NEWS RELEASES
Council services and postal strikes
27 October 2009
HORSHAM District Council is this week telling its residents and customers that it is aiming to provide as much of its business as usual during the current postal strikes.
Every effort is being made to make sure that Council services are affected as little as possible by the strikes and the Council's website (www.horsham.gov.uk) is being promoted as the first place to look for information.
In addition, customers are welcome to send emails to the Council at contact@horsham.gov.uk or call 01403 215100 for further information.
Specific actions are being taken for some services, including the following:
Electoral registration
The names of all voters are currently being updated by Horsham District Council, especially important if anyone wants to vote in the next General Election.
So far, about 85% of Horsham District voters have replied and the Council has already sent out second reminders to those residents who have not replied as yet. These were sent out ahead of the planned postal strike.
The next planned step is to carry out a door to door canvass of those people who have not replied. The postal strike doesn't affect this activity.
If you think there’s an issue with your form, contact the elections office.
Further information is available by email: elections@horsham.gov.uk or call 01403 215280.
Housing advice
During the postal strikes, to ensure housing applications and issues can still be addressed, applicants are being asked to contact the department using housing’s email address housing@horsham.gov.uk.
People are also being asked to hand in housing applications at Council help points – these can be found at the District Council offices at Park North, Horsham Library and Storrington Library. These will be collected by Horsham District Council.
Staff in the housing department will be making use of email wherever possible including visit letters. Staff will also use the phone to contact applicants with non important correspondence including confirming visit times.
Horsham District Council has arranged for any correspondence which needs to go to applicants in temporary accommodation to be hand delivered by either the building surveyor or the short stay temporary accommodation manager when they visit the accommodation.
Any mail shots will be deferred for the duration of the strike.
Applicants can call into the housing services reception; however it’s being requested that people bear in mind this could be a very busy time for the department.
If the strikes are to continue, Horsham District Council will be looking into the co-ordination of hand delivery of important letters, such as decision letters and nomination letters, where the timescale is important, by a visiting member of council staff who is out and about in the District.
Planning applications and licensing matters
All residents either looking to make a planning application, or wishing to make comments, can do so using the electronic processes set up. There is a general planning email address, planning@horsham.gov.uk which can be used for enquiries.
To find information on planning applications, the Horsham District Council website has ‘public access’, a planning applications site.
The planning department will of course recognise if someone has attempted to post and this has been held up and adjust timescales according. The department is also putting steps in place to hand deliver notices of planning applications, should this be required. For any more information, call planning on 01403 215187.
For licensing matters, plenty of information can be found on the Council’s website. There is also an email address, publichealth.licensing@horsham.gov.uk, which can be used to send any enquiries to. Licensing can be reached on 01403 215641.
Housing benefit and Council tax benefit
Claims to Housing and Council Tax benefit can be handed in at Council help points. Any payments that are due to be made by cheque this week will be hand delivered.
Money matters/invoices and payments
Payments to the Council for Council Tax, Business Rates, invoices and parking tickets can be made by debit or credit card using the online payment system found on the Council website, or by calling the automated payment line on 01403 215645.
Suppliers can email invoices to accounts.payable@horsham.gov.uk or fax them to 01403 215371 and any suppliers who have not informed the Council of their bank details are requested to do so, by email or fax, to enable payments to be made direct to their bank account via BACS, rather than by cheque.
Freedom of Information and legal matters
As with other areas in the Council, for legal matters it’s strongly advised for people to use email wherever possible, by emailing legaladmin@horsham.gov.uk, or calling 01403 215475.
In addition Horsham District Council operates a private delivery system called DX which operates between most firms of solicitors, court offices and other local authorities which members of these areas will be encouraged to use. This will not be affected by any postal strike.
Freedom of Information requests can be made by emailing foi@horsham.gov.uk, the request will follow the same protocol as posted FOI requests and answered in the same timescale.
Ends
CONTACT: Richard Morris, Communications Manager
Email: Richard.morris@horsham.gov.uk