Council Tax: Customer Charter

Our aim is to provide a responsive, quality service that reflects our commitment to customer care for the whole community.

Delivering quality

You can expect our staff to be polite, able and efficient at all times. They will answer all your questions as clearly and fully as possible.

Contacting us

Full details of how to contact the council tax office are given on the How to contact us web page.

If you write to us

You can write to us by email, fax and post. We will reply to your written enquiries within ten working days of receipt. A full reply may take longer in some cases, but you will be informed who is dealing with your case and when you should expect a reply.

If you phone us

A dedicated call centre is in operation to deal with your Council Tax queries promptly and efficiently. Your call will be answered within 15 seconds of ringing. Please note that a telephone queuing system is in operation and calls may be recorded for monitoring purposes.

If you visit us

You can visit the customer services section at Brixton Customer Centre, 18 Brixton Hill, London SW2 1RL with any council tax enquiry. A ticketed queuing system is in operation and an indicator board gives details of the average waiting time. You will always be given a written record of your visit that will show you what action is being taken on your enquiry. You can make an appointment to see a Council Tax Officer at the reception desk or by phoning 020 7326 3195.

Language Line

We subscribe to Language Line, a telephone interpreting service. This facility is available if English is not your first language and can be used if you visit our customer services section or phone the call centre on 0845 300 0328.

Home visits

If you are housebound or disabled and we are unable to resolve your enquiry over the phone or by email or letter, we can arrange an appointment for a home visit. To make an appointment, please phone us on 020 7326 3195 or 020 7326 3350.

Cashiers

The cash office is sited at Brixton Customer Centre, 18 Brixton Hill, London SW2 1RL and is open Monday to Friday 9am to 4.15pm.

If things go wrong

If you feel unhappy about the service you have received from us, please make a suggestion that helps us improve it. Your comments are important to us as they help us put things right and improve our service. We have three complaint stages.

What should I do if I am not happy with the service?

Stage 1

First of all, ring the call centre on 0845 300 0328. We will always try to resolve your problem immediately but if you are still not satisfied ask to speak to the call centre manager. If the manager is unable to resolve your complaint, you can ask for your complaint to be referred to the Council Tax Office. In these cases, we aim to call you back within 48 hours. Alternatively, you may contact the Council Tax Manager in the Council Tax Office at lambethctax@capita.co.uk. We aim to respond to your complaint at this stage within 15 working days.

Making a complaint does not allow you to withhold payment of your council tax.

What should I do if I am not happy with the reply?

Stage 2

If you are dissatisfied with the response to the stage one complaint, you have the right to have your complaint reviewed by a senior manager. If you want to exercise this right, please contact Greg Sinclair, the Contract Manager for Council Tax, confirming that you wish to make a stage two complaint and explain the reasons why you were dissatisfied with the first response.

To make a stage two complaint, you should contact:
Greg Sinclair
Contract Manager (Council Tax)
1st Floor
Olive Morris House
18 Brixton Hill
London
SW2 1RL
Phone: 020 7926 9718
Fax: 020 7926 9873
Email: gsinclair@lambeth.gov.uk

You will receive an acknowledgement within three working days and a senior manager will be asked to investigate your complaint. The senior manager will reply to your complaint within 15 working days.

What should I do if I am still not happy?

Stage 3

If you are still not happy after the stage two investigation, you can have your complaint reviewed by the council’s corporate complaints unit, which acts on behalf of the chief executive. The corporate complaints unit will now investigate your complaint. They are independent of the Council Tax office and will carry out a full review of your complaint.

To make a stage three complaint, you should contact:
Corporate Complaints Unit
Lambeth Town Hall
Brixton Hill
London SW2 1RW
Tel: 020 7926 9694
Fax: 020 7926 9381
Email: complaints@lambeth.gov.uk

Your stage three complaint will be acknowledged within three working days and we will let you know how long it will take to give you a full reply. We aim to send you a report of the investigation within 20 working days.

What should I do if I want to take it further?

If you are not satisfied with the way we have handled your complaint, you can complain to the Local Government Ombudsman. This is an independent national service that investigates complaints against local councils. You can make a complaint to them at anytime, however they will usually only investigate if you have already been through our own complaints procedure.

To make a complaint to the ombudsman, you should contact:

Local Government Ombudsman
PO Box 4771
Coventry
CV4 0EH
Tel: 0845 602 1983
Text: 0762 4804323
Email: advice@lgo.org.uk  
Website: www.lgo.org.uk