Citizen's Charter: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
m Checkwiki error 52 + general fixes using AWB (8413) |
m add {{Use dmy dates}} |
||
| (33 intermediate revisions by 21 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|British political initiative}} |
|||
{{one source|date=August 2011}} |
|||
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} |
|||
The '''Citizen's Charter''' was a British political initiative launched by the then [[prime minister]], [[John Major]], on 22 July 1991, less than a year into his premiership.<ref name="auto">{{cite book|url=https://univ-paris12.academia.edu/JohnMullen/Papers/882457/John_Majors_Citizens_Charter._Fifteen_years_later|author=John Mullen|chapter=John Major’s Citizens Charter - fifteen years later|title=Citoyens ou Consommateurs|editor1=Raphaële Espiet-Kilty|editor2=Timothy Whitton|publisher=Presses Universitaire Blaise Pascal|year=2006}}</ref> |
|||
==Aims== |
|||
Citizen’s Charter is a document which represents a systematic effort to focus on the commitment of the Organization towards its Citizens in respects of Standard of Services, Information, Choice and Consultation, Non-discrimination and Accessibility, Grievance Redressal, courtesy and value for money. This also includes expectations of the Organization from the Citizen for fulfilling the commitment of the Organization. |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
The '''Citizen's Charter''' was a [[United Kingdom|British]] political initiative launched by the then [[Prime Minister]], [[John Major]], on 22 July 1991, less than a year into his premiership.<ref>For details about John Major, see the official [http://www.number10.gov.uk/history-and-tour/john-major-2/ Number 10 Downing Street] web site.</ref> |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
All public services, from hospitals to prison services, local government offices to fire services, would have to publish clear targets for levels of service.<ref name="auto"/> NHS patients would have guaranteed time limits for all consultations,<ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/22/newsid_2516000/2516139.stm|title=1991: Citizen's charter promises better services|date=22 July 1991|work=BBC News}}</ref> and there were individual Charters for schools,<ref name="auto1">{{cite book|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmpubadm/411/41105.htm|title=House of Commons - Public Administration - Twelfth Report|publisher=The Committee Office, House of Commons}}</ref> housing tenants<ref name="auto1"/> and motorists.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/> Those bodies that were meeting their defined standards were granted a "[[Charter Mark]]". |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
The charter ensures the following:- |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
:1) quality by improving services |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
:2) choices for the user |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
:3) standards specifying what to expect within a time frame |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
:4) value for the taxpayers' money |
|||
*Saving time of both executant and the clientele |
|||
:5) accountability of the service provider |
|||
:6) transparency in rules and procedures |
|||
One part of the initiative was the granting of "[[Charter Mark]]s" to those public bodies meeting defined standards. |
|||
:7) proper code of conduct and grievance redressal mechanism. |
|||
[[Dennis Kavanagh]] described Major's motivation for this policy as his new perspective on public services. Having rejected privatisation of health and education, he wanted to raise the standing of the services and insisted that consumers should be treated more sensitively.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kavanagh|first=Dennis|date=2009-03-01|title=John Major’s political legacy|url=https://journals.openedition.org/osb/717|journal=Observatoire de la société britannique|language=en|issue=7|pages=27–35|doi=10.4000/osb.717|issn=1775-4135}}</ref> |
|||
==Reception== |
==Reception== |
||
===Overview=== |
|||
The initiative was widely criticized for claiming to improve public services while reducing money available for them, and for introducing private methods of management in the public sector. |
|||
The initiative was criticised by some for claiming to improve public services while reducing the money available for them, and for introducing private methods of management in the public sector. It was also claimed that the result was a "box-ticking mentality" concentrating on the measurable, rather than on the individual users of services. Many in Major's own government were lukewarm about the initiative.<ref>{{cite book|author=John Major|title=John Major: The Autobiography|publisher= Phoenix Books|year=1999|page=252}}<be>- {{cite book|author=Anthony Seldon|title=Major: A Political Life|publisher=Harper Collins|year=1997|page=190}}</ref> Some elements of the Charter idea were also unsuccessful, notably the much-derided "[[Cones Hotline]]".<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/><ref>{{Cite news |title=Cones Hotline put into cold storage |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |author=Christian Wolmar |date=19 September 1995 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/cones-hotline-put-into-cold-storage-1601950.html}}</ref> However, many have since praised the initiative as improving the culture and transparency of the public sector.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hickson |first=Kevin |editor1-last=Hickson |editor1-first=Kevin |editor2-last=Williams |editor2-first=Ben |title=John Major - An Unsuccessful Prime Minister? Reappraising John Major |publisher=Biteback Publishing |date=2017 |pages=42 |chapter=3. John Major and the Evolution of British Conservatism |isbn=978-1-785-90271-0}}<br />- {{cite book |last=Norton |first=Philip |editor1-last=Hickson |editor1-first=Kevin |editor2-last=Williams |editor2-first=Ben |title=John Major - An Unsuccessful Prime Minister? Reappraising John Major |publisher=Biteback Publishing |date=2017 |pages=86 |chapter= 5. The Constitution |isbn=978-1-785-90271-0}}</ref> |
|||
All new applications for Charter Marks were officially closed on 30 June 2008 and the scheme was terminated in 2010, with the officially declared final validity date being 30 June 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/chartermark/new_standard.aspx |title=The New Standard |publisher=Cabinet Office|access-date=6 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006093444/http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/chartermark/new_standard.aspx |archive-date=6 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was replaced with a similar [[Customer Service Excellence]] scheme. |
|||
== Sources == |
== Sources == |
||
| Line 25: | Line 36: | ||
{{John Major}} |
{{John Major}} |
||
== Bibliography == |
|||
[Academic paper on the citizen's charter http://univ-paris12.academia.edu/JohnMullen/Papers/882457/John_Majors_Citizens_Charter._Fifteen_years_later ] |
|||
[[Category:Programmes of the Government of the United Kingdom]] |
[[Category:Programmes of the Government of the United Kingdom]] |
||
| Line 34: | Line 41: | ||
{{UK-gov-stub}} |
{{UK-gov-stub}} |
||
[[hi:नागरिक घोषणापत्र]] |
|||
[[pa:ਸਿਟੀਜ਼ਨ ਚਾਰਟਰ]] |
|||
Latest revision as of 05:19, 23 April 2022
The Citizen's Charter was a British political initiative launched by the then prime minister, John Major, on 22 July 1991, less than a year into his premiership.[1]
Aims
[edit]It aimed to improve public services in the UK by:[1]
- Making administration accountable and more user-focused.
- Ensuring transparency and the right to information in an open and easy to understand manner.
- Taking measures to improve performance in the civil service.
- Adopting a stakeholder approach.
All public services, from hospitals to prison services, local government offices to fire services, would have to publish clear targets for levels of service.[1] NHS patients would have guaranteed time limits for all consultations,[2] and there were individual Charters for schools,[3] housing tenants[3] and motorists.[2] Those bodies that were meeting their defined standards were granted a "Charter Mark".
The charter ensures the following:-
- 1) quality by improving services
- 2) choices for the user
- 3) standards specifying what to expect within a time frame
- 4) value for the taxpayers' money
- 5) accountability of the service provider
- 6) transparency in rules and procedures
- 7) proper code of conduct and grievance redressal mechanism.
Dennis Kavanagh described Major's motivation for this policy as his new perspective on public services. Having rejected privatisation of health and education, he wanted to raise the standing of the services and insisted that consumers should be treated more sensitively.[4]
Reception
[edit]Overview
[edit]The initiative was criticised by some for claiming to improve public services while reducing the money available for them, and for introducing private methods of management in the public sector. It was also claimed that the result was a "box-ticking mentality" concentrating on the measurable, rather than on the individual users of services. Many in Major's own government were lukewarm about the initiative.[5] Some elements of the Charter idea were also unsuccessful, notably the much-derided "Cones Hotline".[2][6] However, many have since praised the initiative as improving the culture and transparency of the public sector.[7]
All new applications for Charter Marks were officially closed on 30 June 2008 and the scheme was terminated in 2010, with the officially declared final validity date being 30 June 2011.[8] It was replaced with a similar Customer Service Excellence scheme.
Sources
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c John Mullen (2006). "John Major's Citizens Charter - fifteen years later". In Raphaële Espiet-Kilty; Timothy Whitton (eds.). Citoyens ou Consommateurs. Presses Universitaire Blaise Pascal.
- ^ a b c "1991: Citizen's charter promises better services". BBC News. 22 July 1991.
- ^ a b House of Commons - Public Administration - Twelfth Report. The Committee Office, House of Commons.
- ^ Kavanagh, Dennis (1 March 2009). "John Major's political legacy". Observatoire de la société britannique (7): 27–35. doi:10.4000/osb.717. ISSN 1775-4135.
- ^ John Major (1999). John Major: The Autobiography. Phoenix Books. p. 252.<be>- Anthony Seldon (1997). Major: A Political Life. Harper Collins. p. 190.
- ^ Christian Wolmar (19 September 1995). "Cones Hotline put into cold storage". The Independent.
- ^ Hickson, Kevin (2017). "3. John Major and the Evolution of British Conservatism". In Hickson, Kevin; Williams, Ben (eds.). John Major - An Unsuccessful Prime Minister? Reappraising John Major. Biteback Publishing. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-785-90271-0.
- Norton, Philip (2017). "5. The Constitution". In Hickson, Kevin; Williams, Ben (eds.). John Major - An Unsuccessful Prime Minister? Reappraising John Major. Biteback Publishing. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-785-90271-0. - ^ "The New Standard". Cabinet Office. Archived from the original on 6 October 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
.jpg)
.svg){kind=small} | This article related to government in the United Kingdom or its constituent countries is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |