Issue - meetings

To advise Members of actual performance during the first quarter on the Improvement Plan.

(Report attached)

RESOLVED that

1)         the report be noted; and

RECOMMENDED that

2)                 £15,000 be allocated from General Fund balances in 2009/10 to provide additional resources within the Benefits Service, as recommended by the Performance Development Team (PDT), to improve the recovery of over-allowed Housing Benefit; and

3)                 the cost of an additional post for this purpose be included in the base budget from 1 April 2010.

(Officers were requested to provide a supply of leaflets regarding claims for benefits for the Roadshows.  Officers were also requested to prepare a press release regarding claims for benefit highlighting the calculator on the Council’s website for those affected by the current economic climate.)

The Committee received a report on progress against the Benefits Service Improvements Plan from April to June 2009.

Members were informed that the Benefits Service Improvement Plan had been developed in response to the Audit Commission’s Inspection in 2008/09.

A Performance Development Team (PDT) of Officers from the Council’s Benefits Team and the Department for Works and Pensions had been set up to progress the aims of the Improvement Plan.

Officers reported that the number of claims for Housing Benefit had reduced during the quarter when compared with previous periods.  However, claims remained high and were from people who had not previously made claims.

Between April 2009 and the end of June 2009 1916 claims had been processed.  Of these 1160 were processed within 14 days and only 64 claims took longer than 50 days to process.

The Committee were informed that overpayment recovery remained disappointing with an overall increase in debt outstanding and below target recovery rates.  The PDT had concluded that the processes in place to recover over allowed benefit were satisfactory but that additional resources would be required to allow the rate of recovery to be improved.

Officers were requested to provide a supply of leaflets regarding claims for benefits for the Roadshows.  Officers were also requested to prepare a press release regarding claims for benefit highlighting the calculator on the Council’s website for those affected by the current economic climate.

RESOLVED that

1)         the report be noted; and

RECOMMENDED that

2)                 £15,000 be allocated from General Fund balances in 2009/10 to provide additional resources within the Benefits Service, as recommended by the Performance Development Team (PDT), to improve the recovery of over-allowed Housing Benefit; and

3)                 the cost of an additional post for this purpose be included in the base budget from 1 April 2010.