24 October 2003
The Charter Mark award is to be developed into a powerful tool within public sector reform, constitutional affairs minister Lord Filkin said this week.
Presenting awards at the 2002 Charter Mark award ceremony in London, Filkin said the scheme was to be expanded, with no limit on the number of organisations that can win the status.
He added that 'the awards are a very important part of the drive to modernise public services' because they showed what could be achieved by bodies determined to improve.
The ceremony rewarded 790 public service teams that have shown excellence in customer services.
Prime Minister Tony Blair congratulated the winners at the ceremony, which also marked the launch of a best practice guide, Leading from the front line, which is to be given to 30,000 senior managers across the public sector.
Wendy Thomson, the prime minister's adviser on public sector reform, said the book highlighted successful projects that were making a difference.
'It is services like these, led by committed people, that are setting the pace on reform and best practice,' she said.
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