Committee Services

Availability of Services

Committee Services is open between 8.45 am and 5 pm on all working days.

Instructing your Committee Services Officer

In urgent situations committee advice can be obtained immediately by telephoning your contact committee services officer.

Otherwise written instructions should be marked for Committee Services Officer's attention.

Committee Services promises to:

• Acknowledge all correspondence within three working days
• Provide accurate understandable advice
• Keep to agreed timescales
• Keep you informed of progress
• Carry out your work using appropriately qualified staff
• Provide you with a monthly report showing time spent working for you

You as our client promise to:

• Provide complete and understandable instructions
• Promptly provide any information or documents your Committee Services Officer requests
• Advise your Committee Services Officer immediately of any changes to your instructions
• Advise Committee Services Officer immediately of any complaints or problems

Calculation of Costs

The cost of Committee Services is based upon records of time spent by the Committee Services Officer during the financial year the subject of this Agreement. The detailed time records upon which costs are based are available upon request.

Time Recording

Each Committee Services Officer keeps an accurate record of time spent on the client's behalf by means of timesheets recording times in units of 15 minutes. The time will be allocated to the client generally unless specifically requested by the client for a particular case or project, when time will be specifically allocated to that case or project.

Monitoring

The Democratic Services Manager will ensure that work performed on behalf of the client is monitored so as to:

• ensure that the service is of an acceptable standard
• ensure that time recorded as work done for the client is properly allocated to the client
• ensure that time is not unnecessarily spent on the client's matters

Problems

If you are in any way dissatisfied with our service please tell us. If you prefer not to raise the matter with the Committee Services Officer doing your work then contact the Head of Legal and Democratic Services at 01343 563152.We will try to deal with your complaint immediately. If you are unhappy with our response then the Chief Executive has agreed to our referring any dispute to him for a final ruling.