Our service standards and targets

If you telephone us...

All of our telephone lines are open, as a minimum, from 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 4.30pm Friday. Our Customer Service Centres (that deal with enquiries for Council Tax, Business Rates, Housing Benefit, Care for your Area, School Admissions and Free School Meals) are also open 9.30am to 12.30pm Saturday and have extended opening hours midweek.

Officers will be professional, polite and friendly and will aim to deal with your call there and then at the first point of contact. They will tell you their name and the service area they work for.

We aim to answer your call within five rings. When you are asked to wait in a telephone queue we will keep you waiting no more than three minutes and give you the option to leave a message.

If you telephone us and are given the option to leave a message...

We will tell you the reason we are unable to take your call at the time (perhaps the office is closed, the person you want is busy taking another call or is away from the office).

We will provide you with contact details and a clear message, including when you can expect a call back, which will be within one working day.

If we telephone you and you are not able to take the call...

We will, if given the option and where appropriate, leave a message, provide contact details and state the reason for the call.

If you email us...

You will receive an acknowledgement within one working day.

We will aim to send you a full response within 10 working days.

Our responses will include the name of the officer and/or service area dealing with your enquiry

If you write to us...

We will aim to send you a full response within 10 working days.

Our response will include full contact details of the officer and/or service area dealing with your enquiry.

If you visit our offices...

All of our reception areas are open, as a minimum, from 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 4.30pm Friday.

You will be greeted by polite and friendly officers. They will be professional and treat you fairly.

All of our officers will wear readable name badges or carry official identification.

We will aim to attend to you within 10 minutes of your arrival.

We will provide clean and comfortable facilities for you and protect your privacy by providing private interview rooms.

A range of up to date information leaflets, forms and posters will be available for you to view or take away.

We will aim to keep to pre-arranged appointment times but will let you know in good time if appointments are running late or have to be re-arranged.

A free courtesy telephone will be available if you need to call one of the Council's other services.

If we visit you at your home...

We will send an appropriate officer out to see you.

We will be on time.

Officers will confirm their name, service area and the reason for their visit. They will carry their identity card, which includes a photograph.

The outcome from the visit will be agreed and you will be given a follow up card containing contact details, where appropriate.

If you have a complaint, comment or commendation...

We will provide you with an easy to use complaints, comments and commendations procedure called 'Have Your Say'.

We will commit to treating you fairly, empowering all of our officers to put things right.

We will aim to investigate and send you a full response within 10 working days (with the exception of Health and Social Care complaints that can take up to 20 working days to investigate fully).

If you are unhappy with the way we deal with your complaint tell us and a senior manager will review the action taken. We will aim to do this within 20 working days.

We will learn from our mistakes, improving our services as a result.

If you have difficulty communicating with us....

We will make information available in other formats such as braille, large print and audio, on request.

We will provide you with an interpreter if you need one and can arrange to have information translated into different language.

Our translation and interpretation service is provided free of charge.