Audit Commission

Summary [Download full report below this summary]

The benefits service provided by Bristol City Council is ‘poor’ and has ‘uncertain’ prospects for improvement.

People are waiting too long for their claims to be processed and some find the letters they receive about their benefits claim hard to understand. Customers who use the phone to contact the Council about benefits can wait a long time before they speak to an advisor and this is getting worse. People who want to appeal against the decision made about their benefits wait too long to have their case reviewed. More consistent action to reduce fraud would help cut costs and save the taxpayer money. 

Get the full report. 

Download the full inspection report below. This report contains all our findings and recommendations.

Bristol City Council - Benefits service inspection ( PDF, 350kb )

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