In a field of top private and public sector organisations, Liverpool scooped a major local government award at the annual European Forum for Quality Management, in Berlin. The council picked up the European Quality Award for its business excellence and 'e-government readiness'. Judges praised the council for radically improving the quality of customer services. They praised the council's £300m joint venture with BT, Liverpool Direct Ltd, which is serving as a benchmark for many councils throughout Europe.
he European Quality Award is Europe's most prestigious award for organisational excellence. It recognises high quality customer service, staff, leadership and partnerships. The judging panel for the awards made up of senior managers from public and private sector organisations throughout Europe.
Liverpool city council leader Mike Storey, said: "I'm delighted Liverpool has earned this important recognition from Europe. It's testament to the work we are doing to become a leading-edge local authority.
"By driving up the quality of our services, we are making a real difference to people's lives. We have changed from a council with outdated working practices, to a local authority which is setting new standards. Our services are now grabbing attention for the right reasons - nationally and internationally."
Investment in new technology and new ways of working have seen Liverpool move from being one of the poorest performing local authorities in the UK to being officially ranked as a 'good council' by the Audit Commission.
Liverpool Direct Ltd has earned plaudits from top government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford. And it has helped win Liverpool a raft of awards, including the highest honour in local government - beacon status for Social Inclusion through ICT.
The city council's Executive Member for Customer and Corporate Services, Councillor Jeremy Chowings, said: "Winning this European award is yet another symbol of how far we have come in a short space of time. We are transforming council services through a huge number of pioneering initiatives.
"Liverpool is increasingly being seen as a council other organisations can learn from. I'm delighted our European counterparts have named us as a model of excellence.
Quelle: The City of Liverpool, 26.11.2004
