Following Chartermark awards for Environmental Health and Building Control, East Devon District Council’s Licensing Service have gone one better, achieving a “Compliance Plus” assessment in the Government’s Customer Service Excellence scheme.

In doing so, the East Devon team become the first district council Licensing service in England to achieve this accolade, sponsored by the Cabinet Office.

The team deals with licensing of taxis and premises for entertainment, drink and gambling.

The independent assessor says in his report that he found East Devon’s Licensing team to have a deep understanding of, and a commitment to, customer service.

EXCEPTIONAL
A review of the team’s documentation was followed by an on-site assessment, when the assessor met colleagues and a cross-section of 10 of the Licensing team’s customers.

The Compliance Plus assessment reflects the fact that the team’s behaviours or practices exceed the standard requirements and are viewed as exceptional or an exemplar to others, either within the applicant’s organisation or in the wider public service arena.

Comments from service users included:
“They are very professional in what they do, with excellent rapport with customers”
and “It’s the best it’s ever been”.

The assessor concluded: “The [East Devon] licensing team is focused on providing an excellent level of service for all its customers, with a very strong team commitment to getting it right and achieving successful outcomes”.