Our purpose

The Customer Service Charter outlines the Clarence City Council’s values and commitments to our customers. It’s a promise we make to each customer to deliver the best experience in every interaction.

Customer queries help us understand and respond to community needs – we encourage you to reach out to us. Working together, we can shape a vibrant future for Clarence.

Our mission 

To respond to the needs of the community through a commitment to excellence in leadership, advocacy, best practice governance and service delivery (Strategic Plan 2021-2031).

Our customer experience guiding principles

  • Accountable – We will be accountable to our customers ensuring the highest level of service is provided at each interaction.
  • Collaborative – We acknowledge the importance of customer service both externally and internally. We will work collaboratively with all customers.
  • Authentic – We are committed to authenticity in our interactions with customers, fostering genuine connections built on trust and sincerity. Our communication is honest, transparent, and reflective of our values, ensuring that every interaction has an aim to help the customer.
  • Seamless – Provide simple and seamless experiences that ensure a smooth and hasslefree experience with straight forward processes focused on good customer outcomes.
  • Consistent – Consistency is key to delivering exceptional customer experiences. We strive to maintain consistency in the quality and accessibility of our services, communication, and interactions across all touchpoints and channels.

Our commitment to you

We aim to provide exemplary customer service that is seamless, authentic, and consistent across the organisation.

We are committed to:

  • Being caring and empathetic when speaking to you.
  • Understanding your needs.
  • Helping you quickly to find the right information or person to talk to the first time.
  • Being authentic and setting honest expectations.
  • Keep you up to date.
  • Taking ownership of your enquiry and ensuring it is resolved.
  • Being curious and willing to learn so we can unlock opportunities and better ways to help you.

Response times – our service commitments to our customers

You can expect the following responses from us:

  • We will answer your phone call promptly and where possible resolve general enquires.
  • If specialised assistance is required, we will direct you to the appropriate department and outline our next steps.
  • We will reply to your correspondence, including emails within 10 business days.
  • If the nature of your enquiry or request is not straightforward, we will keep you informed of our progress and expected timeframes.
  • In person – we aim to resolve your enquiry immediately. Where this is not possible, we will contact you with a response using your preferred communication method within 10 business days.
  • There are some processes within Council that are subject to statutory timeframes that are legislated.
  • Website – we will provide current, accurate and timely information that is easily understood and accessible.
  • Social media (comments, messages, and requests) – social media is a channel for distribution of information and comments, not a formal customer service portal for responses and requests.
  • While it is the council’s aim to satisfy our customers, circumstances will, at times, necessitate outcomes that may not be to the satisfaction of all our customers. When this happens, we will explain why.

How you can help us

To help us deliver the best experience to you, we ask that you:

  • Let us know when your contact details or circumstances change so we can keep our information up to date.
  • Be polite and respectful towards our employees and other customers. Clarence City Council supports a safe working environment, including the use of appropriate language and behaviour, free from discrimination or harassment.
  • Understand that we will not tolerate behaviour that is likely to put someone in physical danger or make them feel anxious, threatened, or disrespected. Our employees are trained to report inappropriate conduct immediately and we reserve the right to end a call or ask you to leave, and we may contact the police if you refuse to comply.

Feedback

We seek and welcome all customer feedback to understand if you are satisfied or dissatisfied with our services, and why. We use this customer feedback to monitor and improve our services.

Community engagement

Clarence City Council recognises your right to be informed and have input into decisions which shape our city.

The Clarence City Council Your Say website is where you can find information and provide feedback on important projects that are shaping our future.

At times we will engage in a range of other ways to inform, consult, or collaborate with you.

The way we engage with our community will be tailored to achieve the greatest input and feedback in relation to specific projects or programs that we are working on.

Council’s community engagement and consultation activities are covered by the Community Engagement Policy.

Compliments

We want to recognise and celebrate our staff and the work they do to make Clarence the special place that it is. Please let us know if you think someone has done an outstanding job or a project or event has impressed you.

Complaints

At Clarence City Council, we endeavour to provide an excellent customer experience and
council services to our community. However, if you have had an experience with us that did
not meet your expectations, we want to hear from you.
We take complaints seriously and we are committed to resolving your matter in line with our
Customer Service Charter.

What is a complaint?

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction or concern raised by a member of the public about the actions, decisions, or services provided by council. Complaints may relate to:

  • The quality or delivery of services,
  • Unresolved issues or requests for assistance,
  • Delays or lack of response to inquiries in line with our Customer Service Charter timelines, or
  • Concerns about policies, practices, or procedures.

A complaint may be classified as serious or complex if it involves significant issues such as:

  • Allegations of misconduct or unlawful behaviour by council staff,
  • Matters impacting the safety or well-being of individuals or the community,
  • Complex, multi-departmental issues requiring in-depth investigation, or
  • Complaints that may involve legal implications or require specialist advice.

How to make a complaint

If you wish to make a formal complaint to council, you can do so by either:

  1. Email:
    Send an email detailing your complaint to complaints@ccc.tas.gov.au
  2. Written Submission:
    You can submit your complaint in writing to the Chief Executive Officer with the subject line starting with ‘COMPLAINT’. You can either:
    • Deliver this letter to Council Chambers at:
      38 Bligh Street,
      Rosny Park 7018
      Or.
    • Mail your letter to:
      Clarence City Council
      PO Box 96
      Rosny Park 7018

What to expect

When you submit a complaint, Council officers will ensure your complaint is passed onto the
relevant staff to resolve. We may need to contact you for further information concerning your complaint, so please let us know your preferred method of communication.

Our typical response time is 10 business days, in line with our Customer Service Charter.
While we strive to address your complaint as soon as possible, there are times when a detailed investigation is required. In these instances, your patience is greatly appreciated, and we will keep you informed of our progress to resolve your complaint. Once we have resolved your complaint, we will advise you of the outcome.

Appeals

If you are not satisfied with the council’s resolution, there are further options for you to appeal the outcome:

  • Ask for the Chief Executive Officer to review your complaint and the outcome.
    Seek advice from a Councillor who may take up the matter on your behalf.
  • Additionally, there are other non-council bodies that you may contact if you feel we have not
  • addressed your complaint:
    • The Ombudsman
      Level 6, 86 Collins Street
      Hobart TAS 7000
      Phone: 1800 001 170
      Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.tas.gov.au
    • Director, Division of Local Government
      Department of Premier and Cabinet
      Level 5, 15 Murray Street
      Hobart TAS 7000
      Phone: (03) 6232 7022
      Email: lgd@dpac.tas.gov.au

Any administration decision where council has a statutory decision-making role may be
subject to a further review under the Judicial Review Act 2000.

How to contact us

Visit us in person at:

  • 38 Bligh Street, Rosny Park (Monday to Friday – excluding public holidays)
    General enquiries – 8:30am – 5:15pm
    Payment enquires – 8:45am – 5:00pm
    Building, Planning, Health, and Plumbing enquires – 8:00am – 5:15pm

By Phone:

  • (03) 6217 9500 (as per business hours above)

Write to us:

  • Clarence City Council
    PO Box 96
    Rosny Park TAS 7018

Contact a Councillor:

  • Contact details for all Councillors can be found on our website here.

Online General Request Form:

Email us:

Visit our social media pages for information:

Further Help:

  • If you are deaf or have a speech impairment, contact us through the National Relay Service
    website here.
  • If you would like the support of translating or interpreting services, contact the Australian Government’s Translating and Interpreting Service using their website
    www.tisnational.gov.au or by phone 131 450.