Governance

These are our service standards for our regulatory work. They follow the Government's regulators code.

What can you expect from us?

We will:

• treat you with courtesy, fairness, honesty and respect
• tell you your rights and signpost you to where you may get independent advice
• respect your confidentiality where possible
• be polite and listen to your views
• be realistic about what we can and cannot do
• have suitably qualified and trained staff carrying out regulatory activities
• follow our enforcement policy
• help and support you in developing your business/organisation

How will we communicate with you?

We aim to provide you with clear information advice and guidance. We will do this in the most appropriate way. This may be:

• letters
• emails
• phone calls
• information on our website
• social media
• face to face conversation

It will generally be in English, but sometimes we will translate information into another language.

Any information we hold will follow our data protection policies.

How can you help?

You can help us do our jobs effectively by:

• treating our officers with courtesy and respect
• listening to our officers
• providing paperwork and material in the timescales we request

What does it cost?

Some of our regulatory work requires you to pay a fee. We will let you know what this is if you need to pay.

Our fees are reviewed every year. Sometimes the government requires us to charge you a set amount.

Our approach to compliance

We follow government guidance and our own enforcement policy. This includes:

• using national methods for assessing risk
• determining how often inspections and checks will be made
• any follow-up resulting from inspections and checks

You can find out more in our Corporate Enforcement Policy.

Feedback:

We welcome and value your views about the way we work. You can feedback to us in these ways:

• by making a complaint, compliment or comment
• by taking part in our consultations
• by joining the Borough Panel
• direct to our staff or managers
• through our elected members (Councillors)

If you want to complain:

If you have a complaint about the way we have provided our service or treated you let us know. We follow our Complaints Policy when dealing with complaints.

If you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint, you may be able to have your complaint reviewed by an independent Ombudsman.

If you are unhappy with a regulatory decision or failure to follow the regulators code, you can ask us carry out an impartial review. This will be done by an officer not involved in the case. 

In some cases you have a right of appeal to a Court or Tribunal. This is different from a complaint and may follow strict timescales. It is your responsibility to seek advice about your appeal.