Housing Benefits Service Charter
This charter tells you
- the standard of service you can expect from our Benefits Division
- what you can do to help us help you
- what you can do if things go wrong
Our Service Aims
At normal time, you should expect the following standard of service
- for those without an appointment waiting times will be kept as short as possible
- if you have an appointment with us you will be seen within 15 minutes of your appointment time
- all our staff will wear name badges so you know who they are if you need to talk to them again
- phone calls will be answered within 25 seconds or 9 rings
- our customer advisors will always give their name and department at the start of a phone call
- we will always be polite, courteous and friendly when we speak to you
- all enquiries will be treated with strict confidentiality
- you will receive a written decision from us about your claim for Housing or Council Tax Benefit within 14 days of supplying all the information we need
- we will reassess your benefit within 10 days of receiving notice of a change of circumstances
- letters, faxes and email enquiries will be answered within 10 working days
- our staff are committed to treating you with respect and understanding for your individual needs based on the principles of equality. We will ensure our services are equally accessible to all people and appropriate and sensitive to the differing needs of all sections of the community
- if you need to use our complaints service, we will acknowledge your complaint within three working days and provide a full written answer within 10 working days
What we would like from you
- to provide all the information we ask you for when we ask for it - this will help us to speed up your claim
- to read all the information that we send you - it is important
If you need any information or advice, please click here.
