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Response by the Cabinet Member: Dear Cllr Gwynfor Thomas Thank you for your questions. I recognise the concerns raised regarding delays in responses to enquiries received by the Income and Awards Service and the inconvenience this may cause to residents and elected members. Given the importance of the services provided by the team, it is appropriate that Members are kept informed of current performance and the actions being taken to improve customer experience. The Income and Awards Service administers more than 67,000 Council Tax accounts and over 7,000 Business Rates accounts, while managing approximately 2,400 telephone calls and 2,200 emails each month. These volumes reflect the significant demand placed on the service. 1. Average response times to emails and written correspondence The service does not currently record correspondence in a way that enables average response times for emails and written enquiries to be reported. Producing this information would require a detailed review of individual enquiries, and therefore the requested data is not currently available. 2. Outstanding enquiries and age profile. For the period April 2026 to August 2026, there was an average of 1,443 enquires awaiting a response, and the oldest email currently is dated 29th June 2026. This is higher than we would like it to be and the service are working hard to reduce the number of enquiries awaiting a response. It should be noted that the early part of the financial year is when the volume of queries received is greatest due to the annual billing period. This then typically improves from September onwards. 3. Service standards and performance The Council's Customer Charter sets out our commitment to providing high-quality customer service. However, there are currently no corporate response-time standards in place for all services. Through the implementation of the Customer Experience Framework, the Council is developing a more consistent approach to service delivery, including the establishment of clear service standards, performance measures and customer expectations. Any future targets will need to be realistic, achievable and aligned to service demand, available resources and opportunities for digital transformation. 4. Complaints relating to delayed responses During the last 12 months, 11 complaints were received where delays in responding to enquiries were identified as an issue. Of these, four complaints were upheld. In line with the Council's complaints process, learning from these cases is reviewed and used to identify opportunities for service improvement where appropriate. 5. Actions being taken to improve response times. The Income & Awards Service is implementing a new contact management system which will improve how some enquiries are handled and, over time, support the introduction of AI-assisted functionality for some routine telephone and email enquiries. This will help create additional capacity for staff to focus on more complex customer needs. The service is also reviewing resources, recruiting additional staff and using temporary cover arrangements to strengthen capacity. In addition, the Council's Customer Experience Framework will drive a consistent approach to customer service across all services, including the development of clear service standards, performance measures and digital improvements aimed at delivering an excellent customer experience and reducing response times across Council services.
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