YORK has some of the best street cleaning and waste collection services in the country - and that's official.

City of York Council's StreetScene, Waste Collection and Cleaning Services, have been awarded Charter Mark Standard - the Government's national standard for excellence in customer service.

Charter Mark is recognised as the tool for continuous improvement in customer service and is unique in focusing on the service that the customer actually receives.

Terry Collins, the council's Neighbourhood Services director, said: "The Charter Mark Standard is a very challenging one to meet and is seen as a measure of a quality service.

"It reflects not only the council's commitment to improving street level services, but also the hard work and dedication of everyone who works within the StreetScene, Waste Collection and Cleaning Services teams.

"The Charter Mark shows that we try to put our customers first and try to go the extra mile, but we will not rest on our laurels and will continue to push standards even higher.

"A review of street scene services began last month and should be completed by the autumn. We hope that that the review will result in improved service delivery because we recognise that clean streets and publicly accessible spaces are a priority for many of our customers."