The Chairman of Down District Council, Councillor William Dick, attended a Down district Building Control seminar on Friday 23 April 2010 and congratulated the staff on their recent success, “I am delighted to have received notification that Building Control’s contribution to the Construction Industry has been recognised. This is a significant achievement as it acknowledges staff commitment in providing a truly customer focused, quality service and recognises the organisation’s customer service culture.”

During the in-depth two day audit the Building Control service was assessed against the five core principles of the new Customer Service Excellence standard.

The auditor’s commented that local Builders and Architects praised the proactive way that Building Control staff responded to construction issues and noted how the department had developed close working relationships with the Planning Service and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service.

Gregory Bradley, District Building Control Manager said, “We are delighted as a team to have achieved this Award as it recognises the hard work and dedication of the staff in our commitment to continuously improve our service to the Industry and customers.”

The certification is valid for three years subject to annual monitoring.

Down District Council’s Building Control department has held Charter Mark was the Government’s award to public service organisations that deal direct with the public. The service has met the highest standards of customer service and have the evidence to prove they put their customers first.