Audit Commission

The benefits service provided by Mendip District Council is 'fair' and 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. This was because customers now have their claims processed within a reasonable time. They can use a number of different ways to progress their claim, such as calling at local offices, enquiring by email or by telephone. The service has worked well with other Council departments and with other organisations to prevent customers getting into more difficulty, such as through legal action or eviction. But not enough has been done to stop benefit fraud, and not enough effort has been made to understand customers' needs. Correspondence is unclear and difficult to understand. The Council recognises that it needs to tackle these issues and has made a good start.

Sophie Trim, Audit Commission senior manager, said:

'Mendip has recently started to provide a much better benefits service. I am pleased to see it is getting faster at handling new claims. I am also encouraged at the support given to people in most need. Senior officers are committed to improving the service further and are taking steps to tackle known weaknesses. But more needs to be done to learn what customers want, develop longer-term plans for improvement and check that costs are reasonable.'

Strengths include:

• People are now getting their claim for benefit paid faster.
• People can access the service through local offices, internet or email.
• Waiting times for visitors are short.
• The Council takes care to ensure that claims are accurately assessed.

Weaknesses include:

• The service does not know how satisfied its customers are, and they have not been involved in setting service standards.
• The service has improved, but only relatively recently.
• The Council has not done enough to stop benefit fraud.
• Not enough has been done to ensure that everyone is treated equally.
• The service cannot show it provides value for money.

To help the service improve, inspectors made a number of recommendations. These include:

• Better understand the needs of customers and their experiences to improve the service.
• Make sure that customers can access the service easily by improving signs, opening hours, contact by telephone and information in leaflets and correspondence.
• Tackle benefit fraud more effectively.
• Compare costs with other councils and develop a detailed understanding of costs compared with performance.

Copies of the report are available from Mendip District Council or from the Audit Commission website.

Notes to editors

1. Mendip District Council's benefits service pays out around £33.9 million in benefits per year to 8,180 people claiming council tax benefit and 6,500 people claiming rent allowance, of which 4,020 are tenants of Registered Social Housing and 2,480 are tenants of private landlords.
2. The service is run by an external service provider. The cost of running the service in 2009/10 is £1.96 million, of which £861,433 is funded through a grant from the Department for Work and Pensions and the balance is met by the Council.
3. The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog, driving economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local public services to deliver better outcomes for everyone.
4. 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.
5. 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 please contact Callum Collins, Senior Regional Communications Manager (Southern) Tel: 0844 798 8844