The Benefits service provided by Oldham Council is 'fair' but has 'promising' 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 'fair', one-star rating. The Council deals with claims for Housing and Council Benefit quickly. There is a good choice of ways for customers to have their claims dealt with, including face-to-face with a decision made while they wait. But customers have had to wait too long for their phone calls to be answered and many could not understand complicated letters about their claim.
Pat Johnson, Audit Commission senior manager, said:
"The Council has made good progress in the last year, especially in the time taken to deal with claims. A new management team is in place now and I am confident that improvement will continue. The Council knows where its weaknesses are and has plans to address them."
Strengths include:
- Prompt processing of new claims and changes in circumstances.
- A good choice of ways in which customers can have their claims dealt with.
- Customers are satisfied with the service they get.
Weaknesses include:
- Difficulty in getting through on the telephone - though there has been an improvement since November 2009.
- Complicated letters about claims with too much legal jargon.
- Slow response to appeals and requests for reconsideration of claims.
To help the service improve, inspectors made a number of recommendations. These include:
- To better meet customer needs by publishing standards for all aspects of the service - so customers can know what they can expect, and by writing letters in Plain English.
- To ensure that all customers are treated equally by training staff and checking satisfaction by different groups of customers.
- To improve value for money for local taxpayers by quicker recovery of overpayments of benefits.
The benefits service in Oldham is provided in partnership with Unity Partnership. This is a joint venture between the Council and a private company. Just over 80 staff in the Partnership provide the benefits service. The service pays out £89 million a year in benefits to just over 44,000 people. The total cost to the Council, including the services it provides in-house, is £3.2 million a year. The Department of Work and Pensions subsidises that with £2.2 million a year, leaving £1 million to be met by the Council.
Notes to editors
- 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.
For further information or an embargoed copy of the full report, please contact: David Rose, Regional Communications Manager (North of England) on 0844 798 6654 or d-rose@audit-commission.gov.uk.