IRRV Alert - week ending 12th March 2010
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Stafford Borough residents receive a 'poor' benefits service, says watchdog
The benefits service provided by Stafford Borough Council is 'poor' and has 'uncertain' prospects for improvement, according to an independent report released today by the Audit Commission.
On a scale from zero to three stars the Audit Commission inspection team gave the service a 'poor' zero-star rating. This was because housing and council tax benefits are not paid promptly when a customer submits a claim, and people trying to contact the service by phone experience long delays. The Council has not done enough to encourage residents to claim the benefits they may be entitled to.
Clive Mitchell, Audit Commission senior manager, said:
'Stafford Borough Council's benefits service has been poor for too long, but the Council recognises that it needs to improve and is investing in the service. As a result there are signs that things are starting to improve. This has to happen: an effective benefits service is an important safety net for people on low incomes, especially in the current economic climate.'
Strengths include:
- Staff in the service are committed to giving a good service.
- Recent changes are beginning to improve the speed of processing claims, reduce the level of overpayments, and improve telephone response times.
Weaknesses include: - Not enough new claims are being paid promptly.
- Access to the service for some people is difficult, particularly by telephone where there are long waiting times;
- The service has not been designed to meet the needs of people who use it.
- Over the last three years the Council has been unable to claim back £379,000 from the Department for Work and Pensions, because it failed to respond to changes in customers' circumstance and to adjust their benefits promptly.
To help the service improve, inspectors made a number of recommendations. These include:
- Making it easier for people to claim or ask questions about benefits.
- Strengthening performance management, which is the system for checking that the service is provided effectively.
Notes to editors
- The benefits service at Stafford Borough Council pays out around £25 million a year to over 8,000 households. The cost of running the service in 2008/09 was £754,000 of which £708,000 was funded by the Department for Work and Pensions and the balance by the Council.
- The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog, driving economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local public services to deliver better outcomes for everyone.
- Our work across local government, health, housing, community safety and fire and rescue services means that we have a unique perspective. We promote value for money for taxpayers, auditing the £200 billion spent by 11,000 local public bodies.
- As a force for improvement, we work in partnership to assess local public services and make practical recommendations for promoting a better quality of life for local people.
Get the full report.
Download the full inspection report below. This report contains all our findings and recommendations.
