PRIME Minister Tony Blair has written a letter to congratulate a council on its public services.

Stockton Library Service has now received its third Charter Mark award - the national standard for customer service excellence.

Mr Blair sent a signed letter to performance and improvement co-ordinator Anne Tingle and her staff following the award.

He wrote: "Please pass on my congratulations to everyone involved. This is not a standard that is easily achieved and is a tribute to your organisation."

The award was first gained in 1999, again in 2002, and following assessment in November, the third Charter Mark was awarded, which will be held for three years.

In his recommendation, the assessor said: "The service has been active in consulting its users, especially young children, and receives very favourable feedback from its users, who think highly of the service. There is a culture of continuous improvement across all areas of the service.

"Staff are enthusiastic, creative in how they use their resources and committed to partnership working and social inclusion."

Councillor Jean O'Donnell, Stockton Borough Council's cabinet member for arts, leisure and culture, said: "This is a great accolade. It is very pleasing to know that the enthusiasm and dedication of staff has been justly recognised by Tony Blair."

Andrea Barker, the council's head of lifelong learning, said: "This is an excellent achievement. The Charter Mark focuses on the service actually provided to the customer and to gain Charter Mark status three times shows the dedication and commitment of all library staff to delivering and sustaining a high-quality, customer-focused service."