Fenland District Council has been reaccredited with the Cabinet Office’s customer service excellence (CSE) standard following an annual inspection. 

The CSE is as a national quality mark, recognising organisations in both the public and private sectors.

Following an assessment in June, an independent CSE assessor said the council has once again continued to meet the gold standard for customer service delivery.

Additionally, the assessor gave the council CSE ‘compliance plus’ accreditation in six areas.

Key strengths highlighted by the assessment report include:

• The use of staff insight into delivering excellent services was already at a high level in 2022, however this use of staff insight has increased even further with continued staff engagement.

• The council continues to expand access channels to its services, ensuring a range of options for residents. Traditional channels are maintained alongside digital platforms, catering to the needs of the elderly, vulnerable, or individuals lacking digital capabilities or inclination.

• The council continuously expands its network of partner organisations to meet the diverse needs of the community, including areas experiencing deprivation.

• It is apparent that all the strategies and policies presented were strongly influenced by resident insight, with the council going beyond the government guidelines in some cases, particularly in regard to the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Councillor Nick Meekins, council chairman, presented the CSE award to Councillor Steve Tierney, portfolio holder for transformation and communications, at a full council meeting on July 17.

Councillor Tierney said: "We are delighted to be reaccredited with the CSE.

"Fenland stands out as one of the few councils that consistently upholds this standard across all our services, whether they are customer-facing or internal.

"This reaffirms our unwavering commitment to prioritising the needs of local residents and businesses in everything we undertake.”