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Customer service centre

The customer service centre was established in 2001 with the aim of handling the majority of calls made to the council. Since 2001 we have been continually expanding the range of calls we we take.

Ways to contact us

Opening times

  • Monday - Thursday 8am to 7 pm
  • Friday 8am to 6pm
  • Saturday 9am to 1pm (except bank holidays)

Textphone service

RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People) Typetalk is our national telephone relay service for deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, deafblind and speech-impaired people. It lets deaf and hard of hearing people use a textphone to access any services that are available on standard telephone systems.

Typetalk provides a link between any textphone user and a hearing person. The link is a highly trained RNID Typetalk operator who provides a discreet and confidential service. If you are deaf, all you need is a textphone, which is a specially adapted telephone with a keyboard.

If you are deaf and calling a hearing person

If you are deaf you should dial 18001 followed by the full telephone number from your textphone. If the call is answered by a hearing person, a Typetalk operator is brought into the call. However, if the call is answered by another textphone user, the connection is direct with no need to involve an operator.

If you are hearing

If you are hearing dial 18002 followed by the full telephone number to make a call to a textphone.

During the call

Once connected, the textphone user types a message from their keyboard and the operator reads it word for word to the hearing person. The hearing person then verbally responds, and the Typetalk operator types exactly what is said so that the deaf person can read the conversation on their textphone display panel.

All calls are confidential and the service operates around the clock, so you can make calls at any time, day or night. 
 

 

Page Last Updated: 11 Mar 2011