NINETY-nine per cent of people who ring a hotline dealing with all Worcester City Council services are happy with the treatment they get, a survey has revealed.

That makes it the second best in the country, with Malvern Hills District Council's equivalent making it a one-two for the region by gaining the top spot.

All but one per cent of people trying to ring the council customer service centre between April and June were satisfied with the outcome, compared to 96 per cent in the previous year.

The survey also shows 92 per cent of people who called the hotline were dealt with during that first call, compared to 83 per cent for the previous 12 months.

The much-heralded customer service centre hotline opened in April 2004 so people could use one number for all council services.

The centre, which is staffed full-time and does not rely on recorded messages, operates as a permanent switchboard to council staff as well as an advice hotline for confused taxpayers.

The centre was deluged with calls when the first phase of Worcester's wheelie bin service was rolled out a year ago, jamming lines for days.

Coun David Tibbutt, who is the cabinet member responsible for customer services, said: "There is a great bunch of people working at the centre - the staff work really hard. I'm very pleased by these results and am proud of the staff, because they are the ones that produce the goods."

The survey was not all good news for the council, though with only 62 per cent of phone calls being answered within 15 seconds, although it improved to 78 per cent during the month of June during the closure of the Bilford Road tip.

Leader Coun Simon Geraghty said: "This is an excellent facility, and as the rating shows you cannot get much better than a 99 per cent satisfaction rate."

The survey, which includes researchers ringing up pretending to be customers, is conducted in-house by officers every three months and updated quarter-on-quarter until each financial year ends in March.