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The service which processes Council and Housing Benefit claims, rent allowances and tackles fraud in the Babergh district has stepped up its performance in recent months, according to a report considered by Councillors today (1st February). The report also sets out future planned improvements.
The Overview & Scrutiny (Stewardship) Committee, the body responsible for monitoring the Benefits Service, heard that there had been improvements in a number of key areas in the last 4 months of 2004. In particular, the number of days taken to process new claims had fallen from 40 in 2003/04 to 31 – on track to hit the target for 2004/05 of 30 days. Babergh has also reduced the turnaround time in which updates to existing client information, such as a change of address, are made from 8 to 6 days. The percentage of rent allowances paid on time (within 14 days) has improved from 55% last year to an estimated 85% to date.
The detection and prosecution of Council Tax and Benefit Fraud has also been successfully stepped up with 26 convictions being achieved in the financial year to date.
“These are very encouraging trends. By improving the service we offer to benefit claimants, whilst cracking down on fraud, Babergh’s Benefits Service continues to move in the right direction. Our vision is have a service which is as efficient and customer-friendly as possible ” said Cllr. Jennie Jenkins, Chairman of the Committee.
“However, more work still needs to be done. Councillors were especially interested in future plans to make the services offered even easier for residents to use. In particular, we will be evaluating the operation of new software, after it is installed later in the spring, which will allow residents to makes claims online via the Babergh website” concluded Cllr. Jenkins.
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