The benefits service provided by South Staffordshire Council is ''good' and has 'promising' prospects for further 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 ''good' two-star rating. This was because housing benefits are being paid quickly and accurately to all customers. The Council is encouraging the take-up of benefits and continues to develop its understanding of customers' needs. An earlier report, published in September 2008, rated the service as 'poor' (zero stars) but with 'promising' prospects for improvement.
John Cotterill, Audit Commission senior manager, said:
'South Staffordshire's housing benefits service is now very different from the one we rated as 'poor' less than two years ago. Councillors, staff and others have worked together to ensure that the service is now much more geared towards the needs of customers, ensuring they are paid the right amount without delay. The improvement is particularly impressive given the increased workload created by the economic downturn. There is a clear desire to continue with improvements that have been made and plans are in place to achieve this.'
Strengths include:
- There are no backlogs and customers get a prompt service in all areas.
- The Council makes good use of discretionary housing payments [see Notes to Editors below] to support vulnerable people.
- Counter-fraud work is well-managed and overpayment management has been strengthened.
- Customers and partners (such as Jobcentre Plus, Citizens Advice Bureau and the Pension Service for example) are encouraged to express their views about the service which are then taken into account.
- Customers are told what level of service to expect. Performance results are published so that customers can see if standards are being met.
- Staff are well trained and have a strong focus on customer care.
Recommendations include:
- Making further improvements to performance on answering telephone calls.
- Using population data to help improve access to the service and to make sure the right people are targeted by benefit take-up initiatives.
- Encouraging partners to be more involved in service planning.
Notes to editors
- South Staffordshire Council pays out around £22 million a year to benefit claimants. Access to the service is through a customer service centre at Codsall, an outreach office at Wombourne or by phone. Customers can also apply for benefit using the Council's website.
- Discretionary housing payments are payments made at the discretion of the Council, subject to an annual cash limit set by central government, in cases where the Council considers that additional help with housing costs is needed by vulnerable customers.
- 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 more information, or for an embargoed copy of the full report contact Eric Ludlow on 0844 798 4183