NEWCASTLE City Council's first customer service centre has won the Government's Charter Mark for customer service excellence.

The Charter Mark scheme is part of the Government's drive to modernise public services and it is awarded on the basis of results and customer satisfaction.

The customer service centre, at the Sandyford Road entrance to the Civic Centre, opened in July 2000 as part of the city council's programme to improve the quality and accessibility of services to customers.

In its report, the Charter Mark assessors highlighted the fact that customer service had been placed at the forefront of the city council's operations