Quick Links
- Introduction,
- Website and electronic information,
- Telephone,
- Payments hotline,
- Address of Offices and opening hours,
- Correspondence,
- Visitors,
- Customer Care, Complaints and Compliments,
- Leaflets,
- Service Standards
Babergh District Council is responsible for providing a wide range of services to the residents of the district. This leaflet shows many of the services we provide, contact numbers and the standard of service you can expect receive.
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Website and Electronic Information
Our website contains a vast amount of information about the District Council and its services. Within the reception area at the Council Offices in Hadleigh there is a public access point (computer) for visitors to view our website or the internet. In addition, our website can be accessed by using an 'on-street' kiosk on Market Hill in Sudbury and information regarding local government services can be accessed via digital television services.
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We aim to answer enquiries within six rings between 9am and 5pm* Monday to Friday. We receive most calls early in the day (between 9am and 10.30am) so at these peak times our lines are often engaged. We appreciate that this can be frustrating, so if you can ring later in the day, this could be an easier way to resolve your enquiry.
*8am to 6pm for our Money Matters Customer Service Team
You may reach an answerphone on some telephone lines. Please be assured that your message will be dealt with promptly.
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There is an automated payments telephone line available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to pay by debit or credit card for council tax, brown bin renewals, rents, car park excess charges and sundry debtor accounts.
To use this service, please dial 01473 829024.
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Address of Offices and hours of opening
Main Office:
Council Offices, Corks Lane, Hadleigh, Ipswich IP7 6SJ
Telephone: 01473 822801
Advice Office:
Sudbury Advice Centre, Town Hall, Market Hill, Sudbury C010 6TL
Telephone: 01787 372331
Opening Hours:
Monday to Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 4.30pm
If you are actually homeless or threatened with homelessness within 28 days, you can make an appointment to see our homelessness team at the Town Hall in Sudbury on a Wednesday and Thursday morning.
To contact our homelessness team please telephone: 01473 825845 (if outside of office opening hours please ring the out of hours emergency telephone number 01362 698384)
Out of Hours Emergencies: To access the Council’s Out of Hours Emergency Service telephone 01362 698384 during times when the office is closed. Alternatively, messages can be left on the out of hours system, which will be responded to as soon as possible when the office re-opens.
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We answer most correspondence (including e-mails) within 10 working days. If this is not possible, an acknowledgement card will be sent giving advice on when a full response will be provided.
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If you wish to visit us with an enquiry, please make an appointment (if possible by telephoning the service you require) to ensure the person you need to see is available. This is not always necessary, but it will guarantee that you do not have to wait. Otherwise, feel free to call in, but please understand that there may be a delay before you are seen.
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Customer Care, Complaints and Compliments
We want to ensure that you receive a prompt and fair response to your enquiries and problems. If you are dissatisfied with our handling of your enquiry, please tell the person or department concerned. If we cannot resolve the issue informally we will send you a form to make a formal complaint. If you make a formal complaint, a Corporate Director will investigate the matter immediately. If you are happy with the service you have received and would like to acknowledge that compliments forms are available to do this.
Complaints and compliments forms are available online on our Complaints and Compliments web page, at Council Offices, or on request by telephoning 01473 826622.
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Leaflets about Council Services are available at Libraries (within and bordering the Babergh area), Tourist Information Offices, Sudbury Advice Centre, Great Cornard Parish Council and the Council Offices in Hadleigh.
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There follows information on various services and standards for delivery:-
(Housing and Council Tax Benefits) (01473) 825798
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Once we have all the information we need to assess Housing or Council Tax Benefits, we will complete the assessment within 14 days.
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If your circumstances change, or you make an enquiry we aim to amend our records within 6 days.
(01473) 825853
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Site Inspections to be made within 24 hrs of a request - on the same working day when the request is received before 10.30am.
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All plans to be vetted within 5 weeks of receipt (or 8 weeks when an extension of time agreed)
(01473) 826622
(01473) 825798
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If you make an enquiry, or give us some information and we need to amend your Account we will do that within 10 days.
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If you decide to pay your bill by Direct Debit we will set the arrangement up and notify you of the payments due within 3 days.
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If your payments need to be revised, we will give you at least 14 days notice of the change.
(01473) 826622
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If you receive an Excess Charge Notice for incorrect parking in our off-street car parks you can appeal against the issue of a notice in writing. We will ensure that we deal with your appeal within 10 days of receipt.
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Disabled persons car parking spaces provided in all our off-street car parks
(01473) 825798
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If you make an enquiry, or give us some information and we need to amend your account, we will do that within 10 days.
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If you decide to pay your bill by Direct Debit we will set the arrangement up and notify you of the payments due within 3 days.
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If your payments need to be revised, we will give you at least 14 days notice of the change.
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Account enquiries (01473) 825798
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Direct Debit (01473) 825798
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For payments made via the website or automated payments hotline before 11pm will be credited to the accounts by 9am the following working day.
Council Tax Benefit
(See Benefits)
(COMMUNITY ALARMS) (01473) 825767
(01473) 825716
Disabled persons
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Access to public buildings (01473 825856) All buildings open to the public are suitable for and accessible to disabled people
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Disabled persons’ car parking spaces provided in all our off-street car parks
(01473) 826622
GRANTS FOR HOUSING ADAPTATIONS
(01473) 825890
(01473) 825868
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Business growth loan scheme: decision within 28 days subject to co-operation from applicants reference sources.
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Business Start-Up Loan Scheme: decision within 28 days subject to co-operation from applicants reference sources.
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Redundant Building Workspace Grant Scheme: decision within 28 days of a fully comprehensive application.
(01473) 825713/825891
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Deliver/post annual canvass forms 11-12 weeks before the new Register of electors comes into effect.
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Despatch application forms for postal and Proxy facilities within 3 working days of Application.
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Despatch application form for service Voters, overseas electors and European Citizens applications within 3 working days of application.
(01473) 825890
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Food premises due an inspection as determined by the Risk Rating Scheme for Food Hygiene and Health & Safety to be inspected within 2 months of due date.
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Licence applications to be determined within 28 days of receipt of a full application.
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Provide two Food Hygiene Education courses per year or as requested by public/businesses.
(01473) 826622
- Supply information within 20 days of request
Garden waste
(Chargeable services)
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Bulk bag collection—single lift/special collection by arrangement (01473) 825890
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Fortnightly collection of 240 Litre wheeled (brown) bins. 0845 6066045
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Composting bins made available for sale at subsidised rate 08708 494870
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(01473) 826654
This service also includes the Council’s parks, open spaces and housing amenity areas, as well as Suffolk County Council’s Highway verges within towns and villages and some land owned by parishes.
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Record all enquiries. For those that need a site inspection inspect 65% of them within one month of receipt of enquiry.
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Pro-active random contract-monitoring programme as part of the management of our ground maintenance contracts, visiting every parish at least once a year to ensure service standards are upheld.
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Carry out a detailed 20 year review programme of our grounds maintenance areas
(01473) 825845
Housing Benefits
(see Benefits) (01473) 825798
(01473) 825757
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All initial grant/loan enquiries to be processed to a point of initial inspection within 10 working days of receipt of enquiry.
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Schedule of works prepared within 15 working days of initial inspection.
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Full application pack sent to ‘applicant’ within 15 workings days of agreed works being scheduled, or, in the case of disabled facilities grants, of the Occupational Therapists written agreement of schedules.
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Grant/loan approvals to be issued within 20 working days of a complete application being received or after receipt of outcome independent financial advice where appropriate.
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Payments to be made within 15 days of receipt of invoices conditional on grant completion being certified prior to receipt of invoice.
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95% of customers to be satisfied with the level of service provided.
(01473) 826622
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Application forms and relevant information packs to be sent within 24 hours of request.
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Completed acknowledgement cards returned within 24 hours of receipt of application.
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Candidates informed of interview dates in recruitment literature (information packs).
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Letter of appointment to be sent within 2 working days of verbal offer and acceptance.
(official searches) (01473) 825740
(01473) 826621
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Re-let vacated Council dwelling within 21 working days.
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To ensure that 85% of registered applications are assessed within 15 working days.
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Property matchings within 10 working days.
(01473 ) 825719
Due to the current high demand to process applications, this section will only be available to take telephone calls between 2pm and 3pm Monday to Friday. At all other times there will be an answerphone connected to the telephone line, which is able to take messages.
If you wish to see an officer to discuss your application an appointment will be necessary. To arrange an appointment please ring in between 2pm and 3pm Monday to Friday or leave a message on the answerphone, giving your name and contact number and an officer will ring back to arrange an appointment with you.
Non domestic rates
- See Business Rates
(noise, smells, smoke, disrepair etc) (01473) 825890
(01473) 826622
(01473) 825858
We have targets to approve or refuse a percentage of applications within a specified length of time, as follows:-
Major applications 60% in 13 weeks
Minor applications 65% in 8 weeks
Other applications 80% in 8 weeks
(01473) 825890
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To inspect and clean all public toilets every day
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Open 7 days per week (except Christmas Day), 8.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m.
(01473) 826622
(01473) 825826
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28% of household waste to be recycled
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Kerbside “Blue Bin” scheme—fortnightly collection
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Bring sites (bottle banks, textiles, paper, cans) throughout the district
Refuse collection
0845 6066045 (Local Rate Call)
Household Waste
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Alternate week collections of residual waste and recyclable material
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Collection of 240 litre wheeled bin centres every week (alternating between residual waste and recyclable material)
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Chargeable “bulky” collection of up to 5 items of household or 10 sacks of garden waste
Trade Waste (01787) 376851
(01473) 825757
Urgent repairs requested will be carried out within the following number of days (Right to Repair Regulations):
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Total loss of electrical power 1 day
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Unsafe power of lighting socket or electrical fitting 1 day
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Partial loss of water supply 3 days
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Blocked flue to open fire or boiler 1 day
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Total/partial loss of space/water heating (May-Oct) 3 days
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Blocked or leaking foul drain, soil stack or (where there is no other working toilet in the dwelling) toilet pan 1 day
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Leaking from water or heating pipe, tank or cistern 1 day
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nsecure external window, door or lock 1 day
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Rotten timber flooring or stair tread 3 days
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Mechanical extractor fan in internal kitchen or bathroom not working 7 days
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Partial loss of electrical power 3 days
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Total loss of water supply 1 day
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Toilet not flushing (where there is no other working toilet in the dwelling) 1 day
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Total or partial loss of gas supply 1 day
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Total/partial loss of space/water heating (Nov-Apr) 1 day
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Blocked sink, bath or basin 3 days
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Tap which cannot be turned 3 days
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Leaking roof 7 days
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Loose or detached banister or hand rail 3 days
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Door entry phone not working 7 days
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Non-urgent responsive repairs to be completed within defined 28 (e.g. taps) or 56 (e.g. fencing) day period.
(01473) 825890
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Respond to complaints within 3 working days
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Complete initial investigation of complaints relating to Standards in private sector housing within 40 working days. Improvements by available statutory means.
(01473) 825719
(01473) 825890
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Aim to keep streets of district clean by frequently cleaning streets in commercial and residential areas and providing responsive service to wider rural areas.
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Programmed litter picks by Parishes, volunteer groups supported by businesses with our support and equipment.
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All highways swept to meet safety of highways regulations.
The main aim of the Tourist Information Centre is to offer an excellent service of information provision, both to visitors to South Suffolk and to the local community.
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Respond to requests for information within two working days.
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Answer the telephone within six rings (if this is not possible, the answer phone will be switched on and calls returned within 30 minutes).
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Keep customers waiting for no longer than five minutes without acknowledging them and explaining why there is a delay.
To provide Tourist Information Centres at the following locations open to the public during the hours stated
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Flatford 01206 299460
March - end October: 10am - 5pm daily
November - March: Sat & Sun 10.30am - 4pm
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Lavenham 01787 248207
End Easter - end October: Daily 10am - 4.45pm
November, December & March: Sat & Sun 11am - 4pm
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Sudbury 01787 881320
All Year: Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm
April - end September: Saturdays 10am - 4.45pm
October - end March: Saturdays 10am - 2.45pm |