Our service standards

Thousands of people contact us every year in many different ways. Regardless of how you contact us you are entitled to a high standard of response.

Here we set out our service standards when you first contact us and tell you what you can expect from us.

We will:

• Aim to provide high quality customer focused services
• Respond in a timely manner to customer requirements
• Listen to our customers and provide them with value for money

Customer care

We will always welcome your comments and will use them to improve our services.

We will be courteous and helpful and will listen carefully to what you have to say.

We will treat you fairly and with respect.

When you contact us we will respond promptly, telling you what we will do and when you can expect a result.

If we can’t meet your needs we will tell you why not and if possible will refer you to an organisation that can help you.

If we have got something wrong we will apologise and put it right.

If you need information in a special format such as Braille or in a different language we can arrange it on request.

Contact us – online

You can access many services on our website at a time to suit you.

We will acknowledge that we have received your request straight away. That first acknowledgement will tell you what will happen next and when it will happen.

We will then keep you informed about the progress of your enquiry.

You can also use our online form to send comments, questions or compliments to us.

Contact us – social media

You can also contact us via social media:

North Lincolnshire Council

@NorthLincsCNews

We use social media to engage directly with residents and local businesses to provide information on council services, promote events and activities and to answer questions about council services.

For a full list of our social media accounts visit our social media page.

Contact us – by email

If you would like to contact us via email, our address is:  customerservice@northlincs.gov.uk

We will respond to your email by the next working day and will keep you informed about the progress of your enquiry.

Contact us -by telephone

Here are some useful numbers:

Our customer contact centre:   01724 297000

Environmental issues:

To report flytipping, flyposting, stray dogs, dog fouling, abandoned cars and problems with waste, recycling, roads, street cleaning, streetlights, trees, bridleways and country footpaths, high evergreen hedges and local nature reserve, please call the Customer Contact Centre on  01724 297000.

Local Taxation and Benefits:

Housing Benefits and Council Tax:  03003 030164

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday: 9am to 4.30pm

Social Services:

Adult Social Services:  01724 297000

Children’s Services:  01724 296500

Out of hours emergencies:

• General:  01724 276444
• Adult Social Services:  01724 297000
• Children’s Services:  01724 296555

Our contact centre is open between 8.30am and 5pm Monday – Thursday and 8.30am and 4.30pm on Fridays (except Bank Holidays).

When staff are away from their desks we may use answerphones. If you leave a message with your contact details we will ring you back as soon as possible.

Please note: if your telephone does not accept Withheld or Unavailable numbers we may not be able to ring you back.

Contact us – in person

Local Links can help with more complex enquiries where you really need to talk to someone face to face. If an appointment would be helpful to you they are available at most Local Links.

When you visit us we will keep waiting times to a minimum. If you have to wait we will advise you how long it may be for and if necessary offer you an appointment at a mutually convenient time.

If you have a pre-arranged appointment we will see you within 10 minutes of the appointment time.

Contact us – by post

North Lincolnshire Council
Civic Centre
Ashby Road
Scunthorpe
North Lincolnshire
DN16 1AB

We will send you at least an initial response to your letter within 10 working days and then will keep you informed about the progress of your enquiry.

If we visit you at home

Where appropriate we will contact you in advance to make an appointment to see you at a mutually convenient time.

All visiting officers will carry official council identification and will show it to you before they enter your home.

If we need to cancel or change your appointment we will let you know.

Complaints

If you wish to make a complaint about the council please use our online complaints form:

Freedom of Information & Environmental Information Regulation enquiries

You can use our online forms to make Freedom of Information (FOI) or Environmental Information Request (EIR) enquiries directly to us.

Media enquiries

For media enquiries please contact a member of the council’s media relations team.

Leader of the council

Councillor Rob Waltham is the leader of North Lincolnshire Council. Cllr Rob Waltham welcomes feedback on any areas of concern and he can be contacted on 01724 297556 or via email:  rob.waltham@northlincs.gov.uk