Our Customer Charter

We will treat you with respect.

We will treat you fairly.

We will know our services and know how to help you.

We will make sure that any information we give you is correct and answers your question as fully as possible.

We will tell you who is dealing with your question and what is happening with it.

We will offer a range of ways in which we can communicate with you.

When you contact us, we will try to deal with your question or complaint straight away.

If this is not possible, we aim to give you an answer within seven days.

If your question or complaint is more complicated and we need more time, we will write to you to tell you what is happening and we will reply to you in full within 28 days.

If you leave a message on our answerphone, we will respond to you within one working day.

If you have an appointment, we will see you on time.

We will clearly display opening times in all our reception areas and will be open at those times.

If you phone us on any of the numbers we have listed in our  A-Z Guide to Public Services and in your local phone book, we will answer your call within 20 seconds.

We will put you through to the right person to deal with your question. If the person is not available at that time, we will pass your question to the right person for them to deal with it and they will contact you.

We will offer you a range of ways to contact us.

let us know if something goes wrong;

tell us if your personal circumstances change as this may affect whether you are entitled to services;

keep any appointment you have made with us (if you cannot do so, please let us know); and

be considerate and polite.