Customer charter

At the heart of our customer charter is our commitment to improve the quality of life for local people. We strive to get it right first time, every time. Our aim is to deliver efficient and effective services which meet the changing needs of our communities, adapting to meet new challenges, new ways of working and different ways of interacting with our communities.

We will:

• be polite, listen and remain professional at all times
• provide you with clear, accurate and up-to-date information about our services and facilities
• ensure our employees are skilled, knowledgeable and able to provide high-quality customer care
• give you a clear explanation of why we have made the decisions if we cannot meet your expectations
• endeavour to make Council premises and services accessible to everyone
• treat everyone equally, regardless of race, family/marital status, gender, religious belief, age, disability or sexuality
• ensure our information is in a format that can be easily accessed and understood
• provide a single point of contact wherever possible and provide responsive and reliable services
• provide a consistent, co-ordinated and proactive service
• provide a range of convenient communication channels to contact us
• enable customers to provide feedback through customer surveys, focus groups and consultations

If you telephone us, we will:

• answer 90% calls within 15 seconds
• greet you, clearly stating a name and department. If we cannot answer your enquiry or transfer you to the right person we will take your details and ask someone to contact you
• when returning your calls, staff will clearly state their name, department and their reason for calling. The caller identification to mobiles will show as 'withheld' and a message will be left where possible if you are unavailable

If you write (email/letter/fax) to us, we will:

• send an acknowledgment email within two working days of receipt
• send an acknowledgement to all letters and faxes within five working days of receipt
• provide timescales for a full response to be sent
• use plain and correct English
• provide details of the person dealing with the enquiry
• if required, provide an email response in large print, information in Braille, in another language, in audio or in large print

If you visit us, we will:

• keep Council premises clean, tidy, safe, well-signed and welcoming
• wear identification
• undertake to resolve your enquiry as quickly as possible
• respect confidentiality and, where appropriate, provide private interview rooms
• endeavour to see you at your appointment time, if there is a delay we will keep you informed

If we visit you, we will:

• provide details of the person attending your home/place of business and wear identification
• resolve your enquiry as quickly as possible
• endeavour to see you at your appointment time. If however, there is a delay we will keep you informed and let you know beforehand if we need to cancel or re-arrange an appointment
• clearly explain the purpose of the visit
• be polite and respect your home and your faith/beliefs
• provide timescales for a full response to be sent
• use plain and correct English

Complaints:

·         we aim to reply to all complaints within 10 working days. If we need longer, we will tell you why and confirm who is dealing with your complaint

Freedom of Information requests:

• we will supply information requested in Freedom of Information requests within 20 working days, except in exceptional circumstances
• in such circumstances, we will contact you to let you know why it is going to take longer or if there are reasons why it is not appropriate to release all the information requested
• we will explain why we are not releasing the information and explain the appeal process

What you can do to help:

There are a few things you can do to help ensure your enquiry is resolved as quickly as possible:

• treat Council officers with respect
• provide the Council with all the information required to resolve your query
• access the Council's website for services and information if you can
• notify the Council of any change in your circumstances
• complete the feedback forms to help us improve our service

How to contact us by writing to us at:

Spelthorne Borough Council
Council Offices
Knowle Green
Staines-upon-Thames
TW18 1XB

The Charter is available on request in large print. We want as many people as possible to be able to read our Customer Charter - use the audio-visual tool to change the language, size and colour on this page.

In conducting statutory duties and operating services, the Council will ask for and use your personal data. In some instances, this data may be passed to our agents, but when we do so, we'll make sure that your information is properly protected. For more details, please see our privacy notice.