The benefits service provided by Amber Valley 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. It takes too long to deal with new claims, and although accuracy is improving, customers who think their claim is wrong face long delays in having their claim looked at again. It is also not always easy for customers to access the service, and it cannot show that it is meeting the needs of local people.
Beverley Parker, Audit Commission senior manager, said:
'The Council has been through a period of reorganisation during which the service received by benefit claimants has suffered. The benefits service has not done enough to ensure that its customers receive a prompt and accurate decision when they make a claim, which is especially important in the current recession. To its credit, the Council has recognised that the service needs to improve, and is putting changes in place to make this happen.'
Strengths include:
- High levels of customer satisfaction with front-line staff.
- Improved performance in detecting and preventing fraud due to effective partnership working.
- An increase in the number of assessment staff.
Weaknesses include:
- The benefits service is not designed around customers' needs.
- It does not deliver value for money.
- It has not succeeded in improving its most important aspects, such as speed and accuracy.
- Improvement planning and performance management are both weak
- It has not had enough people with the right skills to provide an acceptable standard of service.
Recommendations include:
- Ensuring customers receive the right benefit at the right time.
- Improving customer access.
- Strengthening performance management to improve quality.
Notes to editors
- The benefits service provided by Amber Valley BC pays out around £36 million per year to approximately 10,740 households. It is run in-house, with approximately 23 full time equivalent staff. The cost of running the service in 2009/10 is approximately £1,157,000 of which £878,713 is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions with the balance being met 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.
For more information or for an embargoed copy of the full report, please contact Eric Ludlow on 0844 798 4183