Mid Sussex District Council’s out of hours phone number is a vital lifeline for residents wishing to report an urgent issue to the Council outside office hours.   Yet twice in the last few weeks I have had reports that the phone number has gone unanswered despite the respondent holding on for 30 or 45 minutes, including where a fire had left a Council owned building in a dangerous condition.  These are unacceptable waiting times and I have got an assurance from the Council that their provider has agreed to provide more resource for the service and that their performance will be better monitored. 

The Council needs to manage its contract with the provider more proactively by seeking appropriate management information and exception reporting for when things go wrong to ensure a proper standard of service is provided.  I would urge residents to feedback directly to the Council using their feedback form if you believe the service provided is not up to standard, or contact me directly.