The South Glos Post

South Gloucestershire Council’s planning development services have been re-accredited with the Government’s Customer Service Excellence (CSE) standard for providing high quality, customer-focused services.

The CSE is a national standard which recognises organisations with a firm focus on customer satisfaction and which go the extra mile to deliver it

Residents and businesses in South Gloucestershire who have ever had to contact the council to register a planning application, discuss a development control issue or any planning breaches will have dealt with a member of the development services team (pictured).

The council underwent re-accreditation and an independent on-site assessment of services was carried out in the summer. The assessors found that an “exemplary standard of customer service delivery” had been maintained since the last inspection in all of the assessment areas.

Examples of the improvements made to the services delivered by the team over the past 12 months include introducing a new text inspection request facility. This service was introduced following feedback from regular users of the service who wanted to text the council to request a site inspection during a construction project. Staff have also improved the electronic application registration process which has resulted in faster turnaround times for customers submitting planning and building control applications.

Award is a "great achievement" says councillor »

Source: South Gloucestershire Council

Voluntary and community groups in South Gloucestershire are being invited to bid for help with the running costs of projects that benefit local people.

The council’s small grants revenue scheme allocates up to £3,000 per project to help with running costs such as venue hire, staff costs or publicity.

Any scheme that meets local needs will be considered and applications can be submitted under categories including art and culture, children and play, community safety, promoting equality and tackling poverty.

Nearly 130 community groups benefited from the scheme last year, including:

• The Young at Heart 50 Plus Club in Bradley Stoke, which received £600 to help with the costs of coach outings and lunches out for members
• The Tytherington Village Shop Association, which received £600 towards the costs of the Tytherington Outreach Post Office scheme
• The South Gloucestershire Union of Disability Sports, which received £2,590 to help deliver safe and fun coaching sessions to disabled children

Learn more about the 2012/2013 grant scheme »

Source: South Gloucestershire Council

South Gloucestershire residents could see their council tax bills frozen for a second year running.

At its next meeting, the Council’s Conservative Cabinet plans to ask residents for their views on a second council tax freeze as part of a consultation on next year’s council budget.

Council tax rises have fallen steadily since the Conservatives started running South Gloucestershire Council as a minority administration in 2007 and bills were frozen this year.

In contrast, council tax rose by over 12 per cent in just one year under the Lib Dems.

Cllr John Calway (Con, Longwell Green), the authority’s Conservative Leader, said:

“These are tough times for local households with the cost of living continuing to increase.”

“It’s right that the council does its bit to ease the pain where it can and so we’re asking residents if they would back another freeze in their council tax bills.”

More: Council is "bearing down" on management costs »

Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council

Payments for council services made through South Gloucestershire’s post offices and local shops have rocketed by 59 per cent in the last year, new figures reveal.

Despite strong opposition from Labour and Lib Dem councillors, the authority’s Conservative administration transferred its cash payments service out of council’s three offices and into the larger existing network of local shops and post offices.

This was done last year to give residents greater choice of payment locations closer to them, to support local businesses and to make savings that have since been re-invested into building the council’s fourth one-stop-shop in Patchway, which opened this summer.

But Labour and the Lib Dems voted against the plans.

New figures have now revealed that, prior to the changes in 2010, approximately 60,000 transactions were made for council services through local post offices and shops, but this year has seen the figure leap to 95,000, so an increase of about 35,000, or 59 per cent.

Only Conservatives are committed to helping local traders, says councillor »

Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council