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Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC) is responsible for a range
of services including
• Planning
• Building Control and Searches
• Land Charges
• Leisure provision
• Environmental Health
• Community Development including Sports & Arts Development
• Refuse and recycling
• Benefits
• Housing
• Council Tax collection on behalf of West Sussex County Council
and Sussex Police.
You can contact us in the following ways:
By Telephone: 01444 458166 
Monday to Thursday: 9am to 5.15pm and Friday: 9am to 4.15pm .
See pages 16-17 for an A-Z listing of useful numbers for specific
services.
Out of hours Emergency line: 01444 446495
In Person: All MSDC offices are open from 8.45am
to 5pm Monday to Thursday and 9am to 4pm on Friday. However, if
you wish to see a specific officer, it is advisable to arrange an
appointment by telephoning the offices 8.45am to 4pm.
By Letter: Please write to Mid Sussex District
Council, Oaklands, Oaklands Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex. RH16
1SS.
By E-mail: Our general e-mail address is enquiries@midsussex.gov.uk
Via our Website:
www.midsussex.gov.uk
Payments
If you need help with paying your Council Tax or Rent, please contact
the Benefit Services Section for an application form or advice.
Benefit Services can be contacted by telephone, in person at Oaklands,
or during surgery times at Burgess Hill Town Council (Tuesday and
Thursday 9am - 11.30am and Wednesday 2pm – 4 pm), East Grinstead
Library (Monday and Wednesday 9.30am - 11.30am) or Hassocks Parish
Centre (every other Thursday from 2pm - 4pm).
You can make your payments by pre-arranged instalments. We accept
payment in a number of ways to help you i.e. Direct Debit or via
the Internet, and our staff are always pleased to answer any queries
with regards to methods of payment. Please call 01444 477564 for
further advice.
Freedom of Information (FOI)
The Freedom of Information Act was passed by Parliament on 30th
November 2000. It grants members of the public new rights of access.
The Act came into force in two stages. In February 2003 we produced
a publication scheme, which is a guide to the types of information
that we, as a public authority, routinely publish. This is available
on our web site and reference copies are available at our receptions
and libraries in the area. On 1st January 2005, the General Right
of Access came into force, giving anyone the right to ask any public
authority for any information they hold. Mid Sussex has a comprehensive
FOI section on the Council’s website containing general information,
an on-line publication scheme for easy searching and guidance on
how to make a request for information (including forms).
 Our
Performance and Plans for Improvement
Mid Sussex District Council’s Corporate Plan is agreed at
the end of February each year and shows how the Council intends
to improve during the next financial year. The Corporate Plan sets
out the performance targets for each service the Council provides
and details the Council’s budget to achieve these goals. Our
performance and scrutiny committee monitor progress and they meet
four times per year to review the Council’s performance. Their
reports and other relevant performance information is published
on the Council’s website www.midsussex.gov.uk.
Copies of the Council’s Corporate Plan are available from
Help Points and it can be viewed or downloaded from our website
www.midsussex.gov.uk. Alternatively copies can be requested from
our Corporate Improvement Team on 01444 477360.
Local Strategic Partnerships and a Community Strategy for
Mid Sussex
This document sets out the background to Local Strategic Partnerships
(LSPs) and Community Planning. It outlines how MSDC supports the
Mid Sussex LSP and three Area Community Forums, and how each is
involved in the delivery of the Community Strategy. For more information
contact Community Services on 01444 477229.
Mid Sussex Matters
Our magazine, Mid Sussex Matters, is delivered to every household
and business in the district, featuring a mix of council and community
stories, and local events. If you have a good story about something
that is happening in Mid Sussex, please send it to the MSM team
on msm@midsussex.gov.uk
With a circulation to over 67,000 households, businesses and Help
Points, the magazine has opportunities to advertise. For further
information regarding advertising please call the press office on
01444 477240.
 Help
Points
There is a county network of Help Points, with three in Mid Sussex,
at East Grinstead Library, Burgess Hill Town Council and Mid Sussex
District Council Offices main reception in Haywards Heath. Help
Points provide a single contact point for any enquiry on local government
issues. The network has recently been re-awarded the Charter Mark
for the services it offers.
Customer Service Standards
Customer Service is something about which we care passionately:
When you write to us
Letters and faxes are answered within 10 working days. If a full
reply is not possible within the 10 working day target time, your
correspondence will then be acknowledged within three working days,
telling you who is dealing with your query.
We will use plain English in all leaflets, application forms, documents
and letters.
When you phone us
The Council has a direct dial telephone system, which enables callers
to contact services and officers directly. If you are unsure who
you need to contact, please call our main reception number on 01444
458166.
Our target is to answer your call within 15 seconds (6 rings). If
you telephone us we will put you through to an officer who can assist
you.
We will greet you in a polite and courteous manner.
We will leave clear instructions on recorded voice mail messages.
We are continuing to develop a range of corporate standards for
customer service to improve how we provide our services.
If things go wrong
The Council aims to give you the best possible service but as in
any large organisation, things do occasionally go wrong. We have
an established complaints procedure, which allows three levels of
investigation. 
A leaflet called ‘Details of our Complaints Procedure - solving
your problems’ is available on request from the Council Offices.
We value customer feedback on our service delivery. We therefore
use this direct feedback to identify the root cause of any complaints
and ensure improvements are made to our processes for the longer
term.
We hope that all problems brought to our attention are fully resolved
using our complaints procedure. However, should this not be the
case, an explanatory leaflet entitled “How to Complain to
the Local Government Ombudsman” is available either from the
Council offices, or direct from the Ombudsman at Millbank Tower,
London SW1P 4QP. Details are available on the Ombudsman website
at www.lgo.org.uk, or the telephone advice line on 0845 602 1983.
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Foreword
